Mr. Hartgrave is a celebrity among players of the mobile game Marvel Strike Force and has been required viewing (or listening) for anyone who wants to play the game at a high level for over three years now. He recently started a second channel devoted to the recently formed All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and his videos about the AEW video game “Fight Forever” took off in a major way, even attracting the attention of a few AEW wrestlers who have been known to drop by his channel for interviews or just to curse his viewers every now and again.
A wrestling fan from an early age, Mr. Hartgrave’s passion for the sport was reignited with the creation of AEW, and that inspired him to step out of his comfort zone of covering video games into the wide world of the Internet Wrestling Community, where he is now creating content.
Every week, Mr. Hartgrave searches the internet for the worst wrestling takes he can find and then roasts them in his weekly review of AEW wrestling on his YouTube channel. No punches are pulled, and you can usually expect over-the-top reactions with colorful language, always profane but never vulgar. Included with the rants are highlights from the shows conveying the most insane spots and featuring the most comedic moments from the weekly AEW shows. Short clips from these videos go viral on Instagram daily. Mr. Hartgrave is a name that will soon be known throughout the Internet Wrestling Community.
Not only is his content engaging for those already interested in the subcultures he is known for, but it is entertaining on its own. His angry rants would be hilarious even to people who have no idea what he’s ranting about. Think about how the old “Car Guys” NPR show was appealing even to people with little interest in cars. People with no interest in Marvel Strike Force or professional wrestling would find any Mr. Hartgrave video worth watching.
Mr. Hartgrave looks like some unholy combination of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Ronnie Radke if he never spent two years in prison. Few YouTubers display the dark sense of style that Mr. Hartgrave often flaunts in front of a 12-foot-tall skeleton, among other oddities in the studio where he produces his daily videos and livestreams.
Mr. Hartgrave’s content has a “dark side” feel, and he brings a darker sensibility to all of his content. A long-time lover of horror aesthetics and goth rock music, you will often see these influences creep into everything he produces. The introduction of dark carnival music playing at the start of his videos, attached to images of cemeteries and other Halloween iconography, sets the tone. His set is strewn with posters of vampires, black lights, and skeletons, alongside shelves of AEW figures, deluxe edition games, and media.
Before he was a YouTube content curator and Twitch streamer, Mr. Hartgrave fronted numerous short-lived goth rock bands in and around the East Coast. He most recently fronted an R.E.M. tribute band that saw the long-haired Hartgrave shave his head to the skin to more accurately portray the band’s frontman for live performances. The only music that Mr. Hartgrave is now creating can be heard during the end credit roll for his videos—self-produced and reflective of his deep knowledge and love of music. You never know what deep-cut cover he will roll out next.
Mr. Hartgrave has over 40,000 followers and averages 10,000 daily viewers across his two YouTube channels, Instagram, and Facebook feeds, which he produces daily content for. You can catch him live weekly on Twitch, YouTube, and Instagram every Wednesday and Friday at 6 PM Eastern Standard Time, as well as at other non-scheduled times during the week. Mr. Hartgrave resides in “Parts Unknown,” but we suspect that it is actually rather close to Central New Jersey.
Book him as a speaker, panelist, or just to hang around at conventions or other extremely odd gatherings locally, or not-so-locally.
Email for bookings: MrHartgrave@gmail.com.
