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Steph De Lander

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Steph De Lander
Birth nameStephanie Josephine De Landre[1]
Born (1997-01-21) 21 January 1997 (age 27)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia[2]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)FaceBrooke
Steph De Lander
Persia Pirotta
Billed height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[3]
Billed weight187 lb (85 kg)[3]
Billed fromSydney, Australia[4]
Trained byMadison Eagles
Robbie Eagles
Mick Moretti
Debut8 April 2017[3]

Stephanie Josephine De Landre (born 21 January 1997) is an Australian professional wrestler, best known on the independent circuit by her ring name Steph De Lander. She is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and is a mainstay on the American independent scene, most notably in Game Changer Wrestling (GCW). She is also known for her time in WWE, where she performed on the NXT 2.0 brand under the ring name Persia Pirotta as part of a tag team with real life best friend Indi Hartwell. She has also made appearances for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH) in recent years.

Early life

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Stephanie Josephine De Landre was born in Melbourne, Victoria, and moved to Sydney, New South Wales when she was 5 years old. She grew up in the northern suburbs of Avalon Beach. De Landre dropped out of high school at 15 years old to become a hairdresser, before deciding to pursue professional wrestling at age 18.[5]

Professional wrestling career

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Early career (2015–2021)

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In 2015, De Landre began training at the PWA Academy in Sydney, under coaches Madison Eagles, Robbie Eagles and Mick Moretti. In 2017 she debuted as a masked character named FaceBrooke,[6] and quickly rose through the ranks in the Australian independent scene. As FaceBrooke, she wrestled for NHPW in Perth, and made appearances for multiple promotions across Australia such as BCW, PCW, Wrestling GO, PWA, Rock n Roll Wrestling, Newcastle Pro Wrestling & PWA.

IN 2018, FaceBrooke made her American debut for acclaimed all women's promotion Shimmer Women Athletes. She also performed for RISE, Nova Pro Wrestling & IWA Midsouth during this tour, competing against wrestlers such as Shotzi Blackheart, Veda Scott, Allie Katch & more.

After returning to Australia, she was sidelined for almost a year due to a shoulder injury. Upon returning to the ring in 2019, she stopped going by FaceBrooke and adopted the Python Powerhouse gimmick, and started going by her real name, stylized as "Steph De Lander". She continued to appear in various promotions across Australia, such as Melbourne City Wrestling and Venom Pro Wrestling .

In 2019, De Lander returned to the USA for another tour, making appearances for SHIMMER this time tagging alongside Indi Hartwell as 'Australia's Hottest Commodities'. They tagged against names like Jessica Havoc & Nevaeh. Steph debuted for Black Label Pro & Battleclub Pro during this trip.

De Lander continued to rise up the ranks in the Australian wrestling scene, competing in high profile matches at top promotions PWA & MCW. In August 2019, she defeated Indi Hartwell in her farewell match in Australia, before Hartwell moved to the United States to join WWE. At MCW Endgame in September 2019, De Lander lasted 3 rounds in a tournament where she defeated Kellyanne to become the inaugural MCW Women's Champion. In February 2020, she competed in a cage match in the main event of PWA against Jessica Troy.

WWE (2021–2022)

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In June 2019, De Landre participated in the first ever all Women's WWE tryout in the United Kingdom. She was the only international talent at the tryout, with all the other women being from the UK. De Landre has since revealed in interviews she was offered a contract with WWE during this tryout.

It was reported on 14 March 2021 that De Landre was one of two Australian wrestlers signed by WWE. Under the ring name "Persia Pirotta", she made her NXT debut as the close friend of Indi Hartwell who had come all the way from Australia for Hartwell's wedding with Dexter Lumis.[7] On 26 October during the NXT: Halloween Havoc television special, Pirotta and Hartwell teamed again to compete in a Triple Threat Scareway To Hell Ladder match against Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne) and the reigning NXT Women's Tag Team Champions Io Shirai and Zoey Stark, establishing herself as a face in the process.[8][9] She had her first victory in WWE on 16 November episode of NXT, defeating Gabby Stephens and Jenny Levy in a two-on-one handicap match.[10]

After she returned in January 2022,[11] Pirotta and Hartwell started a feud with Toxic Attraction which resulted in a match for women's tag team titles at Vengeance Day where they were unsuccessful in winning the match.[12]

During their match on March 13th, 2022, where Pirotta, aided by her partner and lover Duke Hudson, lost to Indi Hartwell and her partner and lover Dexter Lumis. After the match ended, the two couples proceeded to have a kissing contest, embracing their partners. This controversial angle was featured on popular media news site TMZ on March 16th, 2022 for its PG-13 content during the PG era of WWE NXT. Another article was released the same day featuring photos of Pirotta and Hartwell posing in bikinis for the media site Hot Shots. Pirotta was released by WWE in April 2022.[13]

Independent circuit (2022–present)

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On July 23rd, 2023, De Landre, once again going by her real name made their DDT Pro Wrestling debut at the "Wrestle Peter Pan" event alongside Matt Cardona which took place at  the Ryogkoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Having performed heels during their run on various independent promotions, De Lander aided Cardona to help him be crowned the new DDT Pro Universal Champion over Tetsuo Endo.

During Cardona's victory speech, Maki Itoh interrupted, which set the stage for their match on September 23rd at the "Who's Gonna TOP" event at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Even with Cardona accidentally getting hit in the head with the Universal title by De Lander, he remained victorious as she assisted and placed a dazed Cardona on top of Itoh for the pin to retain the title.

Cardona and De Lander returned November 12th for a no disqualification match against MAO at the "Ultimate Party" event at the Ryōgoku Sumo Hall, where despite Steph's efforts to interfere, after a 112 Day reign, Matt lost the Universal Championship when his own finisher Radio Silence was used against him through plastic containers.

In the November 2023 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, after becoming household names in multiple independent promotions, as well as being the top heels during that time, De Lander Cardona were featured on the front cover. They were the first solo Pro Wrestling Illustrated cover for an independent wrestling act since the 1980s. The magazine issue also featured an article on the team and their journey to the top of the independent wrestling scene.

Impact Wrestling/Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2023–present)

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In February 2023, De Landre made her debut for Impact Wrestling as Steph De Lander.[14] In her debut match, on 9 February episode of Impact!, she established herself as a heel and faced Jordynne Grace in a losing effort.[15]

On the March 28 TNA Impact!, De Lander returned to TNA and, with help from an also returning Matt Cardona, with whom she has been aligning herself with in the independent circuit, won an 8-4-1 match to become number one contender to Jordynne Grace's TNA Knockouts World Championship at Rebellion.[16][17][18] At the event, De Lander was defeated by Grace.[19]

On the September 7 episode of Impact, De Lander, now competing as a face during her current on-screen relationship with PCO, confronted Cardona about his actions. There, Cardona revealed that when he and De Lander teamed up over two years ago, De Lander had signed a contract with Cardona that lent her services to him in exchange for several benefits, which he claims effectively made her his "property".[20] At Victory Road on September 13, De Lander revealed she needed neck surgery.[21]

Personal life

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De Landre is of Maltese descent.[22] She came out as bisexual in 2019,[23] and is currently engaged to American professional wrestler Mance Warner.[24]

Championships and accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ "Sarray headlines new class of international WWE Performance Center recruits". WWE. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  2. ^ De Lander, Stephanie (24 October 2020). "I was born in Melbourne!". Twitter. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Persia Pirotta". Cagematch. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Ashley Rayne, Priscilla Kelly and Xia Brookside join Mae Young Classic 2018". WWE. 30 July 2018. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  5. ^ Murray, Lucy (26 August 2019). "180 Seconds With Steph Delander". oneeighty.org.au. One Eighty. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Steph De Lander Matches". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  7. ^ Thomas, Jeremy (14 September 2021). "WWE News: Indi Hartwell & Dexter Lumis Get Married on NXT, B-FAB Wins In-Ring Debut". 411MANIA. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  8. ^ Currier, Joseph (26 October 2021). "NXT Women's Tag Team titles change hands at Halloween Havoc". f4wonline.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  9. ^ Moore, John (26 October 2021). "10/26 NXT 2.0 results: Moore's review of Halloween Havoc with Tommaso Ciampa vs. Bron Breakker for the NXT Title, plus Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal stipulations for Raquel Gonzalez vs. Mandy Rose for the NXT Women's Title, and MSK vs. Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel for the NXT Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 26 October 2021.[permanent dead link‍]
  10. ^ Thomas, Jeremy (14 September 2021). "WWE NXT 2.0 Results for November 16, 2021". 411MANIA. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  11. ^ Thomas, Jeremy (14 September 2021). "WWE NXT 2.0 January 11, 2022: Results". 411MANIA. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  12. ^ Moore, John (15 February 2022). "2/15 NXT 2.0 results: Moore's review of Bron Breakker vs. Santos Escobar for the NXT Title, Carmelo Hayes vs. Cameron Grimes for the NXT North American Title, Gigi Dolan and Jacy Jayne vs. Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta for the NXT Women's Tag Titles, MSK vs. The Creeds in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finals, Pete Dunne vs. Tony D'Angelo in a weaponized cage match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  13. ^ Defelice, Robert (29 April 2022). "Persia Pirotta Released By WWE". Fightful. Archived from the original on 29 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  14. ^ "IMPACT Wrestling: Steph de Lander debuta ante Jordynne Grace". 10 February 2023. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  15. ^ Moore, John (10 February 2023). "2/9 Impact Wrestling TV results: Moore's review of Mickie James and Tommy Dreamer vs. The Good Hands, Brian Myers vs. Dirty Dango and PCO vs. Shera in qualifying matches for the four-way at No Surrender, Joe Hendry vs. Matt Cardona for the Digital Media Title, Death Dollz vs. Killer Kelly and Taylor Wilde, Jordynne Grace vs. Steph De Lander". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  16. ^ TNA Wrestling Staff (28 March 2024). "TNA iMPACT! on AXS TV Results: March 28, 2024". TNA Wrestling. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  17. ^ Moore, John (28 March 2024). "TNA Impact results (3/28): Moore's review of Steve Maclin vs. Chris Sabin, an 8-4-1 match for a shot at the Knockouts Championship, Eddie Edwards vs. Mike Bailey". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  18. ^ TNA Wrestling Staff (28 March 2024). "Steph De Lander Returns, Will Challenge Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace at Rebellion". TNA Wrestling. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  19. ^ Powell, Jason (20 April 2024). "TNA Rebellion results (4/20): Powell's review of Moose vs. Nic Nemeth for the TNA World Championship, Jordynne Grace vs. Steph De Lander for the Knockouts Title, Josh Alexander vs. Hammerstone". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  20. ^ Moore, John (6 September 2024). "TNA Impact results (9/5): Moore's review of Jordynne Grace's open challenge for the Knockouts Title, Joe Hendry and Mike Santana vs. Moose and JDC, Kushida vs. Laredo Kid, Eric Young vs. Jake Something". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  21. ^ TNA Wrestling Staff (13 September 2024). "TNA Victory Road 2024 Results". TNA Wrestling. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  22. ^ De Lander, Stephanie (25 December 2021). "I am Maltese". Twitter. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  23. ^ Burgess, Kent (16 October 2019). "Wrestling With Pride". cityhub.com.au. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  24. ^ Shrivastava, Arpit (13 September 2024). "Photo: Released WWE star shares romantic picture with fiance". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  25. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (12 October 2019). "MCW Ninth Anniversary Extravaganza – Tag 2 – Event @ Thornbury Theatre in Thornbury, Victoria, Australia". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  26. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (12 October 2019). "MCW Invitational Tournament (2019)". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  27. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (5 May 2018). "Newy Pro Women's Championship". Cagematch.net. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  28. ^ "Matt Cardona And Steph De Lander Win Premier Streaming Network Titles". Yahoo Entertainment. 10 September 2023. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  29. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (5 May 2018). "VPW Women's Championship". Cagematch.net. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  30. ^ Vetter, Chris (16 March 2023). "World Series Wrestling "Unleash Hell Night 4" results: Vetter's review of Johnny Down Under and Bandido vs. Matt Cardona and Brian Myers, Jordynne Grace vs. Steph De Lander vs. Shazza McKenzie for the WSW Women's Title, Brian Cage and Flip Gordon vs. Erick Redbeard and Matt Basso for the WSW Tag Titles, TJP vs. Robbie Eagles for the WSW Australian Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  31. ^ "Matt Cardona Crowns Steph De Lander The Women's Internet Champion | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  32. ^ "Matt Cardona Officially Crowns A Women's Internet Champion". 2 June 2023. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
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