Impact star Deonna Purrazzo picks Mount Rushmore of wrestling including John Cena & The Rock but Hulk misses out | The Sun

DEONNA PURRAZZO named John Cena, The Rock, Steve Austin and Ric Flair as wrestlers worthy of gracing a wrestling version of Mount Rushmore.

The iconic American National Memorial sculpture features the carved heads of former presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

Purrazzo, 28, was asked which wrestlers past or present deserve recognition to be on wrestling's own place of honor.

She told The Sun earlier this year: "My criteria is someone who has transcending wrestling into mainstream pop culture.

"All of my picks for a wrestling Mount Rushmore are because they were able to enter modern pop culture.

"Ric Flair and his wooo can be heard in all sports across the world.

"Not only was he a great wrestler in his time but he also has continued to stay true to his roots and come back to WWE in so many different ways after he retired."

Flair, widely considered the greatest professional wrestler of all time, is a two-time WWE Hall of Famer and a founding member of the legendary Four Horsemen stable.

Purrazzo says: "My first memories of Ric are when he was with Evolution and being the 'dirtiest player in the game'.

MAINSTREAM APPEAL

"If you ask someone on the street if they know any WWE wrestlers, these are the names (Flair, The Rock, Stone Cold, John Cena) that would be thrown out."

Dwayne The Rock Johnson, 50, and Steve Stone Cold Austin, 57, were the stars who brought wrestling into the mainstream in the late 1990's and early 2000's thanks to the Attitude Era.

This era was a hugely popular time for professional wrestling, with stars regularly appearing on sitcoms, talk shows and in movies.

Purrazzo praised The Rock and Stone Cold for also staying connected to wrestling after becoming big names in Hollywood.

She continued: "Stone Cold has consistently stayed in pop culture with the immortal phrase Austin 3:16, but also with TV show after TV show on cable networks and appearances back in WWE.

"He’s been able to take his popularity as the anti-corporate wrestler and showed that the everyday blue collar worker can be on top, too. "

The Rock is another wrestler who who has moved beyond wrestling.According to Forbes, Johnson was the highest-paid male actor in 2019 and 2020.

Most read in WWE

9

Purrazzo said: "The Rock of course is one of the most in demand movie stars today.

"With his roots in wrestling, I do believe that up and coming wrestlers seeing what he has accomplished after wrestling, helped change minds that opportunities are out there for wrestlers, outside of wrestling.

"It may have even opened the door for Hollywood to see wrestlers as more, too."

John Cena followed in The Rock's footsteps and has also become a fixture in Hollywood.

His involvement with WWE is now part-time as he stars in commercials, movies, and television shows.

On Cena, the Impact star says: "He is using his popularity being on top in WWE to conquer Hollywood and commercials."

Purrazzo, who started wrestling in 2013 and has competed in Ring of Honor, Total Nonstop Action (TNA), WWE NXT, and now is a two-time Knockouts champ in Impact Wrestling.

Source: Read Full Article