The landscape of the ACW women’s division changed dramatically at ACW Aftershock when Steph De Lander walked in and immediately captured the ACW Women’s Championship. Fresh off a major victory in her debut match, De Lander caught up with The Stunner to discuss her championship mindset, her transition back to independent wrestling, and the chaos of her daily life.
Winning on Her Own Terms
The title victory was briefly clouded by interference from Vicious Vicky Venuto, but De Lander brushed off the distraction. She made it clear she is operating entirely on her own agenda and is unbothered by anyone else’s plans.
“I don’t know what she was doing out there. Maybe just trying to get a piece of this gold, I guess,” De Lander noted. “I didn’t expect it, didn’t see it coming. I should have seen it coming. I mean, it’s pro wrestling, there’s always shenanigans, but didn’t phase me. Still won, right?”
That unbothered attitude extends to her recent return to the independent circuit. Leaving the structure of a major promotion has allowed her to rediscover the freedom that makes her so dangerous in the ring.
“I’ve always done best on my own, like doing my own thing. I don’t like being told what to do. I don’t like rules even though sometimes you have to deal with it,” she explained. “I seem to always find myself back doing my own thing, living life, you know, the way that I want to, and for better or for worse, I mean, look, it’s worked out pretty well so far.”
The Origin of Persia Pirotta
The Stunner asked about her previous tenure in NXT under the name Persia Pirotta. The story behind the moniker involves a former career, a pet reptile, and a stubborn creative directive from Vince McMahon.
“Funnily enough, when I was working as a hairdresser in Australia, one of my coworkers had a pet snake called Persia. And I love snakes, and she told me, and I was like, that’s a cool name,” De Lander revealed. “And then I wanted to just be Persia, and they were like, Vince wants everyone to have two names. And I was like, you’ll just lose one anyway, so can I just be Persia? And they were like, no. And I was like, damn it. So I wanted something that rolled off the tongue, and my grandpa’s surname is Pirotta, so it’s a little ode to my grandpa.”
Chaos, Hip Hop, and Backstage Etiquette
The championship win capped off an incredibly hectic week. De Lander had just moved into a new home in Orlando, a process that left her traveling to New York without her headphones. She described the experience of flying in complete silence as brutal, noting she needs an aisle seat to avoid panic attacks. To stay grounded, she usually relies on a heavy rotation of hip hop, citing Ice Cube, Wu-Tang Clan, and Clipse as her favorites.
The conversation wrapped up with a blunt discussion about navigating the wrestling business as a woman. De Lander detailed a bizarre encounter she had just minutes before her match, where a security guard brought police officers over simply to gawk at her. When asked what proper etiquette male colleagues and staff should practice, the new ACW Women’s Champion offered a very simple directive.
“Don’t talk to me,” she said. “Just leave me alone.”
