Luigi Primo is a credit to professional wrestling.
He is a credit to both words that make up the Sport of Kings. He is a professional – maintaining the performative elements of his personality 100% of the time with a great respect for the business’ history. And he is most certainly a wrestler – competing for a multitude of promotions across the United States, winning championships, and displaying a remarkable amount of knowledge about the sport.
When you hear him speak about his influences, what he wants to accomplish in between the ropes and how he builds himself towards those goals – there is no doubt that Luigi Primo is a true wrestler.
At a baseline level, Luigi spends 3-4 times a week training in ring, doing 5×5’s.
“You hit the ropes one way, 1-2-3-4-5, drop down to the-a ground and jump three times. Other way, 1-2-3-4-5. Jump. 1-2-3-4-5. Jump. And then I hit an imaginary comeback. Clothesline, clothesline, spin-kick. Jump.
“And that’s-a one rep.
“Then I take-a five laps [rope to rope].
“I do that between five and eight times.”
On top of his commitment to working in his restaurant, this regular training, plus the same in his front yard if he can’t get to the ring – or even for extra practice. There’s also weight training, resistance training, work with whatever gym he’s near that he can jump in on a session with.
All of this to help maintain his body’s health, which saw a slight decline as his career picked up in the months before the Covid-19 pandemic.
For a supposed comedy wrestler, that’s a lot of dedication to working on yourself, improving your craft and developing a solid base to protect the longevity of what you’re doing.
On top of that is dieting, which for a pizza chef isn’t easy.
“One thing I like-a to do is I make a personal sized pizza with a certain amount of carbohydrates based on the dough I use to make it.
“And then with that I put-a ricotta on, and maybe some sauce and-a some-a mushroom – and that will give me good macro-nutrient of-a 60/20/10 split of carbohydrates, protein and fat.”
That’s an impressive knowledge of not only how to prepare delicious food, but how to do it in a way that benefits your in-ring career. What else would you expect from the man who “make the best pizza”?
You would expect the same level from knowledge when he crowns himself “the best wrestler”. And in a way, Luigi has it.
In awe at the pageantry of Andre and Hogan that his grandparents raised him on, a fear of Roddy Piper and Rick Rude that meant he didn’t like someone such as this even existing, a respect for the work ethic and abilities of William Regal and World of Sport greats like Mark “Roller Ball” Rocko.
“I think I’ve always liked [William Regal] and his style, but the more I watch him and his matches and listen to him, I think he’s a top five or at least top ten of all time.
“I really love technical wrestling, so to have him put me in the different holds and see if I could get out of them, and to have that kind of match – just to see how long I could go with that and what kind of thing we could do, that would be incredible.
“He has this direct lineage to that old style… he was there at the Blackpool Pleasure Beaches.”
This knowledge and dedication swirls to create a man at the heart of Austin’s Party World Rasslin (PWR). A company with shows live from a brewery, with stories based on the incredibly simple (Benchhorse the horse doesn’t want to be ridden) to the simply incredible (everything is taking place in the stomach of an omnipotent snake god).
It is a show built by local artists dedicated to their craft and providing fun, that brings a community together for what is in the name – a great big party.
While booze and wrestling sometimes go hand-in-hand, so too does wrestling and inspiration. Luigi is glad not only to be part of the wonderful colourful world of PWR, but to hopefully be the same driving force for the next generation of pro-wrestlers (and pizza makers), like “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and William Regal were for him.
“I enjoy the shows I’ve done where I’ve gotten to perform for hundreds of people, maybe thousands of people – that’s a great feeling.
“But also, I’ve found it’s equally good to just be able to perform for a family where they have a little kid in there, because it means a lot to them.
“I always try and-a make-a sure they have-a good time, because hopefully they’ll wanna grow up to a-make good pizza.”
‘But with great pizza, comes-a great wrestling ability.’ Or something like that. My papa John used to say it.
You can watch an entire interview with Luigi Primo below, conducted by our own Sam Roberts. Sam takes the time to explain Scotland’s national pizza, and Luigi speaks on the mortality of man.
