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In this edition of “Let’s Talk About…” we speak to Daihlan Hendry! We cover a bunch of topics with him and we hope that you all will enjoy the read!
Start with the obvious, how did you get involved in wrestling?
I was at University and during the winter break I was messing around online and found Area 52 (now Source Wrestling School) was open a few miles away from my dorms. So I thought that even if I wasn’t very good, I would at least have some people to talk about wrestling with. Been there since so I suppose you can say its been a bit more successful than I thought going in haha.
Tell us about your early training? Any fun stories?
My early training was hard. I suffer from a condition called Dyspraxia which affects my motor skills and co-ordination (of which is kinda important for pro wrestling). So my first couple of sessions was more trying to figure out the basic rolls and bumps which took a while. My clumsiness has given me a lot of laughs while I have been training though to be fair I am quite easily amused.
Tell us about your first match? What happened that day? Any advice you received before you went through the curtain?
Oh my debut, I was a complete wreck all day. I had been training for around three years at that point and then I got told I was debuting in a eight man tag with Tom Fulton, DCT and Celtic Arrow against Damian O’Connor (Killian Dain in NXT), Adam Carrel, Bobby Roberts and Mr Craig Byers. Before the match I was extremely nervous but I was kinda used to big nerves from my time competing in swimming and martial arts. So the match went great and then got backstage and I burst into tears with all pent up nerves and relief of just finally managing my then goal of competing on a show
What can people expect from Daihlan Hendry that haven’t seen you before? What is a Daihlan Hendry Match like?
I think Timothy Thatcher said it best in Evolve. “I’m not a Sports Entertainer however I’m going to entertain you with my sport”. I always aim to make my matches feel like a fight and make you believe in the sport of Pro wrestling even for a little while. If my opponent can keep it interesting then great otherwise I’ll grab a submission and tap them out quickly either way a win is a win
Outside of wrestling, any fun facts about yourself?
I became a Dad in the November before lockdown which has been an amazing experience. As far as funny facts about myself I learned to ride a horse when I was ten as a way to help my co-ordination Also, my name is that unusual if you google it I’m the only person it comes up with.
We love some fantasy booking here at SWD so firstly, tell us your top 5 non UK wrestlers?
This answer would change almost daily depending on what wrestling I’d watched that week so today I’ll go.
- Kyle O’Reilly
- Tracey Williams
- Tomohiro Ishii
- Eddie Kingston
- Orange Cassidy
Now can you set them up in matches against UK wrestlers?
- Styles tend to make fights. Robert Wishart vs Kyle O’Reilly – would be great fun with a lot of kicks and submissions.
- Taylor Vite vs Tracey Williams – if they could do this under ROH Pure Rules I think this could be an absolute classic.
- Andy Wild vs Tomohiro Ishii – I love a big hoss fight
- Manlon vs Eddie Kingston – imagine Eddie Kingston coming out to answer Manlon’s ‘King of the Streets’ Challenge. I reckon it’d be a fun amount of carnage plus seeing his face when Eddie cuts a promo would make me laugh.
- Glen Dunbar vs Orange Cassidy – the idea of the ultra smug “Lowland Superstar” versus a guy who doesn’t care about anything would be a great character match up. Just seeing Dunbar get more and more annoyed would be hilarious.
Do you have any dream opponents for the future?
I wanna wrestle everyone I said above however I would also love to test myself against Jon Gresham and Zach Sabre Jr. I see those two as the two best people working today in the style I want to emulate.
We are in a time of lockdown, have your goals in wrestling changed for when we return?
I’ve had to scale things back a little bit. Once we get back I’m going to mostly focus on getting my ring sharpness back up to scratch by wrestling as much as possible and getting even comfortable in the style I’m trying to develop. I’ve got a couple of dates booked up (COVID allowing) including getting to work with some new promotions which I’m very much looking forward to.
What advice would you give to a new come to wrestling?
Research what schools are near you and try to have an idea what kind of style of wrestling you are looking to do. Every school has there own style and only you know exactly what is going to benefit you most. Also Im a big believer in getting as varied feedback/opinions as possible so I’d always suggest taking up any opportunities to learn that you can.
Where can we find you on social media??
- Twitter – @DHWrestling92
- Facebook – Daihlan Hendry
- Instagram – daihlan.hendry
We would like to thank Daihlan for taking part in the interview.
