Spotlight on Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels

He is arguably one of the greatest wrestlers in the world today. "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels is revered
around the globe as one of the best in the business. Daniels is a true journeyman, as he has competed in rings throughout the world.
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Daniels has always had a passion for performing. Born Daniel Christopher Covell, standing 5'11" and weighing 210 lbs., "The Fallen Angel" graduated Methodist College in Fayetteville, NC with a degree in theatre in 1992. He was named Best Actor in 1989, 1990, 1992 and performed in such plays as "Romeo and Juliet" (as Romeo) and "Waiting For Godot," so it comes as no surprise that Daniels wanted to become a professional wrestler.
Daniels made his way to Chicago, where he trained under Sam DeCero at the Windy City Pro Wrestling School in 1992. He made his professional debut on April 3, 1993 teaming with Titan and jobbing to The Manson Bros in Windy City Pro Wrestling in approximately four minutes. Despite the loss in his debut, Daniels quickly bounced back and in his third match and defeated Trevor Blanchard for the Windy City Light Heavyweight Title.
After bouncing around the independent circuit the is first few years and improving his work rate, Daniels was noticed by WWE scouts and was invited to participate in Dory Funk, Jr.'s "Funkin' Dojo" in October 1998, along with such athletes as Kurt Angle, Test, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, Steve Corino, and "Crowbar" Devon Storm. Of the 13 participants, Daniels, Corino and Storm were not under contract. And they weren't offered one after the camp.
The following year, Daniels competed in East Coast Wrestling Association's (ECWA) third annual Super 8 tournament. Daniels made it to the finals by defeating Jeff Peterson and former WWE Cruiserweight, Tag Team, and Hardcore champion Matt Hardy before losing to Steve Bradley.
As Daniels continued to perfect his craft, he was given an opportunity in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and wrestled and jobbed to the last man to hold the ECW Title, Rhino, at Hostile City Showdown on June 26, 1999. Things didn't work out after that match and Daniels was out of ECW as quickly as he got in.
After toiling around US independents, "The Fallen Angel" tried his hand at Japan and donned a mask and competed under his other alias of Curry Man. As Curry Man, On December 14, 1999, Daniels won the British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Title, making it the first title he won overseas. His reign last until March 26, 2000.
In the middle of his reign, Daniels returned to ECWA and made it a mission to walk away the victor of the fourth annual Super 8 Tournament, and completed it successfully. On February 26, 2000, Daniels defeated Vic Capri, Ace Darling and "The Black Nature Boy" Scoot Andrews to add another moment to his fast-growing resume.
WWE came knocking again, this time needing a wrestler to stand in as one of Los Conquistadors while Edge & Christian claimed not to be the duo. Daniels donned a mask again and helped Edge & Christian deny they were the real guys under the mask. Once the cat was let of the bag that Edge & Christian wrestled as the gold duo under the masks, Daniels was once again sent packing...not before he filmed a Chef Boyardee commercial with The Hardy Boys in Colorado. Since Daniels was familiar with bumping for the Hardy Boyz, he seemed like a perfect candidate.
Daniels traveled out west to All Pro Wrestling (APW) and wanted to add more tournament wins to his resume. On December 30, 2000, Daniels defeated Boyce LeGrande, "The Black Nature Boy" Scoot Andrews and future tag team partner Donovan Morgan to win APW's King of the Indies tournament. His tournament win opened eyes in WCW and was called in to work a dark match at a Nitro taping.
When Daniels and Michael Modest were invited to work a match at the January 22, 2001 Nitro, they were initially told they would be working against each other in a dark match. Plans changed when they arrived and were put on the live telecast. The catch was they were going to get their asses handed to them by "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner. The battled to a no contest, which was a great match despite Daniels suffering a neck injury early in the match, hindering their performance.
Both men were offered contracts, but fate dealt them a cruel hand when Vince McMahon purchased WCW and not the contracts of Daniels and Modest. Daniels was once again on the short end.
Eight years after his first match, Daniels was able to make his pay-per-view debut for World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) on February 24, 2002 competing in a six-pack elimination match. The match also involved Nova, Low Ki, Shark Boy, AJ Styles, and Tony Mamaluke. The match was won by Nova.
Daniels would make his return to pay-per-view later that year, competing in the upstart NWA: TNA. He was again involved in a 4 Corners Elimination Match. This match also involved Jerry Lynn, Low Ki, Elix Skipper, Kid Romeo, and Tony Mamaluke and was won by Low Ki. Because of this great match and awesome skills, Daniels would become a temporary fixture for NWA: TNA.
Daniels became involved in another upstart promotion: Ring of Honor. He competed in the first shows, and main evented "Crowning A Champion" which saw him lose to Low Ki in a 4 Corners Iron Man Match to crown the first RoH champion. Other participants in the classic match were Spanky and British wrestler Doug Williams. Daniels remained a fixture in RoH, even forming a group called "The Prophecy" and having such wrestlers as Xavier and Simply Luscious as stable mates.
On January 8, 2003, Daniels had another chance to win a heavyweight title: the NWA World Title. In a Gauntlet Match, which also involved Daniels XXX partners Low Ki and Elix Skipper and lost to NWA champion Jeff Jarrett. That wouldn't be Daniels last shot in a high profile match in NWA: TNA. A week later, Daniels was involved in a match featuring legends as he teamed with Low Ki, Elix Skipper and former WCW champion Vince Russo (lol) as they defeated NWA champion Jeff Jarrett, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes and former AWA, NWA, and WWE Tag Team champions The Road Warriors.
On March 12, 2003, Daniels won his first major World title when he and Low Ki teamed to defeat America's Most Wanted to win the NWA Tag Team titles. It was truly an exclamation mark in a long journey to gain recognition as one of the world's elite.
Christopher Daniels is one of the best and nobody can argue that. His accomplishments and achievements are recognized the world over. Daniels is gaining more and more exposure and experience wherever he goes. Whether it's New Japan or NWA: TNA, Daniels is going to remain an impact player.
Finshers:
* The Last Rites
* The Angel Wings
Title History:
* WCPW Lightweight Champion
* WCPW Tag-Team Champion w/ Kevin Quinn
* WWC Tag-Team Champion w/ Kevin Quinn
* WCPW Tag-Team Champion w/ Mike Anthony
* WCPW Middleweight Champion
* WPW Heavyweight Champion
* EWF Heavyweight Champion
* British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Champion
* APW Worldwide Internet Champion
* WCPW League Champion
* MCW Tag-Team Champion w/ Jayson Reign
* ECWA Heavyweight Champion
* UPW Heavyweight Champion(Twice)
* NWA Florida Heavyweight Champion
* RoH Tag-Team Champion w/ Donovan Morgan
* NWA World Tag-Team Champion(Twice)
John Gjoni
johnftw7533@aol.com