Chaotic Wrestling (CW) is an American

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

wrestling promotion, which has been operating throughout New England since 2000; with its current home base in

North Andover, Massachusetts North Andover is an affluent town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 30,915. History Native Americans inhabited what is now northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European c ...

. Chaotic Wrestling is known for producing successful, homegrown talent through their professional wrestling school, the New England Pro Wrestling Academy (formerly known as the Chaotic Training Center). Graduates of the school include

Sasha Banks Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sasha Banks. Banks previously wrestled on ...

Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kofi Kingston. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-hal ...

Tommaso Ciampa Tommaso Whitney (born May 8, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Tommaso Ciampa. Whitney began his career in 2005, working on several independent ...

Oney Lorcan Christopher Girard (born December 21, 1985) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE as a coach at their Performance Center. Previously he performed on the NXT brand under the ring name Oney Lorcan. He is a former NXT Tag Te ...

, Ivar (Viking Raiders), among others.

History

Originally Chaotic World Wrestling, the Chaotic Wrestling roster is composed mainly of

wrestlers and established veterans from major wrestling promotions. Chaotic Wrestling has run events every two or three weeks since opening in 2000. Founded by Tom Davidson (aka The Missionary Man) and Joshua Opper (aka Kid Anarchy) two native Massachusetts residents who worked small independent outfits on the west coast most notably, Incredibly Strange Wrestling. In the promotion's first year of operation, Chaotic Wrestling was featured at

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

's Locobazooka music festival. The wrestlers competed alongside musical acts such as

Days of the New Days of the New is an American rock band from Charlestown, Indiana, formed in 1995. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Travis Meeks and a variety of supporting musicians. They are best known for the hit singles "Touch, Peel and Stand", " ...

and

Disturbed Disturbed may refer to: Books * ''Disturbed'', a 2011 novel by Kevin O'Brien (author) Film and TV * ''Disturbed'' (film), a 1990 film starring Malcolm McDowell * "Disturbed" (''Numb3rs''), a 2009 episode of ''Numb3rs'' * "The Disturbed", a 2 ...

at the event, which was attended by an estimated 15,000 people. Cw3a

Chaotic Wrestling has been described as a “feeder fed

ration Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular ...

�� for

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

(WWE). Because of this relationship, WWE has been known to contact CW when they are in need of people to appear on WWE programming. Chaotic Wrestling was selected in 2006 to host a large WWE tryout session, and several Chaotic Wrestling competitors, including

, were later employed by WWE. Former Chaotic Wrestling

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...

and booker Todd Sinclair has also worked for WWE and currently works for

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...

Chaotic Wrestling has also employed several wrestlers who had previously gained fame with major promotions. World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famer

Tony Atlas Anthony White (born April 23, 1954) better known by his ring name Tony Atlas is an American bodybuilder, powerlifter, and professional wrestler who has held multiple titles and championships in each sport. He is also known by his bodybuilding ti ...

has competed for the promotion. After his previous employer,

Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...

, went out of business,

Spike Dudley Matthew Jonathan Hyson (born August 13, 1970) is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Spike Dudley. Prior to WWE, Hyson began performing as Spike Dudley in the 1990s with E ...

joined Chaotic Wrestling and held the tag team championship before signing with WWE. Other notable wrestlers that have appeared for Chaotic Wrestling include

Brutus Beefcake Edward Harrison Leslie (born April 21, 1957) is an American retired professional wrestler, best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake. He later worked for World Championship ...

King Kong Bundy Christopher Alan Pallies (November 7, 1955 – March 5, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, actor and stand-up comedian, better known by his wrestling gimmick and ring name, King Kong Bundy. Under this gimmick, he portrayed a pugnacious, ...

, and WWE Hall of Famers

Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling backgr ...

Tito Santana Merced Solis (born May 10, 1953), better known by the ring name Tito Santana, is a retired American professional wrestler and middle school teacher. Santana has stayed a babyface his entire career and he is best known for his appearances with ...

Jimmy Snuka James Reiher Snuka (born James Wiley Smith; May 18, 1943 – January 15, 2017) was a Fijian American professional wrestler. He is better known by the ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Snuka wrestled for several promotions from the 1970s to 2010 ...

, and

Ricky Steamboat Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promot ...

. Chaotic Wrestling has also participated in a talent exchange program with the

East Coast Wrestling Association East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to ...

, an independent promotion that has been operating since 1967. This program allowed wrestlers from each promotion to compete in both CW and ECWA. Some wrestlers competing for Chaotic Wrestling have been noted for their unusual gimmicks. Writing for ''

The Boston Phoenix ''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States of America by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the ''Portland Phoenix'' a ...

'', columnist Sean Bartlett commented on the "

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

characters" and wrestlers wearing "vinyl boots and fluorescent

hot pants Hotpants or hot pants are extremely short shorts. The term was first used by ''Women's Wear Daily'' in 1970 to describe shorts made in luxury fabrics such as velvet and satin for fashionable wear, rather than their more practical equivalents th ...

". ''

Boston Magazine ''Boston'' is a monthly magazine concerning life in the Greater Boston area and has been in publication since 1805. History and profile ''Boston'' magazine was started in 1805. Metrocorp, Inc. bought the magazine in 1970. The company also owns ...

s Benoit Denizet-Lewis pointed to the "ambiguously gay" two-time Chaotic Wrestling Tag Team Champions One Night Stand (

Ronnie D. Lishus Ronald "Ron" DiMaria, also known by the ring name Ronnie D. Lishus, is an American retired professional wrestler. DiMaria began his career in Killer Kowalski's International Wrestling Federation, where he held the IWF Heavyweight Championship, a ...

& Edward G. Xtasy) as well as Arch Kincaid, a man resembling a "1980s porn star" who "lectures about existentialism and philosophical theory" at Chaotic Wrestling events, as an example of the promotion's appeal. In a story about the promotion for ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'', Danielle Dreilinger described how a

searched a wrestler named Psycho for foreign objects prior to a match. The referee was forced to confiscate many weapons, including a

hula hoop A hula hoop is a toy hoop that is twirled around the waist, limbs or neck. It can also be wheeled along the ground like a wheel, with careful execution. They have been used by children and adults since at least 500 BC. The modern hula hoop ...

and a slice of pizza. Chaotic Wrestling owner Jamie Jamitkowski states that the promotion has no desire to compete with

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the w ...

, preferring the "tight-knit community of wrestlers and fans". He views Chaotic Wrestling as an affordable alternative to major promotions and says that fans are able to feel more involved at independent wrestling shows. He also states that the promotion has benefited in some ways from the

late-2000s recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At t ...

, as more fans are attending independent shows run by independent promotions like CW rather than paying for more expensive tickets to attend WWE events. This increase in ticket sales has allowed Chaotic Wrestling to operate more shows and expand their market into new cities. In May 2007, Chaotic Wrestling and Fabulous Productions announced a special charity event featuring then- World Wrestling Entertainment Champion

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied w ...

acting as

special guest referee In professional wrestling, a referee is an authority figure present in or near the ring during matches. The referee's purpose is similar to that of referees in combat sports such as boxing or mixed martial arts, that is, as an arbiter of the rul ...

between two of CW's wrestlers, Brian Milonas and "Big"

Rick Fuller Richard Fuller (born February 18, 1967) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling from 1997 to 2000. Early life Born in Middleborough, Massachusetts, Fuller graduated fr ...

. Cena’s father, who works for Chaotic Wrestling as an

announcer An announcer is a voice artist who relays information to the audience of a broadcast media programme or live event. Television and other media Some announcers work in television production, radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, ...

, was in Fuller’s corner. During the match, WWE CEO

made a surprise appearance, attacking Cena, only to receive an FU from him. The event also featured WWE wrestler Eugene competing against Handsome Johnny. Funds from the event went to the Newbury Police Association and several other charities. Chaotic Wrestling later hosted another fundraiser event to help with the medical bills for WWE Hall of Famer and former Chaotic Training Center operator

Killer Kowalski Walter Kowalski (born Edward Władysław Spulnik; October 13, 1926 – August 30, 2008), known professionally as Killer Kowalski, was a Polish-Canadian professional wrestler. Kowalski wrestled for numerous promotions during his career, includin ...

Pro Wrestling Academy (NEPWA)

Chaotic Wrestling also operates a successful professional wrestling school known as the New England Pro Wrestling Academy (NEPWA), which operated as the Chaotic Training Center until July 1, 2011. The school was established in the early 2000s, when it merged with the world renown Killer Kowalski School of Wrestling. Kowalski, who has been described as one of the “most respected trainers” in the world and trained such wrestlers as

Big John Studd John William Minton (February 19, 1948 – March 20, 1995) was an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Big John Studd. Studd is best known for his appearances with the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wr ...

Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as on ...

Perry Saturn Perry Arthur Satullo (born October 25, 1966) is an American retired professional wrestler known by his ring name, Perry Saturn. Since debuting in 1990, Saturn wrestled for promotions including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Champions ...

, and

Chyna Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016) was an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and television personality. She first rose to prominence in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1997, where sh ...

, oversaw training at the school prior to his death. The school is currently owned by Chaotic Wrestling owner, Kevin Bowe (Chase Del Monte), as well as Scott Guerin (Max Smashmaster) former Chikara star. The school has also hosted many guests from the wrestling industry including John Cena,

and

Stephanie McMahon Stephanie McMahon Levesque (born Stephanie Marie McMahon; ; September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is the current chairwoman and co-chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the world's largest profe ...

, The Rock and

Goldberg Goldberg or Goldberger may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Goldberg Ensemble, a British string ensemble * ''Goldberg Variations'', a set of 30 keyboard variations by Johann Sebastian Bach * ''The Goldbergs (broadcast series)'', American radio ...

Tom Prichard Thomas Prichard (born August 18, 1959) is a retired American professional wrestler and author. He is the older brother of Bruce Prichard. Professional wrestling career Early career (1979–1986) Tom Prichard began his career in Los Angeles ...

Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...

Percy Pringle William Alvin Moody (April 10, 1954 – March 5, 2013) was an American professional wrestling manager and licensed funeral director. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) where he performed under ...

, Nunzio,

Charlie Haas Charles Doyle Haas II (born March 27, 1972) is an American professional and former amateur wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2000-2009 and Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2010-2013. In WWE he was a me ...

and many others. While forced to shut down for several months during the

COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the school underwent numerous renovations to improve the facilities provided to their students. Post-renovations, the school now is equipped with a full gym/workout area, as well as a "collapsible" studio, so that they can also utilize the facility to record full wrestling shows during the pandemic.

Notable graduates

Several graduates have appeared on WWE television, wrestled tryout matches, signed developmental contracts, or have appeared on TNA programming. *

Damien Sandow Aron Steven Haddad (born August 3, 1982) is an American professional wrestler best known for wrestling with WWE under the ring name Damien Sandow. He is also known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and the independent circuit under t ...

Dominik Dijakovic Christopher James Dijak (born April 23, 1987) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Dijak. Dijak began his professional wrestling career in 2013 under the ring name ...

Flip Gordon Travis Gordon Lopes Jr. (born December 12, 1991) is an American professional wrestler currently wrestling under the name Flip Gordon. Professional wrestling career Early career Gordon trained under Brian Fury and the New England Pro Wrestlin ...

R. J. Brewer John Stagikas (born July 31, 1979) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, R. J. Brewer. Brewer is known for his appearances with Lucha Libre USA, where he portrayed a Conservatism in the United ...

Chad Wicks Charles "Chad" Wicks (born March 6, 1978) is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his time with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). While part of WWE, Wicks wrestled as Chad Toland in its Ohio Valley Wrestling branch and l ...

Ivar Ivar (Old Norse ''Ívarr'') is a Scandinavian masculine given name. Another variant of the name is Iver, which is more common in Norway. The Old Norse name has several possible etymologies. In North Germanic phonology, several of the elements c ...

Darren Young Frederick Douglas Rosser III (born November 2, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current Strong Openweight Champion in his first reign. He is best known for his ...

* Roxxi *

Kenny Dykstra Kenneth George Doane (born March 16, 1986) is an American retired professional wrestler signed to WWE as a producer and as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center. During his past time in WWE, he was known as Kenny Dykstra and Kenny as a member ...

Championships

Current champions

Retired and defunct championships

Alumni

* Aaron Stevens *Adam Barisano *Alex Arion *Ali Muhammad *Andre Lyonz *Angers *Anthony Greene * Antonio Thomas *

April Hunter April Hunter (born September 24, 1976) is an American retired professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet, boxer, actress, writer, fitness model and glamour model. She has appeared in publications including ''MuscleMag International'' a ...

*Arch Kincaid *

Austin Aries Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion. He is best known for his time with Impact Wrest ...

*Barbie *

*Billy Bax * Billy Kryptonite * Brian Black *”Firebrand” Brian Fury *Brian Milonas *

*Cherry Payne *Chief Fox *

Christopher Nowinski Christopher John Nowinski (born September 24, 1978) is an American neuroscientist and author. After extensively researching concussions in American football, Nowinski co-founded the Concussion Legacy Foundation, where he is currently the CEO, ...

*Craig Stratton *"The Immortal" Dan Murphy *

Dawn Marie Dawn Marie Psaltis (born November 3, 1970) is an American actress, nurse and a retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling valet. She is perhaps best known for her appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and the Smac ...

* Dr. Reginald Heresy *East Coast Cowboy *Edward G. Xtasy *

* Fred "Bonecrusher" Sampson *Frankie Armadillo *Gino Martino *Jason Blade *"Thrillride" Jimmy Preston *

*Johnny Fabulous *"Fabulous" Johnny Vegas *

John Kronus George B. Caiazzo (January 13, 1969 – July 18, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, John Kronus, and later simply Kronus. Caiazzo worked for Extreme Championship Wrestling, the United States Wrestling Asso ...

*"Butcher" Jon Poe *J. T. Franks *Julian Starr * Kenn Phoenix *

* Kofi Nahaje Kingston * Little Guido Maritato *

Low Ki Brandon Silvestry (born September 6, 1979) is an American professional wrestler of Italian and Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring name Low Ki. He is known for his time with Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Major League Wrestlin ...

*"Latin Fury" Luis (Demon) Ortiz *Mark Shurman * Matt Bennett *

Matt Taven Matthew Marinelli (born March 20, 1985), known by his ring name, Matt Taven, is an American professional wrestler and wrestling trainer, who currently wrestles for All Elite Wrestling. He is best known for his work with Ring of Honor (ROH), ...

*Matthew Evagrius *Maverick Wild *

Max Bauer (wrestler) Max Pelham (born February 15, 1986) is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work in the developmental territory, NXT, under the ring name Mickey Keegan. Pelham is also known for his appearances on the independent circ ...

Mercedes KV Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sasha Banks. Banks previously wrestled o ...

*"The American Sasuke" Mikaze *Mike Crockett *Mike Kruel *Mike Nice/MPG *"Hot Shot" Mike Reed *Nick Gamma *Nick Logan *Nikki Roxx *

Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

*Peter Mulloy *Pristine Kristine *Psycho *Referee Richard Lannon * "Big" Rick Fuller *

Rob Eckos Robert Strauss (born October 1, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and manager. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand as a manager under the ring name Mr. Stone. He is best known for his time in Total Nonsto ...

*"The Scene" Scott Reed *"Manager of Champions" Sean Gorman *

Short Sleeve Sampson Daniel DiLucchio (born 1973) is an American Midget professional wrestler best known by his ring name Short Sleeve Sampson. Sampson works on the independent circuit, mainly for Micro Championship Wrestling, TNT Pro Wrestling, and Midget Wrestling ...

*Sledge *

Simon Diamond Patrick Kenney (born May 26, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and baseball player, better known by his ring name, Simon Diamond. He is currently working for the National Wrestling Alliance as Director of Talent Relations. Diamo ...

Slyck Wagner Brown Wagner Brown (born September 5, 1979) is a Jamaican born professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, SWB or Slyck Wagner Brown. Brown currently wrestles on the Independent circuit in the Northeastern United States. Additionally, SWB was ...

*Sparkles *

Stevie Richards Michael Stephen Manna (born October 9, 1971), better known by his ring name Stevie Richards, is an American professional wrestler. Over the course of his career, Richards has performed for major professional wrestling promotions including Easte ...

*Studd *Tim McNeany *

*Todd Sinclair *

*Tony Omega * U-Gene * Christopher Annino aka Rescue 911 *Vince Vicallo * Xavier

Chaotic Wrestling Hall of Fame

The Chaotic Wrestling Hall of Fame is an American

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

hall of fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

maintained by the Lowell-based

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

Chaotic Wrestling (CW). It was established in 2006 to honor wrestlers who have wrestled for the promotion.Cold Fury 5 – DVD
ChaoticWrestlingStore.com ;Inductees

References

External links

Official websiteChaotic Training Center
{{Professional wrestling in the United States Independent professional wrestling promotions based in Massachusetts