Christopher Daniels Talks to 411 About If He Wants To Join NXT, The Original Plan for Him in WCW, His ROH Deal, More
I interviewed Christopher Daniels this week. Highlights are below, followed by the full interview.
On the plan for him to go to WCW in 2000 as Syndrome, the dark master of Vampiro: Yeah, that was the plan. That was originally the idea when they brought me in, and I filmed a vignette with Vampiro that never got followed up on. It was just something that they wanted to try, and it didn’t really work out. But these things happen. Sometimes plans change in the midst of the flow, and this was just one of those instances.
On if he has any interest in going to NXT: I think the timing was just bad for me to do NXT. At this point, I think they would just look at me too old to join, to start for NXT. And while I think I could go and do well, I think on paper to them, it’s probably just too big of a risk, which is fine. If things had been different — if their attitude towards independent wrestlers was the way it is now, if it was that way five years ago when I left TNA or six years ago, it might’ve been a different conversation. But again, I feel like the time where NXT might’ve been most interested in me as a character and as a performer was a time where I was under contract with TNA. The timing was just never right for me to do NXT or WWE, and that’s just the way it is. If I sit and dwell on that, it’s sort of an exercise in futility. I’d rather focus on the fact that Ring of Honor and I have had a good relationship now for two years and going on strong. Being under contract with them is a very good place for me to be.
On if his ROH deal is exclusive: I am exclusive with Ring of Honor. I have a contract with them right now. And I’m happy. I’m thrilled. It’s a great contract for me not only to help in the ring but also to help behind the scenes, to help mold the next generation of stars that will perform for Ring of Honor.
I was recently granted the opportunity to speak with the longtime wrestling veteran and Ring of Honor star, “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels. A man who has had a long and illustrious career that includes titles in multiple organizations, including TNA and Ring of Honor, is currently in the midst of an exclusive contract with Ring of Honor on the eve of the promotion’s 14th anniversary event. It’s quite momentous and almost fate considering Daniels was a part of ROH at it’s very inception. He was in the main event for ROH’s debut event way back in 2002. Here is what Christopher Daniels had to say regarding his career, his current relationship with ROH and other organizations, and so much more.
Jeffrey Harris: You go back with Ring of Honor to way back to 2002, so what’s it like to be there for the 14th anniversary?
Christopher Daniels: Well, it’s just a testament to all the hard work. Not just between the guys in the ring itself, but the guys behind the scenes. For the past two years we’ve been doing live broadcast pay-per-views, and we’ve had great success with all of them. I’m just happy to see that the company after 14 years is still going strong. There’s a lot of buzz about our show, about our wrestling, [and] about our wrestlers. And I think that the 14th anniversary show itself is going to be a great thank you to the fans who have followed us and supported us for the last 14 years.
Jeffrey Harris: You’re scheduled to work against Alex Shelley. What do you think of the Shelley match-up and what he brings to the table?
Christopher Daniels: I think he’s an outstanding wrestler. I think that the past several years for him competing in Japan for New Japan — he’s always been a fan of the Japanese style. He’s always blended that style into his own personal style. I think for fans of his, it’s a great chance to see him live back in the states again. But the truth of the matter is that everything that Alex has done, I did, and I did first. So I’ve got the experience edge over Alex Shelley, and that’s going to be the thing that gets my hand raised at the end of the day at the 14th anniversary show.
Jeffrey Harris: How do you like this collaboration between Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling that will be occurring throughout the year, and it will be occurring at the show this weekend with NJPW stars? As a man who has experience with New Japan, how do you like to see that crossing over between the two promotions?
Christopher Daniels: I’m thrilled that it’s happening. I think New Japan has certainly broadened their spotlight in the United States in the past year with their television show on AXS TV, and the fact that every time that the New Japan wrestlers come to Ring of Honor, we have fresh match-ups. We have a great rivalry between the two promotions’ rosters. And it’s going to be another night just like that. Michael Elgin and Hiroshi Tanahashi get the Briscoes. You’ve got Kushida performing in a six-man tag. You’ve got Hirooki Goto. You’ve got Tomohiro Ishii, who just won the TV championship from Roderick Strong a week or two ago. It’s awesome to use the synergy of all the buzz that Ring of Honor has in the states and that New Japan has in the pro wrestling world and to bring it together for a super-show, which is basically what our show is this Friday. It’s going to be all great matches, all great wrestling.
Jeffrey Harris: Is your deal with Ring of Honor at the moment an exclusive deal?
Christopher Daniels: I am exclusive with Ring of Honor. I have a contract with them right now. And I’m happy. I’m thrilled. It’s a great contract for me not only to help in the ring but also to help behind the scenes, to help mold the next generation of stars that will perform for Ring of Honor.
Jeffrey Harris: Was it true in that way back in 2000, that there was a plan for you to come into WCW as Syndrome, the dark master of Vampiro?
Christopher Daniels: Yeah, that was the plan. That was originally the idea when they brought me in, and I filmed a vignette with Vampiro that never got followed up on. It was just something that they wanted to try, and it didn’t really work out. But these things happen. Sometimes plans change in the midst of the flow, and this was just one of those instances.
Jeffrey Harris: Do you have any insight on how that plan and relationship was supposed to work?
Christopher Daniels: Nope. I really don’t. I just know that it was described to me that I was going to be the Emperor to Vampiro’s Darth Vader, which I thought was a great spot but I was sort of hesitant. I didn’t think that it was going to be a fair relationship between Vampiro and I just because I felt like Vampiro had already established himself in WCW. And I think the reveal of me being his master would’ve been sort of like a letdown to the fans. I think it would’ve been better if I sort of established myself as Vampiro’s student, or for me to appear. But for me to come in as his master I thought was sort of a stretch, and I think they agreed. And they didn’t follow up on it when they realized it wasn’t going to flow the way they wanted it to.
Jeffrey Harris: Throughout your career, I always recall you doing clever, outside-the-box idea in the ring. I remember when you were teaming with AJ Styles and feuding with LAX, and when you would have street fights, you would always come out dressed to the nines in a nice suit. Instead of the usual tank top, jeans and work boots that wrestlers would wear in a street fight, you would wear like a suit as your street clothes. Did you come up with that idea, and why do you think the Fallen Angel wants to get dressed up for a street fight?
Christopher Daniels: Yeah, that was my idea. It was something basically where to me the idea was what would I wear on the street? And that was what I wore. I dressed up in that period of time in my life when I was traveling. It was indicative of my style to go out there and wrestle in business casual. I was really happy. I thought it looked — it was different. The stereotypical street fight is tying a bandanna around your thigh and having work boots. But to me, my character at that point would wear a nice shirt and a pair of slacks. That was what I went with, and it stood out.
Jeffrey Harris: I’d be curious to get a veteran’s perspective of I think that wrestling was going through a bit of an adjustment period of getting a handle on how TV viewing habits are changing. People are consuming media and content through different ways. Now people are getting media through their phones, their laptops, or game consoles. And now it seems like wrestling promotions are maybe catching up to the idea of using these outlets and streaming media to present their product. I was wondering what your perspective was on this?
Christopher Daniels: I think that the big change now is that it’s so much easier for wrestling fans to get a hold of some form wrestling, whether it’s subscribing to the WWE Network or watching Ring of Honor on Ring of Honor.com, or even going to YouTube and subscribing to a YouTube channel that any federation now can sort of set up and make video clips to those fans. I think the WWE Network is certainly the grandest example of a wrestling company trying to take advantage of freedom of sharing content. Arguably, it’s a success. I don’t know what the current numbers are, I certainly wouldn’t know, but I feel like it’s a success for WWE in that respect. How that affects the money on PPV, how much money they get from their television; that remains to be seen. It’s an ever-changing world. I think it’s so new right now that I think that each wrestling company that is trying to engage in this sharing of content is trying to find a way to make it more palatable for their business. I think it remains to be seen what the best way is to monetize this for each promotion, but everybody is giving it a try right now. Everybody’s experimenting and seeing what works.
Jeffrey Harris: New Japan is doing it too.
Christopher Daniels: Yeah, the same thing. They’ve got New Japan World. It’s just trying to make easier for the fans to get a hold of the content and keep them hooked and keep them coming back to watch it over and over.
Jeffrey Harris: Your cameo in the Wrestling Is Not Wrestling video, how did that get put together and did you know the filmmaker Max Landis beforehand?
Christopher Daniels: I didn’t meet him until that day. It was something that Joey Ryan, because he lives out here and he’s very immersed in the world of Hollywood, he put a call out to guys who were local. And I got the opportunity to meet Max that day, and I’ve since sort of kept in touch with him and picked his brain about certain things. I think Max is a very unique talent, a very talented writer. I’m glad I got the chance to interact with him, and his viewpoints on wrestling are certainly a fresh set of eyes. And so when I talk to him about wrestling, it’s a different viewpoint, but it’s certainly interesting.
Jeffrey Harris: It’s always impressed me throughout your career just how versatile you are and how you can work just about any style. You’ve worked very well as a singles guy, but also as a tag team guy with Low Ki and Elix Skipper in Triple X, Matt Sydal, AJ Styles and Frankie Kazarian. But of all those tag team partners you’ve tagged with and held titles with, was there ever a partner that no matter what the town or venue, it was just second nature between the two of you? You wouldn’t have to talk it over much, and you knew no matter what, it would be magical.
Christopher Daniels: That’s how it is between me and Frankie right now. I feel like we came into this — the fact that we were friends for such a long time before we decided to team certainly made it easier to become a good tag team right off the bat. I still feel that there’s a lot that we have to offer as a team to the Ring of Honor roster and the product, especially with as many great tag teams as we have in the company. Frankie and I, we still stand out. You put us in there with any team, and we’re going to deliver a very entertaining match.
Jeffrey Harris: Do you and Frankie have your eyes on getting the ROH tag belts again?
Christopher Daniels: Of course. Of course. It’s a foregone conclusion that we’ll have those championships again at some point.
Jeffrey Harris: I know you’re signed with ROH now, but Jeff Jarrett is gearing up the Global Force Wrestling promotion. Was there ever a time at any point that Jeff Jarrett contacted you about working with them?
Christopher Daniels: Early on, before I signed with Ring of Honor, we had talked before they did their Amped tapings. Scheduling was difficult. We had already sort of committed to a lot of dates for ROH. There was some discussion when we had the tag titles at Ring of Honor with Jeff, but because of our relationship with ROH, it made us unavailable to Jeff. But I mean we’ve had a good relationship, and we still have a good relationship. I hope that Jeff now is getting TV clearances in different places, I hope that he gets an opportunity to get the television running and go on with GFW.
Jeffrey Harris: After an adjustment period, TNA Wresting is now on Pop TV. But after sometime, could you ever see yourself working in TNA again, or are you unhappy with how the way things were left between you, Dixie Carter and John Gaburick?
Christopher Daniels: It’s not that I’m unhappy, I’m just happy where I’m at. I’ve always said that I would be loyal to the people who were loyal to me, and Ring of Honor has been nothing but loyal. I have no plans to venture out of the Ring of Honor ring anytime soon.
Jeffrey Harris: But just to ask, do you think the NXT/WWE thing could ever be possible? Do you ever see some of the guys going into NXT and WWE now and think that you would like to interact with them, or is your main focus on what’s going on now?
Christopher Daniels: I think the timing was just bad for me to do NXT. At this point, I think they would just look at me too old to join, to start for NXT. And while I think I could go and do well, I think on paper to them, it’s probably just too big of a risk, which is fine. If things had been different — if their attitude towards independent wrestlers was the way it is now, if it was that way five years ago when I left TNA or six years ago, it might’ve been a different conversation. But again, I feel like the time where NXT might’ve been most interested in me as a character and as a performer was a time where I was under contract with TNA. The timing was just never right for me to do NXT or WWE, and that’s just the way it is. If I sit and dwell on that, it’s sort of an exercise in futility. I’d rather focus on the fact that Ring of Honor and I have had a good relationship now for two years and going on strong. Being under contract with them is a very good place for me to be.
Jeffrey Harris: Are there any plans for you to work NJPW this year, or could you work NJPW?
Christopher Daniels: I certainly could. The relationship between Ring of Honor and New Japan allows me to. It’s just dependent on New Japan’s plans. They just recently had the Ring of Honor/New Japan shows, and I wasn’t a part of those. But the future is bright as far as the relationship between the two companies, so it’s just up to them. We’ll all find out together I suppose.
Jeffrey Harris: Anything you would like to share on how the fans can reach out to your or any shout outs you’d like to give?
Christopher Daniels: You can follow me on Twitter @facdaniels. I keep fans abreast of all my doings there. And just thanks to all the fans who have supported not just me, but Ring of Honor, over the years. We wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for that passionate fanbase that supported this company when we were just running shows in the local rec center all the way to going out to Las Vegas this Friday for another outstanding PPV. We owe it all to the support of our fans. Thank you very much to everyone who has helped Ring of Honor grow to where we are today.
Jeffrey Harris: Thank you for your time Chris. It’s always a great honor and pleasure. Congratulations to Ring of Honor on 14 great years and you getting to work that event. Can’t wait to see what’s next.
Christopher Daniels: Thanks man. I appreciate it.
Thank you to Christopher Daniels for taking the time to speak with us. ROH’s 14th Anniversary show is set for February 26 at Sam’s Town Live! in Las Vegas, Nevada.
WWE needs to find something better to do. Like make a better promotion. :tongue:
