Italian wrestler Cristiano Argento chases NWA dream after training in Canada and Texas

Cristiano Argento has been competing for the National Wrestling Alliance as he works toward title opportunities.

Argento was born and raised in Osimo, Italy, a town of about 35,000 people on the Adriatic coast. He told Fox News Digital he began training at a boxing gym before wrestling on the independent scene in Italy. He later competed in Germany, Sweden, France and Denmark.

He realized he needed to move to the United States to become a professional wrestler. Argento first went to Canada to train with Lance Storm. He said his English was poor at the time and he relied on a friend to translate.

"At the time, my English was horrible. I didn’t speak any English at all," he said. "But I was with my friend, Stefano, he came with me and he translated everything for me. I probably missed 50% of the knowledge that Lance Storm was giving to us because I was unable to understand."

Argento returned to Italy after the training and studied English before securing a work visa for Texas. He trained with Booker T at Reality of Wrestling in Houston and made his U.S. debut on that promotion’s show.

He later obtained a new work visa and moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he has lived since 2017. His career has grown since then, leading to his current run with the NWA.

Argento said his family thought he was "nuts" for pursuing wrestling in the United States. They worried about him being alone on the other side of the world without knowing the language.

"My family, friends, everybody was like why do you want to move to the opposite side of the world not knowing the language, not knowing anybody, by yourself, to try to become a professional wrestler?" he said. "And I was like, well, we have one life, I love, and that’s what I’m gonna do."

He said his family eventually became supportive once they saw how committed he was. Argento described the United States as the land of opportunity and said he drew inspiration from actors who moved there with little money or support.

Outside the NWA, Argento has wrestled for the International Wrestling Cartel, Enjoy Wrestling and Exodus Pro Wrestling this year.