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Chris Daniels
2000-09-19 After being released from WCW unceremoniously last month, Chris Daniels is back on the independent circuit. Rated as one of the top wrestlers in North America, the "Fallen Angel" is still looking for his big break. WCW was to have been it; but after being signed to Ted Turner's grappling league earlier this year, the company failed to do anything with him. Daniels sat on the bench for six months before being let go in a round of layoffs and cost-cutting measures, having never been given the chance to show the world what he could do. Last week, Daniels was invited to wrestle WWF mega star Kurt Angle in the main event of a show held by the UPW in Los Angeles, California. Ultimate Pro Wrestling, a promotion associated with the WWF, has signed many of their home-grown talent to WWF developmental deals. As Daniels worked his magic with the former Olympic wrestling champion Angle, the crowd was littered with WWF scouts and officials. Chris Daniels and Kurt Angle tore the house down that night. Was it enough to push him over the edge, and hand, perhaps, the most deserving young star in the country his chance to shine in the biggest wrestling company today? IGN Wrestling's Blake Norton caught up with Daniels backstage after the show to chat about the big match, his feelings on the WWF and his outlook for the future. Norton: How did you end up wrestling Kurt Angle? Daniels: When the WWF is around the West Coast, the UPW tries to get some of their stars to come out and wrestle their guys. A couple of shows ago The Headbangers came out, Ivory came out… the last show Crash Holly came out here. It just happened this time that Angle wanted an opportunity to come out and work at UPW. They ran through a few names, and felt I'd be the best match for him. It's really… not being one of the homegrown UPW guys under a WWF contract, it wasn't a sure thing that I'd be wrestling. Norton: The choice surprised me a little, as several stars who trained here at the UPW, which you didn't, have been signed to WWF developmental deals. Daniels: Yeah. Like I said, they talked about a few names. Prototype, Basil, Mike Henderson; when they figured out how the card was going to go, who was wrestling who, they figured the best match would be me and Kurt. That opened the door for Taka wrestling Mike Henderson. It was just a bunch of different things that came together. It was also good because Kurt and I worked together at the (WWF) Dojo a few years ago, so we were comfortable wrestling each other. Right now since he's wrestling with a concussion, they felt it would be a safe match for him. Like I said, it all, a bunch of different circumstances came together for this. Norton: I thought it was fantastic that the way the psychology of the match went, if I didn't know that you were hurt, I wouldn't have noticed Daniels: You don't want to play the obvious stuff. They told me ahead of time that he might not want to bump, and I didn't want to hurt him… it doesn't look well to the WWF when you come along and hurt one of their biggest stars! (laughs) I had it in mind that I'd do something that's safe for him but still an exciting match. I didn't want it to be an arm-bar fest. Having wrestled in Japan, I know that doing some good leg psychology works. It's not the same as a chin lock or stuff like that. Norton: It's like you're building to something. Daniels: Yeah, right. Norton: Kurt had a lot of good things to say about you before the match. Was it intimidating knowing that you were going in before the eyes of WWF representatives? Daniels: Yeah. A lot of it had to do with the fact that I haven't wrestled much the last six months, being with WCW, so I needed a good match to get my confidence back up. If I put enough training into this, I felt it could be a very good match. Yeah, I was nervous. You never want to have a bad outing in front of a WWF official. This wasn't a tryout match. A good match wouldn't necessarily mean I have a job, but a bad match would mean that I definitely wouldn't have a job. It wasn't like a lose - lose situation, but it was definitely a situation where more bad could come out of it than good. Norton: How confident are you at this point that the WWF will sign you? The writing is on the wall, everybody in the company knows you, they like you, but there isn't a contract yet. Daniels: Well, I think I have a few things going in my favor. There's been a big uprising on the internet after my release from WCW. I was one of the guys that people were really outraged about. That helped get my name out, where six months ago nobody knew who I was or what was going on. I feel it made me a bit more of a commodity. And this match raises my stock a little too. But at the end, it's down to whether they have a spot. They have a lot of talent there, and I feel I can contribute to their product, but they're not going to just throw me out there for the sake of throwing me out. That doesn't do anybody any good. It's better if they put some time and effort into what they want me to do. The ball is in their court. The way it was explained to me, they've always appreciated what I could do, it's just been down to whether they have an opening to use me. Hopefully this is the last thing they see me do… when the spot comes around they'll jump at it. Norton: You talked about the internet journalists being outraged when you were let go from WCW. How much do you think it's helped you that the internet has been able to spread your name by word of mouth? The WWF monitors cyberspace extensively now. Five years ago, ten years ago, if someone wrestled a great match on an independent show, nobody might hear about it. How important is the internet for helping young talent be discovered? Daniels: I think it's very important. It's a method of exposure which wasn't available before. Especially for guys who are doing a lot of indy work around the country or the globe. People on the East coast might not have known who Chris Daniels was when I was working in the APW; people in the mid-west, the central part of America might not have known me before I did stuff with the "Super 8" (a major annual wrestling tournament). It could just be a matter of word of mouth. It's an avenue that wasn't open to wrestlers before. It's real important to have a good reputation on the internet these days. Luckily, I have that. Norton: If you were to be signed to the WWF, who would you like to work with, and what kind of an angle would you prefer? Daniels: There's a lot of different ways I could go. For me, I think it would make a lot of sense if I worked with Raven. That would depend on their plans for him, of course. But if they do something like he's done in the past, like The Flock, that could work real well. It would work for me too. It's best to come in as part of a group at first, get a rub from an established star… Norton: Establishing yourself to the fans before you get a solo push… Daniels: Yeah, exactly. With Raven, certainly, he's going to have a lot of advanced credibility. People know who he is. And at the same time, guys like Dean Malenko, if the WWF is going to push the light heavyweight division as much as they say they are, working with a leader like Dean would be great. There's a huge list. D'Lo, Edge and Christian, Eddy Guerrero, there's so many guys I feel I could have good matches with, I feel that I'd be a good commodity for the WWF to have, as there's a lot of avenues. Norton: Looking at your size, you're somewhere in between; you could be a small main-eventer or a tall light-heavyweight. Which would you like the opportunity to work most? Light heavyweight tend to be more skilled, where the big guys won't necessarily have the same ability. Daniels: I'd like a situation where I'm not limited to who I work with. I think I can have a good match with Taka Michinoku, and then I could have one with Kane. It's just about putting together a story that's believable. I wouldn't go out and try to bump the Undertaker around, but given the opportunity, I could have a good match. Our differences in size doesn't mean we can't work a good match. Anything which doesn't limit me will make me more of a commodity in the WWF. It depends on the angles and the stories they want to put me in. I don't think anybody thinks of Kurt Angle as a light heavyweight, but nobody had a problem with me being in the same ring as him. Norton: The size difference between the two of you isn't that great. Daniels: But at the same time, people don't go up to Kurt and say he's a light heavyweight. It was good that… I don't think anybody thought I was too small to match up to Kurt. Norton: Outside the WWF, what are your current plans in the ring? West Coast? Daniels: I have some dates coming up on the East Coast for the ECWA and PCW. I also have a date in London next month. I'm doing to do some work in Indiana for Ian Rotten. I feel that my name was out of the spotlight for a while, so I want to get going, get the buzz going again, and make myself more valuable. I think that the more federations I work with, the more people I work with, the more I'll add to my name. Norton: Keep us in the loop. Daniels: Anything that's going on, I'll let you guys know! Keep an eye out for me. I'm going to try and make my presence known again, and hopefully it will translate into full time work again. e into full time work again.
By Blake Norton
Editor In Chief, IGN Wrestling