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This weekend at Bound For Glory, Kylie Rae will finally take advantage of the title match she earned at Slammiversary as she challenges a familiar foe in Deonna Purrazzo. At IMPACT’s biggest pay-per-view event of the year, the Knockouts Champion will look to continue to exert her dominance. Meanwhile, the challenger will attempt to avenge her friend, Susie, en route to her first title win with the company.
Rae made her triumphant debut at Slammiversary in July, winning the Knockouts Gauntlet for the Gold match to become the No. 1 contender. On the following episode of IMPACT!, Rosemary whisked her and other members of the roster off to Wrestle House, leaving Purrazzo to continue her feud with Jordynne Grace.
On Sept.1, Rae returned to the Impact Zone to interrupt Purrazzo’s Black Tie Affair. As The Virtuosa celebrated her victory over Grace at Emergence, the cast of Wrestle House randomly appeared and kicked off a conflict between Rae and Susie and Purrazzo and Kimber Lee.
At Victory Road, the self-proclaimed Greatest Technical Women’s Wrestler in the World successfully defended her title against Susie. Afterward, Purrazzo viciously broke Rae’s newfound friend’s arm as she looked on in dismay.
Kylie Rae takes on Deonna Purrazzo at Bound For Glory for the first time in three years
This showdown at Bound For Glory has been in the making for four months, but Kylie Rae and Deonna Purrazzo have a noteworthy history together. Before they both signed with IMPACT, they crossed paths as indie wrestlers. Early on, it seemed like The Virtuosa was a step ahead of the relative newcomer as she boasted three more years of experience than Rae.
In November 2017, Rae debuted for the RISE Wrestling at its fifth event, Rising Sun. A month later, she had her first match with Purrazzo at Brutality. By that point, the New Jersey native had already enjoyed an acclaimed stint with Ring of Honor where she was integral in the birth of its new women’s division. Meanwhile, Smiley Kylie had just finished up her first year in the industry in June as a part of Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling.
The two had a great match together as Purrazzo targeted the up-and-comer’s arm throughout. However, she narrowly escaped with the win as Rae nearly forced her to tap out with her signature crossface, the Charity Case. At the very last second, The Virtuosa shifted her weight into a pinning predicament and used her experience to defeat Rae.
Seven months later, Purrazzo picked Rae as her opponent for her farewell match on episode 10 of RISE Ascent. This time she fell victim to the Charity Case as Rae forced her to submit in her final appearance with the Chicago-based independent promotion. Afterward, Purrazzo finished up with ROH and signed with WWE in 2018. By the end of that year, Kylie Rae started her meteoric rise as one of the top indie wrestlers in the world.
For the next two years, these two women seemingly just missed each other more than once ahead of Bound For Glory this weekend. Purrazzo passed up on a chance to compete at the birthplace of AEW, All In. However, Rae was in attendance in the crowd that night and she eventually signed with the new company as one of the original members of its women’s division. Coincidentally, she also tried out for WWE in 2018 after a recommendation from AJ Styles.
Nevertheless, they both signed with IMPACT around the same time this year, making their rematch seem inevitable. Once again, Purrazzo was just one step ahead. Although she signed with the company about two months after Rae, The Virtuosa quickly rose to the top of the division and became the Knockouts Champions on the same night that Kylie became the No. 1 contender.
Now, Kylie Rae has the chance to dethrone Purrazzo one year after she made a surprise appearance in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match at Bound For Glory in her hometown. Deonna Purrazzo has already silenced all of the doubters after a disappointing stint on NXT. On Saturday, it’s Rae’s turn to prove she can deliver on a big stage, as well. She just has to get past a familiar adversary to do it.
