I began watching independent wrestling in late 2007. I had read various articles about ROH and decided to take the plunge on one of their first PPVs. Soon after, I became infatuated. As a teenager with very few friends in high school, I was excited to begin this new passion. High school was rough. It was like I didn’t exist. I felt isolated to say the least. Finding this completely new world full of interesting characters and events was incredibly uplifting. In 2008, I noticed a company called Smart Mark Video. SMV posted trailers of different events on their YouTube channel. The first one that I saw was April Bloodshowers 2008. Previous to this, I had repeatedly been led to believe that CZW and IWA: Mid-South were “blood and guts” companies and that the shows weren’t worth watching. Still, something drew me in and I watched that trailer over and over again. I finally watched the show and again, was immediately enthralled by what I saw. From there, I began seeking out any and all deathmatches that I could find (CZW, IWA:MS, & various others). I feel weird trying to describe the feeling or connection that begins to develop as you watch wrestlers literally risk their lives to entertain and put on a worthwhile performance. It speaks to wrestling as a medium, especially at the independent level. You begin to feel that you truly know the people involved or at least the parts that they’re willing to show. Danny Havoc was one of the people that showed so much of himself. I never for one second, felt that I was receiving a disingenuous word from his mouth. Whether during his long form(excellent) interviews or bloodied and battered after many of his matches. You truly felt that you were connected to him. His dry ultra-quick wit and charm. I’ve honestly never felt so connected to a wrestler. Beyond his humor, you could truly tell, not only from the words of his peers but his words that he cared for others. That’s why he transcends beyond his wrestling career in many ways. I’ll never forget Danny Havoc. Ever. I’ll always remember that he and many others were there for me when I didn’t have any person to talk to. It’s sad because it seems that I never had the opportunity to tell him and will never. But I just have to put this out there. Grant Berkland. I never knew you but you truly felt like a friend that kept me up when I was down. Thank you so much.   -Josh P.

​

​

​

The first time that I saw Danny Havoc live, he was challenging for CZW's Ultraviolent Underground (UVU) Championship at Night of Infamy 2006.  He was a skinny kid who came out to Duran Duran in cargo pants and either a t-shirt or wifebeater.  He instantly became my guy.  The guy I always pulled for to win matches, feuds, championships.  It's fitting that his opponent that night grew to become my personal number two favorite CZW wrestler, Drake Younger.  I remember Drake winning with a brutal-looking Drake's Landing onto a barbed-wire board.  I'd never seen anything like it.  I'd only recently discovered indie wrestling and CZW in particular.  From late 2006 through 2012 I only missed a handful of shows.  Even if some of the shows weren't the greatest overall, I don't ever recall leaving one saying, "Man, that Danny Havoc match sucked."  His match was often the bright spot on otherwise mediocre shows.  There were some guys: Danny, Drake, Gage, etc. that you could tell were giving it their absolute all on every show, big or small.  

 

I had a few interactions with the man himself.  Very early on in my fandom I'd made an MV of Danny's two matches from CZW's January 2007 show and set it to Asia's "Heat of the Moment".  I was shocked and also so proud when Danny posted it to his website with a caption that went something like, "If anyone knows the person who made a video of me set to mother fucking Heat of the Moment, please buy him a beer on me."  Later that year or possibly 2008 CZW had a small b-show outside a strip club (Kashmir's??) in New Jersey.  After the show I saw Danny talking with some of his friends, so I quickly introduced myself and told him that I'd made the video.  He shook my hand and thanked me again.  The other time was at TOD 2016.  I was drinking a beer in the shade with a friend wearing my trusty old DH wheelchair shirt that I'd had for years.  He immediately walked over with a "Wow, I haven't seen that shirt in forever!" and chatted with us for a few minutes.  As usual, he went out and had a superb match with Alex Colon.  Like I mentioned before, Danny always delivered, but especially at TOD, he ALWAYS delivered.

 

I can't believe he's gone, but he'll never be forgotten.  Maybe CZW and indie wrestling and guys like Danny Havoc/Grant Berkland don't mean a lot to a lot of people, but he meant a lot to me.  Love you, man.  Rest in peace.   - Rob S.

​

​

​

Grant, I hope that you have finally found peace. I hope you rest comfortably knowing that you left this world deeply loved and respected by everyone who crossed paths with you. You are already dearly missed. I will miss your incredible sense of humor more than anything—no one made us laugh quite the way you could. I love you, my friend. I absolutely cannot wait to see you again in Viking paradise someday. Until then, I will remember you as the kind, incredibly witty, caring soul that you were. Say hi to my dad for me, yeah? Have a couple beers with him. Save a spot for me at the table in about 50 or 60 years.    - Steve O.