Colin Fabry walked into the New England Pro Wrestling Academy in North Andover for the first time two years ago this month, ready to start chasing his dream of being the next superstar of the squared circle.
“I still remember walking in there for the first time,” said Fabry, 21, a Plymouth North graduate who wrestles under the name Patrick Wheatman. “Time has flown by incredibly fast, and I’ve learned so much about being a professional wrestler.”
“I’m physically bigger and stronger now,” he said. “And I’m learning different things every day about the psychology that goes along with the sport.”
Fabry was about six months into his training when Saoirse Mangan walked into the academy building to start chasing his own dream.
The two young men share a passion for the squared circle, and they soon connected after realizing they were both from America’s Hometown. They bonded instantly and are now traveling partners. And tag team champions.
Calling themselves The Breadwinners, they are champions for Chaotic Wrestling and Live Pro Wrestling, and the No. 1 contenders for the tag team straps in Atlantic Pro Wrestling.
“I’ve had so many people step up and help me with different aspects of my character since I started,” said Mangan, 20, who wrestles under the name Cash McGuiness. “I have an incredible love for professional wrestling, and I’m dying to see where this road is going to take me next.”
As owner of the academy and Chaotic Wrestling, Chase Del Monte has had a front-row seat to see the progress Mangan and Fabry make as grapplers each time they step between the ropes. Del Monte has had a hand in their training, as have two of the biggest stars on the independent wrestling scene right now: Donovan Dijak and Anthony Greene.
“There’s nothing better as a trainer than when you see that lightbulb go off in a wrestler’s head, and both Cash and Patrick are doing incredible,” said Del Monte. “They share the same work ethic and love for wrestling. They’re the ones who are here first for training and the last to leave the building.”
Working mainly as a tag team right now is helping both of them, Del Monte said.
“Patrick and Cash have become close friends, and you can see how well they work together in the ring. They have great chemistry as a tag team,” he said. “They’ve both done a great job rounding out their physique as well as getting comfortable with their wrestling characters. The next year is going to be big for them as they branch out and gain more experience.”
Wrestling on the weekends isn’t paying all the bills just yet, so, fittingly, The Breadwinners make ends meet by working in the pizza business. Mangan serves up pies at The Edge in downtown Plymouth. Fabry works at Mamma Mia’s on the waterfront.
The duo travels to North Andover every Monday and Wednesday night for training in the ring. Now that they’ve got a reputation and some experience on the mat, the rest of their week fills up fairly quickly.
Every Thursday brings a trip out to the White Eagle in Worcester for Beyond Wrestling’s weekly internet show, Wrestling Open.
Friday and Saturday are the big nights for pro wrestling shows all over New England. Fabry and Mangan have earned a great reputation with promoters and are starting to have their choice of groups to work for each weekend.
One thing Fabry and Mangan quickly discovered is that to do what they want to do, taking care of their bodies has to be a top priority. That includes eating right, getting proper rest and recovery time, and listening to what their bodies are telling them.
“My body has held up pretty good so far,” said Fabry, who’s 6-foot-1 and 207 pounds. “The one thing I’m getting better at is doing more stretching before and after my matches.”
Expanding his grappling experience is Fabry’s big goal for 2027. He would love to travel to the Midwest and California to see what their wrestling scenes are like. Touring Japan is also high on his bucket list.
“Hopefully word of mouth and reaching out to promoters will create some new opportunities in 2027,” Fabry said. “My goal is to always keep learning.”
David Wolcott can be reached at dwolcott@plymouthindependent.org.