Pro Wrestler Vinny Pacifico Transitions from Ring to Film After Global Matches

Vinny Pacifico, a pro wrestler from Staten Island, New York, began training in a wrestling ring at age 14 after quitting high school football. He credited conversations with John Cena and Bryan Danielson, formerly known as Daniel Bryan, for confirming his career choice during a recent Fox News Digital interview.

"At one point, I was playing football in high school and I told my father, listen, I love football, I love this, I was following in his footsteps and all these things, but I said I want to try professional wrestling. I want to go for this. I have to do it," Pacifico said. "I just felt this need, this fire burning inside of me that I just needed to chase this dream. And after that, I went to a John Cena talk show and he talked after that and I asked him for advice. He was very, very motivating, very, very inspiring. A little while after that, I went to a meet-and-greet with Daniel Bryan in the city – another one of my favorite wrestlers. Asked him his advice and he was the same way – motivating, inspiring, just a great conversation we had."

"Once those two things happened, I knew this was what I was meant to be doing," he added. "So, yeah, I got my start at 13 and 12 years later, I’ve traveled to 15-plus countries, wrestled all over the world, doing things I couldn’t even imagine I’d be doing. Now, over the last year, spanning into a lot of films and TV, it’s been just an amazing experience."

Pacifico's father supported his decision and still attends his matches. Pacifico said wrestling captivated him on TV for its ability to suspend reality as a live art form.

"I loved watching it on TV, just the way it captivates you, just the way it makes you believe for a moment and it makes you leave reality," he told Fox News Digital. "That’s TV, film, movies, they all do that, but wrestling is a live art form."

He adapts to fan preferences worldwide, trained by Ring of Honor to handle any style. Pacifico has wrestled for All Elite Wrestling, Ring of Honor, WWE, Coastal Championship Wrestling, Awesome Championship Wrestling and others.

His standout match came against veteran Paul London at Pro Wrestling Magic in 2024 for the PWM Junior Heavyweight Championship, which Pacifico won. "I would say it’s me vs. Paul London," he said. "That one was one of the most electric matches I’ve had in my career, character work, technical wrestling – like a grand finale at the fireworks."

Pacifico recently entered acting, wrapping "Mr. Reset and the Society of Turnbuckle and Bone," due out June 2. He also appeared in "Family Ties" and "Crimson Harvest."

"I got to play myself, my wrestling character," he said. "So, it was very simple for me to do both. That was the first one I ever did. I absolutely loved being on set, filming and having my character be tested in different ways."

He balances both careers without scheduling conflicts. "I’m really enjoying getting to do both all the time and even go as far as wrestling the same week as I’m acting and filming," Pacifico said. "Both schedules have been very easy to work around. I’ve had no conflict whatsoever yet."