Originally published at So-CalWrestling.com
TW: When did you make up your mind that the wrestling business was something you wanted to get into and how did you get your first break?
CD: I grew up in North Carolina, where I always watched old NWA/Mid-Atlantic stuff, with guys like 
Flair, Dusty, Magnum T.A., R. Garvin, etc. When I was going through high school and college, my major was acting, but in the back of my mind, I was thinking, “I could always go into professional wrestling.” Almost as a joke, mind you. Anyway, when I was 22, I moved to Chicago to pursue an acting career, but finding paying work was difficult. I found out about a professional wrestling school in Chicago, Windy City Wrestling, run by Sam DeCero. I went and met Sam one day and he sold me on it. So I took out a loan and began training in January of 1993. Sam trained me, along with Mike Anthony and Kevin Quinn, who ended up becoming my partner. Mike Moran, who was one of the Texas Hangmen and now wrestles as one of Disorderly Conduct in WCW, also helped train me.
TW: When did you make your pro debut and who did you face?
CD: My first match was in April 1993. I tagged with a guy named Titan against the Manson Brothers, Ripper & Skull. Of course, I was pinned.
TW: What wrestlers have influenced you?
CD: The guys I watched who actually inspired me to finally become a wrestler, and to an extent, still inspire me today, are Sean Waltman (X-Pac) and Shawn Michaels. Waltman showed me that size never mattered, despite evidence to the contrary, and Michaels, well, he was Shawn Michaels. Enough said.
TW: How did traveling to places like Japan, Mexico, and the UK influence your wrestling style?
CD: Traveling to Japan influenced the way I’ll work a match. I always try to work a large amount of false finishes into my matches. I don’t like one guy being in control all the way to the finish. I like to switch control back and forth, trade some two-counts, before the finish itself. Wrestling Mexican wrestlers taught me some neat acrobatic maneuvers that I still try to incorporate into my repertoire.
TW: How did you come up with the “Fallen Angel” gimmick?
CD: When Kevin Quinn and I began to tag, the Fallen Angels was one of my suggestions for our team name. ( we ended up being OverKill) I kept the name as a single. After I saw Dustin Runnels doing his Goldust gimmick, I thought of doing a controversial gimmick along those lines using religion instead of sexuality as the basis. Thus, the priest’s robe and the psuedo-preaching in my interviews.
TW: You’ve had a large number of matches against the Suicide Kid, is he your favorite opponent to work with?
CD: Suicide Kid is not my favorite opponent, but I like working with him, and I know when I do we’ll always have a great match.
TW: What was it like working in Martin Marin’s lucha fed WPW?
CD: I enjoyed working for WPW because of some of the great talent that was there when I worked there. Poison, Zarco, Impacto, these are guys that taught me a lot about lucha.
TW: What was it like wrestling in front of a big crowd and the TV cameras of the WWF for the first time?
CD: I had done TV taping before, so the cameras were no big deal, and being an actor had prepared me for working in front of large crowds. I was worried more about getting a spot on the roster to be honest.
TW: What was the WWF Funkin’ Dojo like and will you be attending it again?
CD: The Dojo was great. Dory Funk Jr. and Tom Prichard were great to work with. I learned a lot from them. I’d love to go to another one, but I think that the format of the camps have changed.
TW: How did you come up with innovative moves like the “Last Rites” and “Angels Wings”?
CD: Honestly, Last Rites came to me in a dream. Angel’s Wings was a variation on the Pedigree that I tried in WPW and I got a good response from, so I kept it. Now a lot of guys have stolen it from me. Oh well, Imitation being a form of Flattery, and all that.
TW: What was it like working for Roland Alexander and APW?
CD: Roland and APW are one of the most professional crews I’ve ever worked for. They really have a lot going for them and I always enjoy working their guys.
TW: It was reported a little while ago that you signed with ECW, do you plan on working anymore dates with them?
CD: I worked three weekends with ECW before I went to Japan. Paul E. liked my work, but for some reason, I haven’t been asked to come back since I returned from Japan. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to wrestle for them again.
TW: How was the Masked League Tournament you recently participated in for Michinoku Pro and a lot of people are wondering about the Curry Man gimmick, can you describe it?
CD: The Masked Man tourney was fun. It was a little long, but overall a good experience. The Curry Man gimmick was based on a comic-book character from Japan called Curry Cook. It was a yellow outfit, singlet and baggy pants, and the mask was yellow with a plate of curry rice sewed on the top. When I was given the gimmick, I thought it was a comedy gimmick and wrestled accordingly. But they wanted me to become a big heel. By the end of the tour, I was one of the most over heels. When I go back, I’m Curry Man once again.
TW: What advice would you give anyone trying to enter the wrestling business?
CD: Practice, practice, practice. Never stop learning, whether it’s new moves or different styles of wrestling, whatever. I’ve been wrestling for six years, and I still try to find new things to add to my style. You never stop learning.
TW: I personally want to thank Christopher Daniels for taking time out of his busy schedule and doing this interview for SoCal Wrestling
