WWE referee Daphanie LaShaunn and former NXT North American Champion Leon Ruff brought some wrestling action into a Twitch hangout, with LaShaunn delivering a body slam to her husband in a playful moment shared with fans.
LaShaunn posted video of the spot with a caption tied to the release-day celebration around The Legend of Zelda. “HAPPY ZELDA DAY TO ALL THOSE CELEBRATING!!! I SACRIFICED LEON IN HONOR OF PRINCESS ZELDA🔺 Watch our hangout and replay on Twitch! Link in bio!” she wrote.
The clip was clearly presented as a fun exchange between the couple rather than an in-ring match or official WWE segment. Still, the moment gave wrestling fans a chance to see LaShaunn apply some of the physical experience she built before becoming a WWE referee, with Ruff willingly taking the slam as part of the Zelda-themed joke.
View the referenced post on Instagram
A Wrestling Couple Having Fun on Stream
LaShaunn and Ruff have been married since September 2022. Both have substantial ties to professional wrestling, although their best-known WWE roles have been very different.
For more background on this topic, read Stephanie Vaquer Returns to WWE In-Ring Action at Portland House Show.
Ruff spent just under a year with WWE after signing with the company in 2020. During that run, he made a memorable impact on NXT and captured the NXT North American Championship. His title victory remains a notable chapter of his time in the company, especially given the unexpected nature of his ascent to the championship.
LaShaunn, meanwhile, is recognized by many longtime independent wrestling followers under her previous ring name, Aja Perera. Before becoming known to WWE viewers as an official, she competed as a wrestler and collected championship accomplishments during her in-ring career.
The Twitch footage offered a small collision of those professional backgrounds. Ruff’s experience as a WWE performer and LaShaunn’s past as an active wrestler made the body slam more than a typical at-home stunt, while the couple’s presentation made clear that the central purpose was simply to have fun with their audience.
LaShaunn’s In-Ring Background
Although she is now identified primarily as a WWE referee, LaShaunn has a legitimate history as an in-ring competitor. Wrestling as Aja Perera, she held the SHINE Nova Championship and also won SHINE Tag Team Championship gold.
That background is an important part of why the video caught attention. Referees are often integral to the presentation of a wrestling match, enforcing decisions and helping maintain the flow of a bout, but their own training and performing histories are not always visible to the audience. LaShaunn’s body slam was a quick reminder that her connection to the physical side of the industry predates her current officiating role.
LaShaunn last wrestled in January 2020. Her shift away from regular in-ring competition did not erase the experience she had built as Aja Perera, and the stream gave her an opportunity to showcase a light piece of that skill set in an informal environment.
She also has a place in WWE title history herself, having previously held the WWE 24/7 Championship. The title’s frequently unpredictable, comedy-driven presentation led to many unusual situations involving WWE personalities, and LaShaunn’s reign put her among the officials and performers who became part of that championship’s distinctive legacy.
Ruff’s Brief but Memorable WWE Run
Ruff signed with WWE in 2020 and remained with the company for just under one year. Despite the relatively short tenure, he reached one of NXT’s most visible championship positions when he won the NXT North American Title.
His WWE run made him familiar to fans who followed NXT during that period, and his championship accomplishment remains the defining highlight of that time. Ruff’s path to the title made him an easy wrestler for viewers to support, and his willingness to put his body on the line was a recurring part of how he connected with the audience.
That same willingness was on display, in a far less competitive context, during the Twitch hangout with LaShaunn. There was no title on the line, no official match and no storyline implication. Instead, the former champion played along with a video-game-themed gag as LaShaunn declared that he had been “sacrificed” in honor of Princess Zelda.
The humor of the moment rested on its contrast: a former NXT North American Champion taking a slam from a current WWE referee, all in the name of celebrating Zelda. It was a concise bit of content, but it reflected the easy chemistry expected from a couple who share both a marriage and deep familiarity with wrestling.
Why the Moment Resonated
Wrestling fans often enjoy seeing performers, officials and other industry figures outside the highly structured environment of television. Streams and social media can offer a more casual look at personalities who are normally seen within specific on-screen roles. In this case, LaShaunn was not officiating a match and Ruff was not pursuing a championship. They were simply spending time together and allowing a bit of their shared wrestling background to become part of the entertainment.
The clip also highlighted the varied paths people can take within the industry. LaShaunn competed and won titles as Aja Perera, last wrestling in January 2020 before becoming a familiar WWE official. Ruff’s WWE journey included a major NXT championship win within a comparatively brief spell under contract. Their Twitch moment connected those histories without attempting to turn the exchange into anything more serious than it was.
For LaShaunn, the body slam was an entertaining callback to her wrestling experience. For Ruff, it was another chance to show the good-natured side that fans have seen from him throughout his career. And for viewers, it was a compact, cheerful piece of content centered on two people with real history in the business.
“HAPPY ZELDA DAY TO ALL THOSE CELEBRATING!!! I SACRIFICED LEON IN HONOR OF PRINCESS ZELDA🔺”
No Bigger Angle Attached
There is no indication that the body slam was connected to a WWE storyline, a return to the ring for LaShaunn, or any new wrestling development for Ruff. The post was framed around the couple’s Twitch hangout and their celebration of Zelda, with LaShaunn encouraging viewers to watch the stream and its replay.
That context matters. Professional wrestling naturally invites fans to analyze physical interactions, especially when they involve a current WWE official and a former WWE champion. Here, however, the available details point to a playful personal moment rather than an announcement or angle.
Even so, the video stands out as a reminder of LaShaunn’s in-ring past and of Ruff’s enduring connection with wrestling audiences. Their shared background gave a simple Zelda-day joke an added layer of appeal. A referee body-slamming a former NXT North American Champion is an unusual sight under any circumstances; seeing it happen between a married couple during a casual stream made it all the more memorable.
LaShaunn’s post captured the tone best: it was a celebration, a sacrifice for Princess Zelda, and an invitation for fans to join the fun. For one brief moment, Aja Perera’s wrestling instincts resurfaced, Leon Ruff took the bump, and a Twitch hangout became a playful wrestling highlight.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.