Female star reveals she immediately texted Drew McIntyre after being released from WWE
A former WWE star has revealed details of her release from the Stamford-based promotion last year and why it prompted her to shoot a text toward Drew McIntyre. The star in question, who currently works for TNA, disclosed that those within the company told her to hone her skills before returning under its umbrella again.
Steph De Lander went by the name Persia Perotta during her time in WWE from March 2021 to April 2022, where she performed on NXT. Over the last couple of years, the 28-year-old has made a name for herself on the indie circuit, where she tagged along with Matt Cardona. De Lander has also been competing in TNA, which recently inked a multi-year partnership with the Stamford-based promotion.
During her recent appearance at the K&S WrestleFest, the TNA Digital Media Champion disclosed that at the time of her release, WWE advised her to develop her skills like Drew McIntyre did on the indie circuit. De Lander added that soon after she messaged McIntyre, who shared some valuable insights with her:
"They literally said to me, they were like, ‘Do the Drew McIntyre, and then come back.’ So then I messaged Drew, and I was like, ‘Hey, I got told to do what you did. What did you do?’ He sent me a whole bunch of stuff….I made sure I’m following what he did, and I look at people like Drew and Cody and Cardona and Samoa Joe, people that have either been fired and rehired or released or went to WWE later in their careers, or people that have been in multiple different companies and had really lengthy careers," said Steph De Lander (H/T - Fightful Wrestling)
Steph De Lander also cited the example of WWE star Chelsea Green
Furthermore, the up-and-coming star also mentioned that she was inspired by Chelsea Green, whose first WWE run from 2018-2021 didn't pan out as expected. De Lander explained how Green put in the work after being shown the door, which eventually paved the way for her return and eventual success in the company.
"Even Chelsea [Green], she got released and then did stuff on the indies and TNA, got rehired, and now she’s one of the most over people on the show. So I think there’s ways to do it, but you have to be willing to…I had one day at home this week. You’ve gotta be willing to, after a full loop of TV, be gone for a day and then fly out on a Monday to do this. That takes a special kind of person," added De Lander.
It remains to be seen if WWE and TNA's partnership will capitalize on Steph De Lander's ability to appear on NXT in the coming months.
