A brand new Wrestling Promotion kicks off in Nottingham this weekend – House of Pain: Evolution – check out our preview of the show here – we speak to the show’s promoter Harvey Dale to find out more.
Hi Harvey, could you start off by introducing yourself to our readers
My working name is Harvey Dale, I shall be acting as booker & promoter for the new “Evolution” Product.
Can you give us a bit of background on your wrestling career?
I got into watching wrestling as a child and have been a fan for nearly 30 years now.
My career in the business began as a ring announcer about 3-4 years ago just announcing at local smaller shows and progressed onto being the ring announcer for House Of Pain when I moved to Nottingham in 2011. Since then I have turned my hand to being a ‘Manager’ in storylines across the UK, being portrayed as a villainous character who is not above cheating to get what I need. I am also adept at lending my voice to the commentary for the DVD’s produced by the shows.
You’re launching House of Pain: Evolution 1 this Sunday, how did this come about?
House Of Pain : Evolution was something that has been in my mind for about 3 years now, I have spent probably 18-24 months trawling up and down the UK Independent Scene watching shows and learning from other people’s mistakes. Obviously when spotting mistakes you obviously start to piece together what is done well by others in the UK and adapt that towards your own product. It was a natural progression from the already fantastic “House Of Pain” Academy shows that are run on a monthly basis and kind of a ‘Step Up’ for the top performing members of the school to aim for. Mix in the very best talent from all corners of the country and you have yourself a very nice looking product.
Can you tell us a bit about what we can expect from the show?
What can you expect from the show? – Well….I always like to say “Expect the Unexpected” – for me, Wrestling is about larger than life characters and strong storylines, so that is what we aim to bring to the table. Nothing will be done without a reason behind it and without it leading onto something else. You can also expect to see a few names that may be unfamiliar to people on the scene as yet but given time we expect them to become household names within the UK wrestling scene.
What are your thoughts on the current state of wrestling in Britain?
I believe wrestling to a lost art of entertainment, certainly within the UK….for children it is a chance to learn about something that combines not only the physical aspects that they would get from say ‘Karate’ or ‘Judo’ but also that theatrical element all in one. At the end of the day, we are all just entertainers performing on a stage….our stage just happens to have 3 ropes and a canvas.
What are the plans going forward with regards to HoP:Evolution?
Our plans going forward are simple…. provide the very best entertainment that we can for our fans, give 110% to every show and everything we do and make sure that everything is done with the upmost courtesy and respect for the British Independent scene as possible. We want to show the world that the British talent is amongst the very best in the entire world and hopefully help create a few stars along the way and open some doors for guys to make a real name for themselves.
If you had to pick out your favourite all time wrestler who would you choose, and why?
Last question of yours is always a good one, and one I have been asked time and time again….. for me, growing up with the likes of Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior filling the major spots was a wonderful thing, they were the first guys to really peak my interest. Now looking back at the late 80’s and early 90’s I would have to say that “Mr Perfect” Curt Hennig and “Ravishing” Rick Rude are probably the 2 guys whom I would set aside as being the very best I ever saw…but I do have a huge respect for Shawn Michaels and everything he achieved a little later than them and think that without him, my interest would probably have died out a long time ago. These days, I do not really watch the American stuff at all, but if you were to look at the UK scene we have a whole pleathera of talent just waiting to be discovered.
Interview by Darren Patterson
House of Pain: Evolution 1 takes place at the Britannia Hotel on Sunday 14 July – for more information visit www.houseofpainevolutionwrestling.com
Check out our interview with House of Pain owner and Head Trainer Paul “Stixx” Grint here
