The sound of bagpipes echoed throughout the Rahway Recreation Center as fans slowly rose to their feet. Moments earlier, children carrying replica championship belts had posed for pictures with wrestlers while families wandered through merchandise tables and silent auction items. Veterans exchanged stories with one another. First responders shook hands with supporters who had traveled from throughout New Jersey and beyond.
Then the atmosphere changed.
As the National Anthem played and a moment of silence followed, the excitement surrounding the night’s wrestling card gave way to something deeper. Before anyone had stepped into the ring, before championships were defended and before dream matches became reality, those in attendance were reminded why they had gathered.
Battle for the Brave was never intended to be just another wrestling show.
It was about service.
It was about sacrifice.
And it was about remembering.
By the end of the evening, the inaugural event had raised approximately $9,000 for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Yet for Steve Maclin and Deonna Purrazzo, the measure of success could never be found solely in a dollar amount.
Because Battle for the Brave wasn’t born inside a wrestling ring.
It started over dinner.
Nearly a year earlier, Maclin and Purrazzo sat with Tunnel to Towers representative Josh Linton in New York City. The couple had already developed a relationship with the organization through Heroes Cup, a charitable hockey event that brings together members of the FDNY, NYPD and first responders from around the region. Their admiration for the foundation’s work had grown, but neither expected that a casual conversation would eventually transform them into promoters.
At some point during dinner, Linton posed a simple question.
What if they ran a wrestling show?
Maclin laughed.
Not because the idea didn’t appeal to him, but because he understood what came with it.
“As performers, there’s so much that goes into this that we don’t think about,” Maclin recalled. “It’s funny because any wrestler’s first reaction is probably, ‘Why would I want to do that?'”
The answer, however, eventually became yes.
And with that answer came a whole new appreciation for an entirely different side of the wrestling business.
There were sponsors to secure, travel arrangements to coordinate and talent schedules to manage. Hotels needed to be booked. Merchandise had to be ordered. Production details had to be finalized. Months of work followed, giving Maclin and Purrazzo a new perspective on the countless responsibilities promoters handle behind the scenes.
Still, one priority never changed.
“We wanted to make sure talent were taken care of,” Maclin explained. “I wouldn’t do this for free and I don’t want anybody else doing this for free. That’s something my wife and I take very seriously.”
That philosophy reflected something larger than simply putting on a successful wrestling show. It reflected respect.
Respect for the wrestlers who agreed to donate their time and talents to the cause.
Respect for the fans who purchased tickets.
And respect for the people Battle for the Brave was created to honor.
Long before wrestling fans knew him as Steve Maclin, he was serving in the United States Marine Corps. As a machine gunner with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, Maclin completed two combat deployments to Afghanistan. Though his life eventually led him to professional wrestling, the experiences of military life remained a central part of who he was.
Those experiences also shaped his understanding of the challenges veterans and first responders continue to face.
“Veterans are neglected,” Maclin said. “Homelessness. Addictions. PTSD. And the same goes for first responders.”
Founded in honor of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has become one of the nation’s leading charitable organizations, providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star families and supporting catastrophically injured veterans and first responders.
“When a first responder loses their life, Tunnel to Towers picks up that mortgage,” Maclin explained. “To be part of something like that means so much to me and my wife.”
One thing that stood out throughout the day was that neither Maclin nor Purrazzo ever made Battle for the Brave about themselves. Purrazzo, one of the most accomplished women in professional wrestling and the reigning Ring of Honor Women’s Pure Champion, remained largely behind the scenes. Though she never addressed the media, her fingerprints were everywhere, from helping organize the event to ensuring the talent and guests felt appreciated.
Maclin has often credited his wife with helping him become more comfortable discussing issues affecting veterans and first responders.
“My wife is the one who kind of got me out of that shell,” he admitted. “I kept a lot of things to myself for a long time.”
As a military spouse, Purrazzo understands that service extends beyond those who wear the uniform. Families serve too. Sacrifices are shared. And throughout Battle for the Brave, that understanding could be felt everywhere.
(Video interviews from Back Sports Page’s YouTube channel are embedded throughout this story.)
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