Shayna Baszler is making it clear that Deonna Purrazzo’s creepy catfish story is not some rare one-off, because she says she has dealt with the same kind of thing several times.
The former WWE star jumped into the conversation after Purrazzo revealed that a man once drove two hours from Connecticut to meet her at WrestleCon because he believed they were in a relationship. Baszler said she has had multiple people get tricked into thinking they were dating her, and trying to tell them the truth does not always work.
“(Unfortunately common story incoming…) I have had SEVERAL people get catfished into thinking they are in a relationship w/me. They never listen when you try to tell them the truth. And going to police does NOTHING. Document everything and get some sort of security/self defense.”
That is a pretty scary warning, because Baszler is not talking about a few weird replies or someone being creepy in the mentions. She is saying several people believed they were actually in a relationship with her because someone else lied to them online.
Baszler’s post came after Purrazzo shared her own story about a man showing up in person after being catfished. Purrazzo said the man traveled from Connecticut to meet her at WrestleCon, then came back the next day to watch her wrestle at a local show.
“Last August, a man drove 2 hrs from CT to meet me at WrestleCon, thinking we were in a relationship. I had let him down gently that he had been catfished. The next day, he drove back to CT to watch me wrestle at a local show.”
Purrazzo said she tried to get the situation documented once she returned home, but Orlando Police told her they could not file a report because the incident did not happen in Florida. That is why she said she now takes her own protection seriously.
“I called the Orlando Police to file a report when I got home bc I wanted it documented this man already traveled across state lines TWICE to see me. They told me since the incident didn’t happen in FL, they couldn’t file a report. This is why I train with firearms. This is why I carry pepper spray. This is why I have an alarm on my keychain.”
The whole discussion started after Jordynne Grace posted a video where her house could be seen in the background. One fan made a comment about wrestlers wondering how people find out where they live, and Grace fired back with a very direct warning.
“Now wrestlers are wondering how fans find out where they live with the houses in the backround”
“come to my house if you want. I have seven dogs and a gun.”
Grace later added that people in the public eye need security because keeping an address off the internet is almost impossible.
“Anyone in the public eye should have some type of security. There are too many people with evil intentions and it’s virtually impossible to scrub your address from the internet.”
That is what makes Baszler’s post hit harder. Grace warned people not to get weird about where wrestlers live, Purrazzo shared a story about a catfished man crossing state lines twice, and Baszler says several people have been fooled into thinking they were dating her.
At the end of the day, Baszler’s message is simple: document everything and protect yourself. Catfishing might start online, but when someone believes a fake relationship is real and starts showing up in person, it becomes a serious safety issue fast.
Do you think wrestling companies should do more to help talent deal with catfishing, stalking, and fan safety issues? Let us know what you think in the comments
