Facts from IPW, Zack v Hero, Angel Centre Tonbridge, January 19th 2014

Well, I told you I was going to drag myself to Tonbridge, (very expensive) rail replacement services notwithstanding.

And frankly I think it was probably the best decision I’m going to make all year.

From the opening triple threat between Party Marty Scurll (resplendent in fur), Mark Haskins and Jonny Storm to the spectacular main event between Zack Sabre Jr and Chris Hero, every match was a gem for its own reasons.

Fact: Comic Wrestling Alliance need your help!

Our friends at Comic Wrestling Alliance seek your assistance!

They’ve been promoting some great wrestling artwork lately, and now have a new series on the go – the ‘Signature Series’, drawn by Dean Beattie.

Promoter Graham Beadle explains: “Each picture in the ‘Signature Series’ will in fact be two pics, with each wrestler putting their opponent in their signature move.”

The first two match-ups in the series are Majik v Jimmy Havoc, and RJ Singh v Danny Garnell.

Thing is, Singh’s finisher is the Ethnic Submission, Majik’s is the Spellbinder – but Garnell’s Texas Cloverleaf and Havoc’s Reverse Piledriver don’t have special wrestler-specific names.

At least, not yet. That’s where you come in.

Fact: British wrestlers are supporting Movember

A quick plug for Friends of TOWIS Danny Garnell and Iestyn Rees, both of whom are spending the month growing face furniture in order to raise money for prostate cancer research through the Movember initiative (significantly better organised than Susan J Komen for the Cure). If you have a spare few quid, throw it their way.

Interview: Danny Garnell talks Hammerlock, Andre Baker and Japan

Tell us a little bit about how you got started in wrestling.

I started with Hammerlock in 1998; at the time, it was really the only wrestling school there was. I was doing amateur wrestling and stuff at the time, but my dad used to take me to see the pro shows – the All Star shows – when I was little, and then I saw an advert for Hammerlock in PowerSlam magazine.

Review: DemonCon 3 featuring NWA Hammerlock, Exchange Studio, Maidstone, Sunday April 22nd 2012

Before you ask, I’m not going to do a full review of the matches at DemonCon (Jimmy Havoc v Devin Byrne, Kurupt v Danny Garnell, Dean Champion v Technico). They were little five-minute snippets, intended as a bit of light entertainment amidst the serious business of the comic convention, and it was great.

What I did want to comment on is just how great wrestling is and can be when it’s aimed at the right audience in the right place. We all know the kind of stuff the NWA Hammerlock guys can do in the ring – but this was supposed to be comedy, family-friendly fun, and it was. When you have kids laughing and cheering (and smaller kids crying at the noise the ring makes when someone takes a bump), you know you’re doing your job properly.

“Hammerlock’s always a good family-friendly show,” says DemonCon organiser Graham Beadle.

Preview: NWA Hammerlock guesting at DemonCon

What is it with the overlap between comic book fandom and pro wrestling fandom?

You already know how much the chaps at FPW love comic books – so much so that they’re auctioning off artwork for their Cancer Research UK fundraiser – and now Graham Beadle, of the Grinning Demon comic shop in Maidstone, is hosting Demoncon, a comic convention that also features some top talent from the NWA Hammerlock company.

On April 22nd, the Maidstone Exchange Studio will be playing host to artists, writers, and a card including Tony McMillan, Dean Champion, Danny Garnell, Jimmy Havoc, Kurupt and Devin Byrne.