After Day One of PWG’s “Bad Ass Mother 3000”, I had the chance to interview the “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels. In this interview, Daniels talks about the SoCal scene, the differences between wrestling in the States and in Japan, and indy wrestling in general.
Robby Deming: So, I know this is kind of a lame question, but how did you get started? Who trained you and how did you get here?
Christopher Daniels: How’d I get to Cali?
RD: Well yeah.
CD: Ok. I started training in ’93 in Chicago at Windy City Pro Wrestling. And as I got trained, I did a lot of indies in the mid-west. Actually not a lot of indies, but that’s where I did most of my stuff. I had a small run in Puerto Rico for a little bit. But mostly for those three years from ’93 to about ’96 I was in Chicago doing little stuff. And my wife is an actress. And so about that time she decided that it was about time for her to really make a go of her career so we decided to go out to California. And I thought moving out here, that it was going to be like time off because I didn’t know of anything out here at all on the west coast. And I just happened to talk to one of the Texas Hangmen who knew Bill Anderson & Jesse Hernandez and he hooked me up with their phone number.
RD: The EWF.
CD: Yeah, and I was like an hour away from their school so I was going like once a week and they were booking me like once a month and so for about six or seven months, all I was doing was wrestling once a month for Bill and Jesse. And through them I started meeting – like some of the wrestlers there saw me, like Pero Russo (hard to understand the name) got me introduced to a lot of the lucha in the area, stuff that was going on at All Nations, stuff that was going on at Martine’s down at that marketplace. I got to meet Super Boy at All Nations, and all of the lucha guys, Poison, Zarko, and those guys. And they really helped me out to find a lot of other lucha down there. So, I did a lot of lucha for a long time. And, it wasn’t until about a year or a year and a half after moving out here that I got my first WWF match. I got hooked up. Bill had picked up some people and they needed people to go out. And this was when TAKA had his first run with the Junior title, the Light Heavyweight title. And I knew Victor Quinones from Puerto Rico and he was helping TAKA out so when he saw me there, he had me do the match with TAKA, and that’s how I got my first match. And kind of from that match with TAKA, all of the stuff I started doing after that, going to Japan, going overseas, getting booked on the east coast, a lot of that had to do with that one match. From there, it just built up, doing ECWA. That helped me get a lot of stuff on the east coast doing the Super 8, and from there it just kind of built it’s way up.
RD: So, you’re WCW try-out match with Mike Modest is somewhat infamous now.
CD: Yeah.
RD: …because of that nasty spot. What was the pressure like going into that match, how did that feel right afterwards?
CD: Well obviously, I was disappointed. I mean, it was….such a freak thing because I had actually practiced that spot earlier in the day and hit it every time I tried it and it was just one of those things that happened wrong. It just happened when it shouldn’t have happened. But ya know, I was disappointed it didn’t go well. But the guys in the back, they didn’t really, they cared, but it wasn’t something like a make or break thing that fucked that up. Because they knew that I fucked up, but they appreciated the fact that I got up and finished the match. A lot of them knew that I was really hurting bad, and I ended up getting a lot of contracts from it. So, despite the fact that the injury has kind of affected my career and that it still lingers on today, there was a lot of good that came from it as well, from that one match. So you know, like I said, it was just a bad break for me and luckily I’ve gotten past it and gotten through it.
RD: Definitely. Well, you’re very well known on the indies. Many people consider you the best independent wrestler around and I’m just curious, why hasn’t the WWE picked you up yet man? You seriously are the best there is around.
CD: Well, the bottom line, I think, for WWE is that they’re going to sign people that they think they can make money off of. And for one reason or another, they must think that they can’t make money off of me. It’s easy to point fingers and say, “Well, I’m bigger than this guy or I’m in better shape than this guy” or whatever, but you know, whatever their reasons are, they’re their reasons. And, by not being in WWE, it hasn’t stopped my career, I’ve been very fortunate to get booked where I’ve been booked. If I had been in the WWE, I wouldn’t have had the chance to go to New Japan, to go to Michinoku, to do the stuff in ECW that I did, to be with WCW the times that I was, and to be with TNA now. You know, it’s easy to say that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but to be honest, I’d rather focus on the positive things I’ve done and just be happy about the good things that have happened to me.
RD: Yeah. What would it take, what kind of offer would WWE have to throw you right now to get you off the indies. Because I know you’ve gotta be happy with the lifestyle, you do well.
CD: I do OK. To be honest, I’m not gonna retire off the money I make from the indies but at the same time, I don’t have like tax collectors and bill collectors banging on my door either. So, I do ok. And it’s not so much the indies that I’m hoping to stay on. I’d like to get away from the indy scene because it’s very unstable. But I always said that I’d give my loyalty to a company that gave me an opportunity until they gave me a reason not to be loyal, and right now that’s what TNA is doing. So….
(At this point, Adam Pearce slaps a piece of duct tape on my mouth from behind and asks if I’ve ever been gang-raped, much to the delight of Chris Daniels and my friend Erik who was sitting next to me during the interview.)
CD: …so at this point right now I’m sticking with TNA until there’s a reason not to stick with them. You know, I’ll never rule out an opportunity with the WWE but right now I feel that TNA is my best shot because they put their confidence in me to put me in a position where I am with them, and I’m just happy to be there and happy to help build this company up.
RD: Well you kinda answered my next question. Being in TNA, and being in all of these other things, like how does TNA compare to Ring of Honor, MLW and, even this. What makes each of those promotions so strong, or so unique?
CD: Well obviously TNA, it’s going on more frequently, it’s more wide-spread in it’s coverage. And so being in TNA has kind of heightened my profile in the States. It’s not something as wide-spread as WWE obviously, but it’s only been a year in the business, and already it’s building up, building up, and it’s just on-ward and up with them. Ring of Honor, I feel, is the top indy in the US right now. They’re on the same course right now. They’re slowly and surely building up, they’re doing shows in other states right now. Their tapes sales are very good for them, so it’s all about the exposure for that. Being a part of Ring of Honor has heightened my profile on the indy scene, being in TNA has heightened my profile, so it’s all positive for me, it’s all positive for me. The good thing about Ring of Honor is that they’ve really made an effort to bring the best independent talent in no matter where they’re from. Whether it’s here in the States, or overseas in England or overseas in Japan, they’re trying to bring the best they can and put it in front of their audience. They’re a tough audience to sway, in Ring of Honor. So, the fact that I kind of have a good spot in Ring of Honor it’s a good thing to say, it’s all positive.
RD: You mentioned something earlier about how indy wrestling isn’t stable. How has it changed or has it grown or developed since you’ve been in it? What are your general thoughts on indy wrestling at this point?
CD: Well, indy wrestling is just a facet of wrestling as a whole. When wrestling was big in ’98 and ’99, indy wrestling was doing very well, and it was very easy to fill a schedule up. Now that wrestling as a whole is kind of on a down swing, indy wrestling is starting to dry up, and it’s much harder to string together a long series of dates in a row. But where some companies are kind of faltering and starting to cut back, some companies are doing very well. Ring of Honor like I said, MLW is starting to expand in the Florida market. It’s just a matter of timing, it’s a matter of putting out a good product. There are always gonna be hardcore fans, but right now the casual fans have kind of stepped away from pro-wrestling. It’s not the fad that it was in ’98 & ’99. And I’m not sure what it’s gonna take for wrestling to come back onto the up-swing. But hopefully something soon will come around. Maybe TNA is that thing, being number 2, being the competition for the WWE. Maybe that’s what will get the ball rolling for wrestling as a whole and when that happens, indy wrestling will flourish again.
RD: Do you think TNA has what it takes to give WWE a run for it’s money?
CD: Well, I don’t think that they’re close to being a competitor in the sense of head to head, but they certainly are the number two promotion in the country right now. Like I said, it’s only been a year in and it’s already at the point where people are already talking about TNA as the number two, and barring some financial disaster, which I don’t see happening, there’s no where to go but up. They got their eye out for good talent, they’re starting to make good moves, they’re starting to put good shows together and put a string of good shows together and I feel like it’s nothing but on-ward and up for them, and as long as that happens and continues to happen, you know, with growth there’s more opportunity for guys in the US and for guys all around. That’s where TNA’s gonna be at in the future.
RD: Southern California is an area that you typically wouldn’t associate with indy wrestling. Unfortunately, they don’t get a lot of the coverage and the press that the eastern federations do. Do you think that if, there was more getting out about Southern California wrestling, do you think that the talent’s good enough to be revered as highly as the east coast?
CD: Um, I don’t think that it’s up to the talent, I think it’s up to the promotions. There’s a lot of good talent out here, but there’s really no form for them because most of the promotions out here are very unstable, and they’re very kind of, they’re not well put together. There’s a lot of dis-organization in the companies out on the west coast. Because like, when APW was at it’s height, they were getting a lot of publicity, not as much as the east coast, but at the same time, it was proportionate to the amount of actual wrestling going on on the west coast. I usually tell people that about 10 percent of the wrestling on the east coast, there’s about that amount on the west coast. And, when wrestling was going well, you had APW up north, and UPW down here, you had MPW doing stuff for a little while, people starting to take notice because they were starting to look long term. But the problem with indy promotions now is that they’ll run a couple shows, and they’ll miss a show, they’ll have to cancel a show, they get one bad show and then they don’t run the next month. It doesn’t look long term. The companies that get the most publicity on the east coast are the ones that have been running for a while. If ROH had run three shows, and ya know. For example, in terms of EPIC. EPIC did really good for the first couple of shows and then it fell apart. If they had kept going on and had the same kind of draw and longevity that ROH’s experienced, I guarantee that they would have had that type of exposure, they would have had that type of publicity. You can’t help but take notice when a promotion starts to build and keeps building. But if you’re just a flash in the pan, then that’s the kind of publicity that you’re going to get. Unfortunately, that’s what’s been going on on the west coast. I hope UPW comes back up to where it was two or three years ago, I hope APW gets back on its feet and starts doing well. Pro Wrestling Guerilla ya know, it’s a small beginning, but I hope that they keep doing well and that they keep growing and then you’ll have something to talk about. You guys just don’t have that much to talk about out here and that’s the reason [for lack of publicity].
RD: Well, now more onto you. You’re very over in Japan with your Curry Man gimmick. What’s it been like working in Japan?
CD: I always look at going to Japan as kind of an opportunity to kind of bring my game up a step, especially physically. There’s a lot more emphasis on the athletics, there’s a lot more emphasis on the skill out there, there’s not as much sports entertainment as there is here in the states. It’s a lot more serious and I always try to up my game physically, try to come away from Japan in better shape and I guess a better attitude than when I got over there. I feel like it’s a boot camp situation for me. I go out there and I try to concentrate on working out and adding new moves and adding, just trying to polish up my game. That way when I come back, it’s just that much better I can be here in the states.
RD: At this point in your career, what are your major highlights and lowlights?
CD: Well right now, the major highlights right now are my association with TNA, with New Japan and with ROH. Those are the top three companies that I work for and if push comes to shove, those will be the three companies that I try to stick with. I’m always trying to stay busy and stay healthy. As far as lowlights, the low parts of my career, just the worst one was when WCW went under. I had kind of hoped that I’d get an opportunity to show my skills on that forum but ya know. It’s like I said before, it’s easy to speculate and say “what if” and “why this guy and not me” . But I feel like it’s a much more positive outlook to focus on the things that are happening and to capitalize on the opportunities that do come rather than those that kind of slip by you.
RD: Of all of the people that you’ve ever worked with, and this is probably a broad scope, who is your favorite person or persons that you’ve ever had matches with?
CD: I don’t have one favorite because I feel like it gives a dis-service to a lot of the other guys. Like my favorites, some of my favorite matches have been with AJ Styles, Low Ki, American Dragon, Samoa Joe. These guys are all a great talent. Everytime I get a chance to work with somebody like that of that caliber, it gets me to try to step up to that level. It’s hard to pick just one guy out of that group of guys when you have as much fun as I do working all of them, cuz you know like I said, it does the rest of them a dis-service. But those are guys that I’m proud to call my friends and that I’m proud to work with, whenever I have an opportunity to.
RD: You should try to pull more of em out here
CD: I’m trying, it’s hard. I wish there was more going on on the west coast, it’d be a lot easier travel wise. You try to make the best of the situations that come up, and like when APW was doing well I’d try to get guys out here for that. A lot of it is a monetary issue just because for a long time, that was one of the problems that I had trying to go over to the east coast, and I’m just fortunate now that promoters think that it’s a good investment to fly me out from California to go to the east coast. I’m in a good situation and not all the guys are in that kind of situation and I’m very fortunate. And like I said hopefully Pro Wrestling Guerilla, hopefully UPW comes back to the amount of shows and the amount of hype they had a couple of years ago and hopefully everybody’s back in the building stages. Who knows? PWG is bringing out AJ Styles, you got Frankie Kazarian who is a hell of a talent. There’s nowhere to go but up, as long as they keep the momentum going then they’ll be able to get more guys out here from the east coast.
RD: Alright. Finally man, the internet has been talked about so much lately in terms of wrestling, what are your thoughts on how it’s affected wrestling and all of that?
CD: Well, sometimes the internet – it’s got it’s bad and it’s good. A lot of guys that you wouldn’t normally hear about get a lot of exposure through the internet so it’s helped them in some ways. But it’s raised the bar in terms of expectations, and sometimes it raises them beyond of the point of reasonably fulfilling their expectations. You know sometimes it’s really hard to keep playing one-up-mans-ship when people expect more and expect more and more. And I think the internet has just kind of sped up that process of what to expect at a wrestling show. But you know, you can’t fault, I understand the passion behind the wrestling, I guess the internet wrestling writers or what you’d call wrestling experts, like when most of them only watch. I don’t necessarily feel that they have to wrestle to appreciate it, but I appreciate their passion for it, but sometimes some guys kind of speak without really understanding what’s going on. And it’s hard because wrestling as a business, you don’t want to give away 100 percent of what’s happening, that’s not the point. It loses it’s luster or it loses it’s magic if everyone knows everything, and I think that’s where the internet sometimes has gone.
RD: Alright, well finally man, is there anything else you’d like to say that will get out there?
CD: Um, just that I appreciate all of the fans that ever supported me, sometimes it’s been hard to follow my career because I don’t do much stuff here on the west coast, but I appreciate the people that do support me when I get a chance to come out here and work in California. I appreciate all of that fans that supported me anywhere I went, if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be as successful as I am now. You know I owe a lot of the stuff that has happened to me because of the reactions that I have got from the fans. So I appreciate all of that.
RD: Well thank you very very much for the interview man.
CD: Thank you.