“With a broken heart, the GCW family mourns the loss of Grant Berkland aka Danny Havoc. Danny was an incredibly talented, intelligent, caring & genuine person. He was also an elite performer that entertained a generation of fans & inspired a generation of aspiring performers. Like those that passed before him, his legacy is secured by the memories that he bestowed upon us both as a wrestler and as a friend. He will not be forgotten. Rest in Peace, Grant.”

With a broken heart, the GCW family mourns the loss of Grant Berkland aka Danny Havoc.

Danny was an incredibly talented, intelligent, caring & genuine person.

He was also an elite performer that entertained a generation of fans & inspired a generation of aspiring performers. pic.twitter.com/L7By79UEKN

— GameChangerWrestling (@GCWrestling_) June 1, 2020

Those were the words of GCW as they announced the tragic news that deathmatch icon Danny Havoc had passed away. Havoc was one of the most notable deathmatch wrestlers of the 2000s and was a pioneer for the style of wrestling and what was possible in deathmatches. No cause of death was given but the announcement of his death was a shock for the whole wrestling business. The hardcore talent was a respected wrestler and human being, his legacy transcends the deathmatch and hardcore wrestling style, as the whole business has been mourning him.

The Iowa-born Grant Berkland had been a lifelong fan of professional wrestling, backyard wrestling with his highschool friends. He started his wrestling career in CZW and worked for the company for over a decade after attending Cage of Death 6 in 2005 and working for the company. He would make his debut the same year at Tournament of Death 4. He would go on to win multiple titles in the company and became a two-time Tournament of Death winner in both 2008 and 2013.

This cuts too deep. Grant "Danny Havoc" Berkland. He was an inspiration to so many and a friend to all and our hearts go out to his family and loved ones.
We can take a small comfort in knowing the entire wrestling community are sharing the same grief right now.#RIPDannyHavoc pic.twitter.com/2AbDxYRb6I

— CZW Combat Zone Wrestling (@combatzone) June 1, 2020

Alongside his work in CZW, where he was putting on wars against Matt Tremont, DJ Hyde, Nick Gage, Rickey Shane Page and many others in the company, he was working in other big deathmatch companies worldwide like IWA Deep-South, where he won the Carnage Cup in 2008. He worked in IWA Mid-South where he held their Deathmatch Championship. He would also work in Big Japan Pro Wrestling, DDT, DTU in Mexico, wXw in Germany and ending up in GCW where he won the Tournament of Survival in 2016.

Havoc would also work closely with Matt Tremont in H2O wrestling where he held their tag titles, had an event co-named after him, Matt Tremont and Danny Havoc’s Deathmatch Extravaganza. He announced his retirement from wrestling in 2017, due to an accumulation of injuries, but returned for a charity event at H2O in 2019. He was a surprise announcement for GCW’s 2020 tour of Japan where he took part in all three nights of the tour against FREEDOMS stars and Japanese hardcore star Isami Kodaka. His last match would be at GCW’s Run Rickey Run where once again he would be a surprise opponent for SHLAK after Masashi Takeda was injured.

Through the words of his friends and the scale of his matches, we can see that Havoc was a pioneer for deathmatch wrestling and was respected worldwide for his style and ability in the ring. The news of his death is made all the more heartbreaking as it comes so quickly after the loss of his wife on April 4. He had only recently turned 34 and leaves a legacy like no other, as a two-time CZW Ultraviolent Underground Champion, a one-time CZW Junior Heavyweight Title (his first title), a two-time CZW World Tag Team Champion and a one-time H2O Tag Title alongside a slew of tournament wins across multiple companies.

Thank You Danny ❤ pic.twitter.com/aUKI66ISyV

— GameChangerWrestling (@GCWrestling_) June 1, 2020

We here at SC, and myself especially as deathmatch editor, send our condolences to the Berkland family, to Havoc’s friends and co-workers, and to all his fans around the world. Be sure to check in on Twitter to see all the amazing things his friends are writing about him and to see his contributions to the deathmatch world and in the world of graphic design and artistry.

One example is Drew Gulak’s message:

“I put an old Viking proverb on a card to a friend along with a present earlier this week hoping that it would cheer him up. I was not expecting to get the horrible news that I received earlier today that Grant Berkland, aka Daniel T. Havoc had passed away, Danny moved across the country in 2004 to follow his dreams. He wanted to be a deathmatch wrestler like Jun Kasai and Hayabusa! That’s when I met him.

We’d been close friends ever since. Not only did he get to follow his dream, but he lived them to the fullest and even went on to inspire others to do the same. In the same way that he looked up to his heroes, he may have even surpassed them.

Beyond that, as a human, he was fun-loving, intelligent, creative, innovative, brave, and caring. Just an honest to goodness great guy. He had such a fun, dry, wicked, dark sense of humour and an amazing skill for art. We set up a page together to keep track of some of his drawings and artwork at the appropriately darkly titled *ahem* https://infantslaughterbabystomp.tumblr.com. I hope you get to see his talent and creativity. In his art. In his wrestling. In his interviews and promos. Even in his blog posts!

Here's just some of Grant's work.. pic.twitter.com/GzjKxgYGv1

— Jon Moxley (@JonMoxley) June 1, 2020

He put 100% of himself into everything he created. That’s why on whatever platform he was on he shined. I could honestly go on and on, but I won’t here. I want to spread some joy here because whenever I talk about my friend Danny Havoc, Grant, that’s what it was.

Let none put faith in the first sown fruit
nor yet in his son too soon;
whim rules the child, and weather the field,
each is open to chance.
– Hávamá

For those wondering, the gift hasn’t made it into the mail yet, it’s still being assembled. I’m having it sent back to my place. I know he would have loved it.”

Rest in Peace Danny Havoc.

Co-written with Steph Franchomme – All images courtesy of GCW Twitter, CZW Twitter, Isami Kodaka Twitter, Video Courtesy of CZW YouTube