Ring of Honor champ Deonna Purrazzo bringing wrestling to NJ town to raise awareness about major issue

Ring of Honor champion Deonna Purrazzo is bringing a professional wrestling event to her former high school in Jefferson Township, New Jersey, to raise money for local students and draw attention to school funding concerns. The event, JTown SmackDown, also reflects her effort to support a community she says is disadvantaged by the state’s school funding formula.

Purrazzo argues that New Jersey’s S-2 formula reduces funding for towns such as Jefferson, where land protections limit development and growth in the tax base, while falling enrolment further reduces school allocations. She says 88% of the township is protected under the Highlands Act, which safeguards a major source of drinking water but restricts new businesses and housing. The New Jersey Education Association is working on a revised formula, with a hoped-for start in the 2027-28 school year; local officials have warned that continued shortfalls could mean cuts and larger classes.