What do we really know about the man who brandished a staple gun in the ring during The Buy-In, the pre-show of AEW’s inaugural show Double or Nothing?
The man who put a lit cigarette into the forehead of The Bad Boy Joey Janella during the same match. Jimmy Havoc made it to the final four in the Casino Battle Royale before ultimately being eliminated by Luchasaurus. This is the same person who attacked one of his triple threat tag team partners, who was being interviewed at the time, shortly after their loss at Fight for the Fallen. An all-out brawl ensued between Havoc, Darby Allin, and Joey Janela after the trio lost a triple threat match to MJF, Shawn Spears, and Sammy Guevara.
This badass brawler was born in March of 1984 while his alter ego, Jimmy Havoc, was born in 2004 at the NWA UK Hammerlock training facility. Havoc wrestled for the Hammerlock promotion until 2006 when his life and the wrestling world were forever changed as he entered the world of deathmatch wrestling for Triple X Wrestling. Havoc has since worked for multiple promotions during his ascent through the wrestling world. He has appeared in CZW (Combat Zone Wrestling) Tournament of Death (European version) in both 2010 and 2012. Throughout his 15 plus years in the wrestling industry Havoc has held many championships and regional titles including both the Defiant Tag Team and Progress Tag Team championships with Mark Haskins. In November of 2013 Havoc beat Mark Andrews to win the Progress Unified World Championship, a title which he held for 609 days before eventually losing the title to Will Ospreay In July of 2015 at Progress Chapter 20: Beyond Thunderbastard.
It was in this hardcore world where Jimmy Havoc would make a name for himself as one of the most savage and aggressive wrestlers in the sport. Fans began to appreciate his willingness to put his body on the line match after hardcore match. His tireless work has made him a fan favourite throughout the wrestling universe and has even enticed fans who typically don’t identify with hardcore wrestling to crossover and give it a closer look. Havoc has even parlayed his fame into a part in an independent movie entitled London Rampage, which can be seen on Amazon Prime, featuring Will Ospreay.
What is it that draws us to watch the carnage that ensues every time he steps into the ring? Certainly, there is more to it than just the hardcore brand of wrestling which he employs, as there are many other performers that participate in this style that we aren’t drawn to with the same level of passion. One factor is that he brings an attitude with him be it in the ring or on the mic. Jimmy Havoc was injured in 2016 and unable to wrestle for eight months. Feeling as if the wrestling world had forsaken him Havoc put the world on notice that he was back.
“I got to where I was by taking the opportunities that were not given to me by taking what I knew I deserved. Everyone has overlooked me in the last year. I promise you, you’re going to regret it.”
Havoc moves through life and the ring with a chip on his shoulder, his goal, to punish anyone who stands in his way.
He has a mystique about him beyond his dress and Bane-like face apparatus, beyond his penchant for hardcore deathmatch style wrestling. His highly effective finishing moves carry names that perfectly fit his persona with names such as the “Acid Rainmaker”. Inside the ring Havoc has often been nicknamed “suicidal” as a sort of reverent acknowledgement to the risk-taking style that punishes his opponents and himself on a nightly basis. This was typified by him winning CZW’s Tournament of Death in 2017.
Is there more to him than his love for violence and inflicting pain on his opponents? Cody Rhodes and AEW sure thought so.
What is interesting are the comments of the AEW brass, Michael Cullerai, Cody Rhodes, and Christopher Daniels when discussing Havoc. Daniels said;
“I think violence is just one aspect of his thing. I think he uses that as a smokescreen to hide the fact he’s very technically sound and obviously he’s a great talker. The violence sort of overshadows sometimes..”
Rhodes voiced his respect and appreciation for Havoc by stating
“I love Jimmy Havoc, he’s great, he’s amazing.”
AEW must be thrilled with the results thus far as Havoc has made his presence felt through his brief time in AEW. He followed up his stellar performance at Double or Nothing with an impressive performance in every man for himself match with MJF, Jungle Boy, and Hangman Adam Page at Fyter Fest from Daytona Beach, Florida. Adam Page defeated Jimmy Havoc by pinfall to win the match but Jimmy Havoc, once again put the wrestling world on notice that this is his world and the rest of just live in it.
This Saturday night August 31st from the Sears Center in Chicago, Illinois Jimmy Havoc will face off against Joey Janela and Darby Allin at All Out. This mega match is sure to be the hardcore match by which all others are measured. Three of the most reckless hardcore wrestlers in the history of the business will square off against one another. Evidence of the bad blood between these three men can be witnessed by the following video posted to Twitter by AEW.
What should we expect from this match? Mayhem, destruction, pain are words that come to mind. The truth is no one really knows how this match will turn out. What we do know is that watching this match will be like watching a trainwreck, something we know that will be devastating but can quite bring ourselves to turn away from.
Sometimes a match is compelling because of the character development, sometimes the storyline is riveting and draws us and in, and sometimes the intrigue is watching the competitors inflict massive hardcore violence on one another. This is the sort of match that was put together, as Alfred from The Dark Knight so eloquently stated, because “some men just want to watch the world burn. The winner of this brutal hardcore match will certainly be in a great position to make a title run. While it may seem counterintuitive to have a hardcore wrestler face a more traditional wrestler for a championship belt, AEW has shown that they are anything but predictable.
There will be no shortage of contenders to face the winner of the championship match between Chris Jericho and Adam “Hangman” Page. The single’s division is loaded with talent and a win this Saturday night would be a huge step towards getting that coveted opportunity to challenge for the AEW Heavyweight Championship title. Regardless of the outcome of the match between Jimmy Havoc, Darby Allin, and Joey Janela, it is going to be one hell of a match so don’t miss it.
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