On this week’s edition of NXT, Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell held their respective bachelor and bachelorette parties. Hartwell’s was the first to be shown, as she entered a restaurant alongside Candice LeRae. At the party were a few familiar faces, including fellow NXT Superstars Kaci Catanzaro and Kayden Carter and backstage interviewer McKenzie Mitchell. Among the guests at Hartwell’s party was Persia, her best friend that attended the party from Australia. In her words, however, she didn’t come from Australia for the party, but rather, “Disney World.” In any event, if she seemed familiar, it’s because Persia is the women’s wrestler formerly known as Steph De Lander making her NXT debut.
Australia, Disney World, either way, @indi_hartwell's best friend, Persia, came a long way to be here. 🌎 ❤️ #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/46DJW2mIBT
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) September 8, 2021
Persia, FKA Steph De Lander, Debuts on NXT
Having trained under women’s wrestling veteran Madison Eagles, Steph De Lander has been in professional wrestling since 2017. Originally known as FaceBrooke, the Australia-born wrestler worked under a mask. Early in her career, the woman now known as Persia in NXT worked across various regional independent promotions. These included, but weren’t limited to, Pro Wrestling Australia and New Horizon Pro Wrestling. It wasn’t until the spring of 2018 when she broke out into the American wrestling scene, competing for organizations such as SHIMMER Women Athletes, RISE Wrestling, and IWA Mid-South. During her young yet promising career, she won titles in Venom Pro Wrestling, Melbourne City Wrestling, and Newcastle Pro Wrestling.
This past March, it was announced that Steph De Lander signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, reporting to the company’s Performance Center from there. She was one of the two major signings from Australia at this point, the other being Matty Wahlberg. In June of 2019, the future Persia was part of a tryout in the United Kingdom held by WWE. It was also reported that she was scheduled to join WWE in 2020 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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