In early 2022, WWE NXT went through a revamp phase by the NXT 2.0 gimmick and Persia Pirotta aka Steph De Lander was one of the most entertaining characters during that short stint of the TV program. She was one of those female characters who was utilized to bring on the edginess vibes like old-school WWE programs that Vince McMahon wanted to bring before NXT went back to its roots.
Rather than getting to make a splash on TV, Steph De Lander was rather busy having some raw make-out scenes on NXT like the ones we used to see in ruthless aggression era days. That romantic angle was supposed to be dragged but the WWE management decided that they no longer needed Pirotta. Hence, she and nine other NXT 2.0 stars were released from their contracts.
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Looking back at her bygone career in the WWE, Steph De Lander pointed out the changes that she’s experienced since her WWE NXT stint ended allowing her to make a name for herself all around the independent scene. She seemed clearly happy about having a stint where she feels connected with the real-life character that she is as stated in an interview hosted by Chris Vin Vliet on her Insight podcast,
“I feel so much more connected to what I’m doing and my character and all of that than I did previously when I was in ‘NXT.’ So I think you can just see if you compare my performances in WWE and on the independents, I think the biggest thing is I look a lot more and I feel a lot more sure of myself.”
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Steph De Lander consciously took the decision to have a break
Steph De Lander wasn’t quick on coming back to professional wrestling after the WWE release came. As stated by her, it was a conscious decision taken by her. Admittedly, she wasn’t enjoying what she was doing and that recess time provided the boost that was needed at that point,
“I wasn’t enjoying what I was doing and I didn’t feel right so I took a break. I took six months off,” revealed De Lander. “It got to a point where I wasn’t motivated, I wasn’t enjoying what I was doing, and I knew continuing to work through that and wrestle while I was in that mindset was actually going to be detrimental to my career.”
Steph De Lander further added that being released by WWE was a huge shock to her, and it essentially led her to re-assess herself on what she wanted from her career. Eventually, it allowed her to become the “independent Goddess” a stint that she is still enjoying with Matt Cordona.
