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We’re less than 2 weeks away from the @Tunnel2Towers Tower Climb!
— The Virtuosa (@DeonnaPurrazzo) May 20, 2025
Please consider donating as the more we raise, the more veteran and first responder families we can help! https://t.co/Xy3FtN1BTa pic.twitter.com/sioW8f5jPO
For TNA International Champion Steve Maclin, June 1, 2025, won't be about titles, televised matches, or rivalries. It will be about honoring the fallen—and rising to the occasion, literally and symbolically.
On that day, Maclin and his wife, former TNA Knockouts Champion and current AEW star Deonna Purrazzo, will take part in the Tunnel to Towers Foundation Tower Climb in New York City. The event is held in memory of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, who gave his life on September 11, 2001, after sprinting through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in full gear to reach the World Trade Center. He never returned—but his legacy endures.
“You talk about a hero—Siller just grabbed his gear and ran,” Maclin said. “No second thought. That’s a calling very few people truly understand.”
The Tower Climb allows the public to ascend 104 stories and 2,226 steps at One World Trade Center—the only opportunity of its kind—to pay tribute to the victims of 9/11, and to raise funds for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which supports families of fallen first responders and catastrophically injured military veterans.
For Maclin, this isn’t just charity—it’s personal.
“I grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey. From my backyard, I could see the New York skyline. I could see Giants Stadium. On 9/11, I was a freshman in high school, and I remember how surreal and confusing it all was. I remember going to school, seeing things unfold, being sent home early. My dad just sat there, playing his guitar, and we watched everything on TV. Later that day, I went to the parking garage in my hometown and looked out at the skyline—something was missing. It was a weird feeling, and I was confused. But I knew our country was attacked, and I knew I had to do something. That day set me on the path to who I’ve become.”
Maclin’s journey from high school student in New Jersey to U.S. Marine Corps veteran, then professional wrestler, is rooted in that moment.
“My dad was Army. My uncle was a Marine. My grandfather served too. But it wasn’t something they pushed on me. Still, after 9/11, I just knew—this is what I need to do.”
Maclin enlisted in the Marine Corps, serving honorably before transitioning into professional wrestling. Known in WWE as Steve Cutler, he was often underutilized. But since joining TNA in 2021, he has forged a new legacy—culminating in becoming the first-ever TNA International Champion.
Still, the scars of service—both physical and emotional—remain with him, and that’s what makes this climb so meaningful.
“This isn’t just another workout. The emotional toll is going to be heavier than the physical one,” Maclin explained. “I don’t know what that moment’s going to feel like yet, but I imagine it’ll be like when my wife and I visited Pearl Harbor. You just feel it—the eerie silence, the weight of history. Something horrible happened there, but there’s still life. That’s what I expect when we reach the 104th floor."
Maclin and Deonna Purrazzo became involved with Tunnel to Towers through Purrazzo's publicist.
“When I was in WWE, I worked with Hire Heroes USA and Tribute to the Troops,” he explained. “But now, with TNA, I have more freedom. Deonna and I got linked up with Tunnel to Towers through her publicist Joanna, and now we’re doing everything we can to support them.”
The couple filmed PSAs and outreach videos, and are now preparing to represent the cause with their own sweat and endurance.
“If we can give just a little bit of our time, just a few hours of discomfort and effort, it’s nothing compared to what was lost that day,” Maclin said. “We climb for those who can’t.”
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation doesn’t just hold symbolic events. It provides mortgage-free homes for Gold Star families, builds smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans, and supports first responders and their families in their most vulnerable moments.
“Imagine your world falling apart,” Maclin said. “And then someone shows up and says, ‘We’re covering your mortgage.’ That’s life-changing. That’s what this foundation does.”
Maclin emphasized that fans can get involved in many ways—donating, spreading the word, volunteering, or simply thanking a veteran.
“We all love wrestling. We love our heroes and villains. But real-life heroes don’t wear capes. They run into burning buildings. They run toward danger like Stephen Siller did.”
In addition to the climb, Maclin and Purrazzo are planning to participate in a Tunnel to Towers 5K in New York this September, further cementing their commitment to the cause.
Outside of his charitable endeavors, Maclin remains one of the centerpiece talents in TNA today. Coming off a brutal dog collar match with Eric Young on TNA Impact, Maclin finds himself not only healing—stitches removed, scars fresh—but also standing at the top of a division he helped launch.
“It meant everything to be the first International Champion,” Maclin said. “I didn’t even think about it until someone pointed it out—AJ Styles, Kurt Angle, they were the first champions of their divisions. Now I’m in the history books, too. It adds pressure, but it’s the good kind.”
Maclin’s match against Young was the final chapter in TNA’s use of excessive blood for the time being, as the company shifts towards the future.
“I understood it. I don’t think you’ll see many more matches like mine and EY’s any time soon,” he said. “But we made that blood mean something. And it brought new eyes to the product, which is always the goal.”
As TNA continues its upward trajectory, Maclin believes the company is experiencing a renaissance.
“It feels like NXT in 2014—the buzz, the talent influx, the hunger,” he said. “We’re a brand that’s patched its wounds and is stronger for it. Every crowd—from El Paso to Vegas to L.A.—gets hotter.”
And as the pro wrestling world continues to evolve—with TNA, WWE, and AAA now collaborating in unprecedented ways—Maclin is staying ready for any door that might open.
“You never say never anymore,” he said. “Any brand, any opponent, anywhere in the world—I’m ready. That’s what being International Champion is all about.”
How You Can Help
Fans can support Maclin and Purrazzo’s efforts by visiting T2T.org. Whether it’s a donation, volunteering, or simply sharing the story, every bit helps.
“Veterans are the most neglected part of our community. They deal with suicide, mental health struggles, amputations, homelessness. It’s unacceptable,” he said. “If you see someone struggling, just ask them, ‘Are you good?’ It’s okay not to be okay sometimes. That small check-in could change someone’s life.”
Steve Maclin appears weekly on TNA Impact Wrestling, airing Thursdays at 8PM ET on AXS TV and streaming worldwide on TNA+.
Follow him on X and Instagram at @SteveMaclin.
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