Professional wrestling may look like pure spectacle, but for Chase Del Monte, it is a carefully crafted mix of psychology, storytelling, and business strategy.
A 20-plus-year veteran of the industry and the owner of Chaotic Wrestling, Del Monte recently spoke to Lasell University students about sustaining the long-running promotion, training future WWE talent, and creating live events that keep audiences coming back.
To Del Monte, “Wrestling is for everyone.”
He says it is like a bowl of candy on Halloween night when you turn down the lights, there is no one to see. It is just you and your thoughts. Do I take the whole bowl? Or do I just leave it for others to have?
Del Monte, who studied psychology at Villanova University, applies that to his work with Chaotic Wrestling and his teaching at the New England Pro Wrestling Academy.
“Professional wrestling is highly psychological — we’re constantly playing on emotions, tropes, and audience reactions, and sometimes the crowd can actually change what happens in the ring,” he said.
Del Monte was born and raised in Central New Jersey and moved to Massachusetts after college. He pursued a career as a pro wrestler for 22 years, even getting to work with talent like Ric Flair.
He said the coolest moment of his career was when was hired as an extra for local WWE events. In the storyline, he was mistaken for Matt Hardy, was beaten up by Edge, and then rescued by John Cena. Del Monte’s day job is in oil logistics, but he took ownership of Chaotic Wrestling in 2018. He plays a role in “booking,” or writing the storylines for the shows, and he has the ultimate say in the process.
Located in North Andover, Mass., the promotion holds about 24 shows a year, with Del Monte saying he aims to increase that number to more than 30 in 2026.
“My biggest goal isn’t expansion for the sake of expansion, it’s sustainability and making sure this company continues long after I’m gone,” he said.
Chaotic, which he describes as having a “rock concert kind of vibe,” does a regular circuit in and around Boston, including one at the Sons of Italy in Watertown on Feb. 27.
Shows are also streamed on Twitch and YouTube, with clips later uploaded to social media. Branding and social media are critical tools for promotion and attracting new fans, Del Monte said, but watching the action live is the way to get the best experience.
Del Monte credits that success to the idea that “every show is giving the audience a reason to come back.”
There’s no one season for wrestling, with no start and end point, and promoters have to account for unexpected factors such as injuries. He takes a long-term view: “It’s a marathon not a sprint,” he said. “No one show is ever make-or-break.”
The New England Pro Wrestling Academy, which was founded by the legendary Killer Kowalski more than 25 years ago, is one of the longest-running pro wrestling schools in the nation. There are a wide range of ages of people who train at the gym.
He said the most rewarding part of the job is when he sees his students put what they’ve learned into action.
Mentorship and training play a major role in developing successful wrestlers. Del Monte says that Chaotic Wrestling has launched more stars than any other promotion in the country, such as AEW’s Mercedes Moné, WWE’s Carmelo Hayes, and recent NXT addition Ricky Smokes.
“[Smokes] was one of the first kids I ever taught,” said Del Monte.
Del Monte said he built the majority of his connections from being at wrestling events. Networking and relationships are vital in a close-knit industry, though wrestling is a community in which it is hard not to know everyone.
After COVID, Chaotic un-genderfied its brand. He said Chaotic is transforming wrestling into a new era of authenticity for potential wrestlers. Inclusion and representation are central to modern wrestling, with performance valued over gender. As a result, Chaotic awards the Panoptic title, as well as the heavyweight, New England, and tag team belts.
He said the sport “is an ever-evolving art form,” and that wrestlers’ athleticism “is off the charts.” The challenge is the amount of pro wrestlers and the scarcity of spots.
This is what makes live events so valuable, and unpredictable. Audience engagement and feedback can influence storylines and match outcomes.
“At the end of the day it’s imagination,” he said. “If something goes wrong, imagine something else.”
(For more information about Chaotic Wrestling or the New England Pro Wrestling Academy, go to the home page at www.chaoticwrestling.com.)
(Story reported and written by Jordyne Almeida, Kallie Armata, Thea Brenneman, Steph Coughlin, Alena Dantonio, Korey DeBeer, Brie Francis, Brie Goldberg, Javon Hargrove, Sophia Labbe, Alex Maguire, Freddie Matthis, and Lain Tripp.)
–Feb. 6, 2026–
