Luca Crusifino, real name Roman Macek was approaching one of the busiest times of his life in 2022 with both oral arguments for law school at Duquesne and practices for the Duquesne spring football scrimmage. These plans changed quickly when he received a message from World Wrestling Entertainment.
“They said ‘this is so and so with the WWE. We want you to try out for us soon,’” Crusifino tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “He said that there was a tryout in Dallas for Wrestlemania, and I was like, ‘OK, that's something I definitely want to do.’ It's been my dream my entire life. Then he told me the dates, and the dates lined up with my spring football game, and it lined up with my oral arguments for law school.”
Crusifino has always been a fan of WWE, and he knew that an opportunity like a WWE tryout wouldn’t come around every day. Still, he asked if there were tryouts later in the year.
“They said there were probably going to be some in the future, but they don't know when they are,” Crusifino says. “I was like, ‘OK, so I have to try out.’ … I felt like I had to do it, and that's all I've ever wanted to do.”
To his surprise, almost every single person in his life that he asked wanted him to follow his dream. Crusifino talked to the Duquesne football captains, and they gave him the thumbs up. The dean of his law school even told him to go and try out.
Crusifino knew that watching WWE and his amateur wrestling background would help tremendously, but he decided to get himself even more prepared.
Crusifino wrestled and played football for Montour High School. Cole Macek, his brother, got him connected with local Pittsburgh wrestler The Savage Gentleman Victor Benjamin (Shane Chojnacki). He trained with Benjamin before his tryout. After he was hired by the company, Benjamin introduced him to Chris LeRusso who also showed him the ropes.
“Those are probably the two biggest influences and who helped me get ready for the tryout and just learn the basics, so I had a little bit of an edge at the tryout and [knew] what to do properly,” Crusifino says. “You don't want to go to the tryout unproven.”
The tryout took place right before Wrestlemania 38. Crusfino arrived home in time to play in his spring football game after all, and patiently waited for the call. Eventually, it arrived: the WWE offered him a contract.
After the call, he told his friends and family and couldn’t hold back the tears.
Crusfino says that his preparation and working with independent wrestlers is what took him above and beyond. His amateur wrestling background was a huge help, especially when it came to knowing how to land and throw wrestlers properly.
Fast-forward two years, and he is now on television weekly with “the Family," comprised of leader "the Don of NXT” Tony D’Angelo, his tag team partner Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo, and Adriana Rizzo (NXT is a popular sub-brand of WWE).
“After my match with Dijak, I guess Tony D'Angelo took notice of me as a new consigliere: Someone to help strategize for him, so he didn't have to,” Crusifino says. “When you're the Don and you're running a good family business, you just have to make sure that you have a smart attorney with you, and everything that he's doing is perfectly legal.”
Crusifino had his time as the heel, or villain, in many house shows. He fought the new face of NXT, Trick Williams, and Carmelo Hayes in back-to-back weeks. In the ring, Crusifino insulted Dunkin’ doughnuts, which are the doughnuts usually served at Alan Jay Arena in Sebring. Hayes then defeated him and shoved a doughnut in his mouth.
The heel work in both matches was well done. Crusifino said that the crowd enjoyed Hayes defeating him in Sebring, and that he was the most hated man in Fort Pierce when he fought Trick Williams the following week.
NXT took notice, putting him in one of the most dominant factions in 2024, the Family.
“You have people like the underboss, Stacks,” Crusifino says. “Stacks is awesome. My tag team partner, oh, I’ll put him over any day. He's a great guy. He cares. He does anything for the family. Same with Adrianna Rizzo. She's awesome.”
His joining of the Family has come at a price — Crusifino has bought a new suit for every episode. The amount he’s spent is enough to where he won’t share the total.
Nevertheless, he is glad that what he went to law school — it’s become part of his gimmick as “the legal Eagle.”
Crusfino is thankful for all his coaches at the performance center, including Matt Bloom (A-Train), Robbie Brookside, and Oney Lorcan. He says that all were incredible to work with and that they are the nicest people he’s ever met.
He adds that his current coaches, Fit Finlay and Terry Taylor have had an extraordinary influence on his career thus far.
“Finlay, he's the man, dude,” Crusifino tells City Paper. “He just teaches aggression and to be as real as possible. That’s what I like about it because when I'm wrestling, I don't want someone to miss me. I want them to hit me in the face … When I was in the ring with Dijak, everything hurt, but it made me have real fire and emotion, and it brought it out of me.”
He also said that Sara Amato, also known as Sara Del Rey, and Johnny Moss are outstanding coaches as well. Crusifino adds that top producer Terry Taylor, who was the infamous Red Rooster, is someone he is most impressed with in terms of wrestling.
“He has a great mind, and everything he does makes sense, and he teaches the in-between,” Crusifino says. “If you punch me in the face, I don't just punch you right back. I have to register and know what just happened, and that you just did this to me. Show that emotion on my face, and then bring it back so it's not as rushed. He's so smart.”
Growing up, Crusifino was always a fan of the D-Generation X stable of wrestlers. He now works with legends such as Shawn Michaels every day.
He recalls that, growing up, he and his brother were the tag team champions against stuffed animals. Now, one of his goals is to become the NXT tag team champions with Stacks.
“How many people can say that they're living their dream of everything that everyone could do as a kid?” Crusifino wonders. “Sometimes during the week, I sit back and just say ‘I made it,’ because I don't want it to end. I want it to go as long as possible.”