Christopher Daniels: Ballad of the Fallen Angel

In 2002, Daniels found two home promotions: Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. 

In ROH, he’d quickly establish the brand alongside Low Ki and Bryan Danielson. Not stopping there, he soon founded his stable The Prophecy. This group primarily included Donovan Morgan and Xavier.

Other notable names joined them, like Allison Danger and Mark Briscoe. Through his earlier ROH stint and IWA Mid-South, Daniels clashed with soon big names. Namely, he faced the likes of AJ Styles, The Amazing Red, Jay Briscoe, and CM Punk. 

Meanwhile, in TNA, Daniels helped the promotion earn a reputation for hungry young stars, providing levels and styles of wrestling different from WWE in the 2000s.

 In the X-Division, he’d collide with AJ Styles and Samoa Joe in a memorable feud for the championship that helped put TNA on the map. Never a one-trick pony, Daniels excelled in the tag team division with partner Elix Skipper in Triple X and Christopher Daniels in Bad Influence and Addiction. 

Between these promotions, he adopted the moniker of the Fallen Angel—a name stemming from being ostracized from the big promotions of the 1990s. This saw him work in morally ambiguous areas, self-serving while executing his well-rounded style.

He accentuated his character and connected with the TNA and ROH faithful as an untrustworthy yet experienced wrestler.

Christopher Daniels Winds Down

In the 2010s, Daniels expanded beyond ROH and TNA, appearing in several independent and international promotions. The latter half of the decade is my favorite part of his career.

From a feud with Adam Cole to matches against Zack Sabre Jr to tag team battles with Kazarian against Motor City Machine Guns and The Young Bucks, Daniels fired on all cylinders. Even standing against the mighty Bullet Club made sense and provided excellent wrestling.

In 2019, however, Daniels signed to All Elite Wrestling with Kazarian and their fellow SoCal Uncensored stablemate Scorpio Sky. The trio added their signature style to an already revolutionary product, with their August 31 match against Jurassic Express being a particular standout. 

The Fallen Angel’s ability to help debuting talent continued, with the introductions of Mr. Brodie Lee and later FTR, both figures that would become vital to the AEW product. This was crucial in AEW’s pandemic era.

Of course, the most memorable match for me during this point was SCU’s emotional last stand against The Young Bucks. During this, Daniels suffered an eight-ball fracture. Unfortunately, these veterans lost the match. SCU disbanded as per the match stipulation, and Daniels wrestled sparsely. 

Following Tony Khan’s purchase of ROH, Daniels bounced between it and AEW. The first year of Khan’s ROH saw Daniels reunite with former tag team partner Matt Sydal in some of the best matches in the new regime’s run.

The last few years of his career saw much of the same in the Indies and AEW, putting over younger talent. Starring as an on-screen EVP, he served as a foil to the Young Bucks.

Eventually, he spent his final two matches challenging Jack Perry for the TNT TItle and the Texas Death Match against Adam Page which retired him.

What Christopher Daniels Means to Pro Wrestling

By now, there have been plenty of in-depth videos, articles, and content covering what Daniels has done for the industry. He took from his rocky road during wrestling’s last boom period and used it to create a better future.

Not only did he do it for himself, but for the fresh prospects stepping into the squared circle.

Boasting a nice collection of championships, he’s leveraged this to elevate himself. Not only that, he’s brought others to a level that caught the eyes of wrestling fans.

Coupled with his past as an enhancement talent, he understood the team effort that pro wrestling is. When I watch matches where he’d put opponents over, I sense that it comes from someone who wanted to give to others what he once wanted. 

That’s not common in the pro wrestling industry. 

We can thank him for putting over talents we’ve come to love or hate today. Part of Christopher Daniels’s influence will continue even if he’s no longer sharing the ring.

When Tiffany Stratton borrows his Best Moonsault Ever signature for her Prettiest Moonsault Ever, he’s there. When wrestlers possess an ego that allows them to help others up the ladder, he’s there.

While I like to think his Fallen Angel name came from the Higher Power rumors, he’s proved that he’s more than what didn’t work out. And as others will be quick to point out, he did so without doing it in WWE.

If you ask me the perfect standard wrestlers should have for themselves, I’ll always point you to Christopher Daniels. That you’re not above the wrestling industry and that it’s okay to give back to it.