Following the January 1 edition of "ROH on HonorClub," wrestling veteran Madison Rayne revealed that she was now retired from in-ring competition, with her tag team match alongside Deonna Purrazzo serving as her official sendoff. This occasion proved to be emotional for both Rayne and Purrazzo, especially given that the former has been a long-time mentor for the latter.
During an interview with "Gabby AF," Purrazzo opened up about her relationship with Rayne, which has extended well beyond the ring. "Madison, I call her my fairy god sister. I don't want to get emotional, but she literally has believed in me as a human being and a professional wrestler in so many more instances than I've believed in myself. She's the reason I went to TNA. She's the reason I got a job in TNA. She's a large part of the reason I got an opportunity to get a job at AEW. So there was no way I was going to pass up on that opportunity because she doesn't wrestle that much anymore," Purrazzo said, referring to the pair's preceding tag match in Columbus, Ohio. "And for her to come back in her hometown and to do that was really exciting. I'm so glad I got to be a part of it."
As Purrazzo alluded to, she and Rayne initially reunited in the ring for a tag team match aired on the December 11 edition of "ROH on HonorClub." Together, the two defeated Billie Starkz and Diamante. Originally, though, Purrazzo wasn't even scheduled to take part in the respective Ring of Honor tapings.
"We were in Columbus for Final Battle and I actually was supposed to have the next day off, my niece was turning two," Purrazzo said. "It was her birthday party, so I wasn't supposed to be at Collision in Columbus. Literally as I'm about to walk through the curtain, Billie and I started the pay-per-view, Tony [Khan] pokes his head around and is like, 'So Madison, this is your hometown, what if you and Deonna tag tomorrow?' I was like, 'Do you need me to be here? Because I'm not supposed to, but I'm more than happy to be here, 1000%.'"
Rayne joined the AEW-ROH team in 2022 as a coach for AEW's women's division and a part-time wrestler. Prior to that, she competed for Ring of Honor under different management in 2008 before returning for a longer run that stretched from 2017 until 2019. Rayne's biggest success came in TNA Wrestling, where she enjoyed runs as a five-time TNA Knockouts World Champion, three-time TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion, and commentator.
At the time of filming her interview, Purrazzo expressed interest in pursuing the newly-minted AEW Women's Tag Team Championship with Rayne. "We've been in every company at some point together in some dynamic, so I think that there's that natural chemistry that we also have just being so close that will come alive in the ring if we get more opportunities," she said.As it turned out, however, Purrazzo's next tag match with Rayne, aired on January 1, would be their last together and Rayne's last career bout overall.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Gabby AF" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
