Daniel Christopher Covell
[ (born March 24, 1970),] better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE.
AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, ...
(AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling (TNA) and Ring of Honor (ROH), as well as extensive time on the independent circuit.
He has won 20 total championships between Impact, ROH, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...
(NJPW), with three official reigns as Impact X Division Champion
The Impact X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of then-TNA's second weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The current champion is Trey M ...
, six reigns as NWA World Tag Team Champion
The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed member promotions to create their own territorial version of the "NWA Worl ...
, and two reigns as Impact World Tag Team Champion during his time with Impact Wrestling, one reign as ROH World Television Champion
The ROH World Television Championship is a professional wrestling world television championship in the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion. With the introduction of the ROH World Television Championship, the television type championship returned to na ...
, four reigns as ROH World Tag Team Champion
The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, i ...
, one reign as ROH World Champion
The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The current champion is Claudio Castagnoli, who is in his second ...
, and one reign as Six-Man Tag Team Champion while wrestling for ROH, and one reign as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion
The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on August 8, 1998, at an NJPW live event. The IWGP Junior ...
in NJPW. With his ROH Six-Man title win, he became the first ever Grand Slam winner in company history.
He is known as "The King of Indies" for his work with independent promotions across the world, including Frontier Wrestling Alliance
Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) was a professional wrestling promotion in Britain. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted ...
(FWA), International Wrestling Cartel
International Wrestling Cartel is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is currently owned and operated by Justin Plummer.
Norm Connors ran the promotion for 19 years until he handed the reigns to t ...
(IWC), and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG).
Early life
Daniel Christopher Covell was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on March 24, 1970.[ When Covell was three, his family relocated to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he became an avid fan of ]Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett. Founded in 1931, the promoti ...
. After he graduated from Methodist College with a degree
Degree may refer to:
As a unit of measurement
* Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement
** Degree of geographical latitude
** Degree of geographical longitude
* Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics
...
in theater
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
, Covell and his wife moved to Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, where he planned to become an actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
.
Professional wrestling career
Independent circuit (1993–2002)
After being trained by Sam DeCero, Mike Anthony and Kevin Quinn, Daniels made his debut for Windy City Pro Wrestling
Windy City Pro Wrestling is an American regional professional wrestling promotion originally based in Chicago, Illinois. Established as Windy City Wrestling by retired wrestler Sam DeCero in 1988, the promotion was one of several major regiona ...
in April 1993, losing a tag match with Titan to The Manson Brothers (Ripper and Skull). The following month he defeated Trevor Blanchard for the WCPW Light Heavyweight Championship, and shortly thereafter won the WCPW Tag Team Championship with Kevin Quinn.[ Daniels subsequently traveled to Puerto Rico to wrestle for the ]World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...
, and on October 22, 1995, teamed with Kevin Quinn (as the team of Overkill) to defeat Huracán Castillo Jr. and Invader I
''InVader'' is the fourth album by Finnish glam metal band Reckless Love, released on 4 March 2016 through Spinefarm Records.
Track listing
All songs written by Olli Herman, Pepe Reckless, and Ikka Wirtanen, unless otherwise noted.
Reception
Wr ...
for the WWC World Tag Team Championship
The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council.
History Abroad (2017)
On February 11, 2017, Thunder and Lightning defended the WWC World T ...
. They lost the titles a month later to The Canadian Glamour Boys (Val Venis
Sean Allen Morley (born March 6, 1971), better known by the ring name Val Venis, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE) fro ...
and Shane Sewell
Shane Sewell (born September 5, 1972) is a Canadian professional wrestler and referee. He has worked for the World Wrestling Council, the International Wrestling Association and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as both a referee and wrestler. Sha ...
). Back in Windy City, Daniels defeated Bret Sanders for the WCPW Middleweight Championship, losing it to Brandon Bishop 17 days later. Around this time, he also wrestled for the Empire Wrestling Federation, where he won the EWF Heavyweight Championship
The EWF Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling title in the Southern California-based Empire Wrestling Federation independent promotion. It was established in 1996, with Bobby Bradley as the first champion, who defeated Zuma t ...
.
Daniels teamed with Kevin Quinn to defeat Danny Dominion and Ace Steele at the NWA's 50th Anniversary show in October 1998 to become the first NWA Midwest Tag Team Champions. He participated in the 3rd Annual ECWA Super 8 Tournament, reaching the finals where he lost to Steve Bradley. After a short stint in Extreme Championship Wrestling
HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...
he traveled to Japan, where developed his masked persona, Curry Man, and competed in the Masked Man League, finishing third.[
On December 19, 1999, he defeated ]Minoru Fujita
(born September 5, 1977) is a Japanese professional wrestler who works as a freelancer. He is known for working at Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling. He is the current Super Asia Champion in his first reign.
Career
Fujita started in Big Japan Pro Wres ...
in Michinoku Pro Wrestling
(originally known as North Eastern Wrestling) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded by The Great Sasuke on October 1, 1992. It was the first independent wrestling promotion in Japan to not base its operations in Tokyo, but rather ...
for the British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship The British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship that although being created in England, it gained its biggest notoriety in Japan. Not long after its creation the title made its way to Michinoku Pro ...
. Back in the U.S., he defeated Michael Modest
Michael K. Cariglio (born July 19, 1971) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his stage name, Michael Modest (sometimes shortened to Mike Modest). Modest ran the promotion Pro Wrestling IRON with tag partner Donovan Morgan and Fr ...
for the APW Worldwide Internet Championship
The APW Worldwide Internet Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the independent professional wrestling promotion All Pro Wrestling.
Title history
As of , , there have been 53 reigns between 39 champions ...
in All Pro Wrestling and won the 4th Annual ECWA Super 8 Tournament. He then won APW's King of the Indies tournament, the WCPW League Championship, and the UPW Heavyweight Championship.[
]
World Wrestling Federation (1998–2001)
In 1998, Daniels signed a developmental deal with the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...
and trained at Dory Funk Jr.
Dorrance Earnest Funk (born February 3, 1941), known professionally as Dory Funk Jr., is an American retired professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. The son of Dory Funk (Dorrance Wilhelm Funk) and brother of Terry Funk, he was the promoter ...
's Funkin' Dojo.[ He made his WWF debut on January 19, 1998, losing a dark match to Mick Tierney, and went on to be used as a ]jobber
Jobber may refer to:
Athletics
* Job (professional wrestling) - A professional wrestler who routinely loses a match.
* Wichita Jobbers, a minor league baseball team in the Western Association from 1905 to 1911
Commerce
* A person or corporation ...
on the WWF's B-shows, '' Sunday Night Heat'' and ''WWF Shotgun Saturday Night
''WWF Shotgun Saturday Night'' is a professional wrestling television program that was produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It aired from January 4, 1997 through August 21, 1999 as a syndicated broadcast. ''Shotgun Saturday Night'' ...
'', throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2000, he donned a mask and teamed (as Dos) with Aaron Aguilera
Aaron Aguilera (born February 28, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and actor best known as Jesús and Uno on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), MTV's Wrestling Society X, All Japan Pro Wrestling as Zodiac and Lucha Libre USA as Lujo E ...
(Uno) as Los Conquistadores
Los Conquistadores was a temporary gimmick of storyline brothers, Edge and Christian Cage of a heel jobber professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), consisting of two masked wrestlers known as ''One'' (or Spanish ' ...
, as part of The Hardy Boyz
The Hardys, also known as The Hardy Boyz, are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Shoot (professional wrestling), real-life brothers Matt Hardy, Matt and Jeff Hardy, who are currently appearing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). ...
' feud with Edge and Christian
Edge & Christian (E&C) were a Canadian professional wrestling tag team. They are best known for their time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), later renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where they won the WWF Tag Team Championship on ...
. He also appeared in WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...
as one of the Los Conquistadores
Los Conquistadores was a temporary gimmick of storyline brothers, Edge and Christian Cage of a heel jobber professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), consisting of two masked wrestlers known as ''One'' (or Spanish ' ...
alongside Aaron Aguilera where they competed in the APA's bar room brawl.
He made several appearances on ''WWF Jakked
''WWF Jakked'' and ''WWF Metal'' are professional wrestling television programs that were produced by the World Wrestling Federation (now known as WWE). Both programs aired syndicated weekly from August 28, 1999 until May 19, 2002 and replaced '' ...
'' during the spring of 2001, including a singles loss to Jerry Lynn
Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach. He has worked for promotions such as World Championship ...
and a tag team loss to Kaientai with Scoot Andrews
Andrew Warner (born June 1, 1967) is a retired American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "The Black Nature Boy" Scoot Andrews.
After debuting in 1994, Andrew competed for numerous independent promotions throughout his career ...
as his partner. Throughout 2001 and 2002, he continued wrestling on the independent circuit, winning multiple titles and tournaments and debuting in Canada and the United Kingdom.
World Championship Wrestling (2000–2001)
On January 14, 2000, Daniels received a tryout match with World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...
, defeating Mikey Henderson. The original idea was for Daniels to portray Vampiro
Ian Richard Hodgkinson (born May 31, 1967), better known by his ring name Vampiro, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler who most recently served as director of talent for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He also worked for Lucha Und ...
's dark master, Syndrome, but his WCW debut was continually postponed, and he eventually returned to the independent scene.[
On the June 17, 2000 episode of '']WCW WorldWide
''WCW WorldWide'' was an American syndicated television show that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) that aired from October 8, 1975, to March 31, 2001. At the time of its cancellation, ''WorldWide'' was the longest-running, uni ...
'', Daniels lost to Chris Candido
Christopher Barrett Candito (March 21, 1972 – April 28, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. Candito is best remembered for his tenures with promotions such as World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, New Japan Pro-W ...
and on the October 21 episode of ''WorldWide'', Daniels lost to Kwee Wee. On the January 22, 2001 episode of ''WCW Monday Nitro
''WCW Monday Nitro'', also known as ''WCW Nitro'' or simply ''Nitro'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and broadcast weekly every Monday night on TNT in the Unite ...
'', Daniels wrestled Michael Modest
Michael K. Cariglio (born July 19, 1971) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his stage name, Michael Modest (sometimes shortened to Mike Modest). Modest ran the promotion Pro Wrestling IRON with tag partner Donovan Morgan and Fr ...
. During the match, he attempted a springboard moonsault
A moonsault, moonsault press, or back flip splash is a Professional wrestling aerial techniques, professional wrestling aerial technique. It was innovated by Mando Guerrero. Much of its popularity in both Puroresu, Japanese and professional wrestl ...
, but his left foot missed the ring rope. Unable to sufficiently push off to complete the rotation, he botched the move and landed on his head, damaging his neck.[ Though he was able to finish the match, his left arm was impaired throughout it.][ Afterwards, Daniels and Modest signed 90-day contracts, but Daniels was released before he had another match.][
]
Ring of Honor
The Prophecy (2002–2004)
On February 23, 2002, Daniels wrestled in the triple threat main event of Ring of Honor's first show, ''The Era of Honor Begins'', against Low Ki
Brandon Silvestry (born September 6, 1979) is an American professional wrestler of Italian and Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring name Low Ki. He is known for his time with Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Major League Wrestli ...
and Bryan Danielson
Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he worked fro ...
. He lost the match, then refused to shake hands with his opponents, breaking ROH's "Code of Honor", which mandated that all wrestlers shake hands before and after a match. He then took the mic and challenged Low Ki and Danielson to a round robin tournament at ROH's second show, ''Round Robin Challenge''. Daniels defeated Danielson in the first match, then forced him to shake his hand. He next submitted to Low Ki's Dragon Clutch, but again refused to shake hands and said he would have won if he had not already wrestled that night, vowing to not wrestle Low Ki again unless the ROH World Championship was on the line.
At Ring of Honor's third show, ''A Night of Appreciation'', Daniels lost to Donovan Morgan
Andrew Vassos (born January 10, 1976) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Donovan Morgan. Best known for his near five-year run as a Pro Wrestling NOAH mainstay in Japan and Ring of Honor in the United States, M ...
, with both men showing mutual respect. The two men formed a partnership, eventually adding other members and growing into the stable known as The Prophecy
''The Prophecy'' is a 1995 American fantasy thriller film starring Christopher Walken, Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Eric Stoltz, and Viggo Mortensen. It was written and directed by Gregory Widen in his feature directorial debut, and is the f ...
. Daniels defeated AJ Styles
Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
on June 22, to qualify for the first ROH World Championship match, a one-hour Iron Man match against Spanky, Doug Williams, and Low Ki. In this title match, Daniels scored a pin on the eventual winner, Low Ki, and was the only wrestler not to lose a fall by pin or submission.
Two months later, Low Ki defended the title against Xavier. During the match, Daniels came to the ring to distract Low Ki, allowing Xavier to attack the champion with a chair and pin him for the title. Xavier was subsequently announced as the newest member of The Prophecy. Later that night, Daniels and Morgan defeated Danielson and Michael Modest
Michael K. Cariglio (born July 19, 1971) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his stage name, Michael Modest (sometimes shortened to Mike Modest). Modest ran the promotion Pro Wrestling IRON with tag partner Donovan Morgan and Fr ...
to become the inaugural ROH Tag Team Champions
The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion; it is contested for in their tag team division. The championship was created and debuted on September 21, 200 ...
, giving The Prophecy possession of all championships in Ring of Honor.
At Glory By Honor, Daniels defeated Doug Williams, who was consequently banned from shaking hands in ROH. The Prophecy recruited the debuting Samoa Joe
Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as AE ...
to take out Low Ki in the first ever Fight Without Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
, a match that does not follow ROH's Code of Honor rules. Low Ki won the match and shook Joe's hand.
On March 13, 2003, A.J. Styles and Amazing Red
Jonathan Figueroa (born April 26, 1982), better known by his ring name Amazing Red, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler and promoter. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former three-time ...
defeated Daniels and Xavier (substituting for Morgan) for the ROH Tag Team Championship. At the next show, The Prophecy also lost the ROH Championship, when former member Samoa Joe defeated Xavier. On April 26, Daniels won the second Round Robin Challenge by defeating Amazing Red and Paul London
Paul Michael London (born April 16, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his time with WWE.
After being trained at the Texas Wrestling Academy, London began competing for Ring of Hon ...
in singles matches. On June 14, The Prophecy put their existence in ROH on the line in a six-man tag team match against The Group (Samoa Joe, C. W. Anderson, and Michael Shane
Michael Shane (May 4, 1927 — February 22, 1994)) was an American lawyer and actor. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he attended Glenville High School. While earning his undergraduate and law degrees at Ohio State University, he performed as a stan ...
). The Prophecy won, and The Group was forced to disband.
Daniels defeated the returning Xavier on August 16 to become number one contender for the ROH World Championship, only to be defeated by champion Samoa Joe on September 20.
After CM Punk declined an offer to join The Prophecy, someone assaulted his girlfriend Lucy
Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Lu ...
backstage, forcing her out of ROH. On December 23, 2003, Daniels revealed that B. J. Whitmer
Benjamin Whitmer (born January 25, 1978), better known by the ring name B. J. Whitmer, is an American professional wrestler, producer, trainer, and color commentator. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer. He is bes ...
, the newest member of The Prophecy, had attacked Lucy, starting a rivalry between The Prophecy and Punk's stable, The Second City Saints
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
. On January 10, 2004, at ''Battle Lines are Drawn'', The Prophecy (Daniels, Whitmer, and Dan Maff
Daniel Lopez (born October 28, 1973), better known by his ring name Dan Maff, is an American professional wrestler, known for his time with Ring of Honor (ROH).
Professional wrestling career Da Hit Squad
Lopez attended Jersey All Pro Wrestling ...
) faced The Second City Saints (Punk, Colt Cabana, and Ace Steel
Christopher Guy (born January 25, 1973) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ace Steel. He is perhaps best known for his time with Ring of Honor and occasional appearances for World Wrestling Entertainment, as w ...
) in a six-man tag team main event. The Prophecy was disqualified when Whitmer accidentally hit the referee with a chair. After the match, Punk dropped Daniels from the ropes through a table with the Pepsi Plunge, putting him out of ROH.
In reality, Daniels' exit was a result of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promo ...
(TNA) not allowing their contracted wrestlers to work ROH shows, in light of a scandal surrounding ROH promoter Rob Feinstein.
Return to ROH (2005–2007)
In the summer of 2005, Ring of Honor announced that, after a sixteen-month absence, Daniels would return on July 8. However, on June 18, at Death Before Dishonor III, he made a surprise early return, confronting and challenging the new ROH World Champion, CM Punk, who had threatened to leave for World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and va ...
with the title. Punk refused the challenge and fled the arena.[ At the next show, ''Sign of Dishonor'', Daniels defeated Punk's stablemate, Colt Cabana, when Punk attempted to hit Daniels with a steel chain, but instead hit Cabana.] At ''Fate of an Angel'', Daniels lost to the debuting Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE.
With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team ...
after Punk interfered. Later that night, after Punk's successful defense against James Gibson, Daniels stole the belt and was granted a title shot.
On July 23, at ''The Homecoming'', Daniels wrestled Punk to a one-hour time limit draw; the time expired just as Daniels hit his Angel's Wings finisher. At the next show on August 12, ''Redemption'', Daniels, Gibson and Samoa Joe challenged CM Punk for the title in a Four-Way Elimination match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
. While Joe had Daniels in a submission move, Daniels put his foot on the rope to force a break. Punk knocked it off before the referee noticed, and Daniels submitted. Daniels tried to get revenge, but inadvertently helped Punk eliminate Joe.[
Daniels remained a regular member of the ROH roster, while also working other promotions. He made his U.S. debut as Curry Man on August 27, against ]Shingo Takagi
, known by his ring name Shingo Takagi (鷹木信悟, ''Takagi Shingo''), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former bodybuilder, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the provisional KOPW 2022 champion in his first ...
at '' Dragon Gate Invasion''
After defeating Matt Sydal
Matthew Joseph Korklan (born March 19, 1983), better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Prior to signing with AEW, Sydal wrestled in WWE as Evan Bourne, and was ...
in two singles matches and losing to him in a third, they became tag team partners in the summer of 2006. On August 26, they failed in their first shot at the ROH World Tag Team Championship, against Austin Aries
Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion. He is best known for his ...
and Roderick Strong
Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due t ...
. On November 25, they defeated Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club stable. Castagnoli also performs for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Ho ...
for the title, making Daniels a two-time champion. After defending against CIMA and Shingo, Austin Aries and Roderick Strong and Jack Evans and Shingo, Daniels and Sydal lost the title to The Briscoe Brothers
The Briscoe Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Jay Briscoe (Jamin "Jay" Pugh) and Mark Briscoe (Mark Pugh). They are known for their 19-year tenure with the American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). an ...
on February 24, 2007.
At ''Good Times, Great Memories'' on April 28, Daniels wrestled a fifteen-minute time-limit draw with Erick Stevens. Following the match, Daniels turned heel and quit ROH.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Triple X (2002–2004)
Daniels joined the newly founded Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promo ...
(TNA) in 2002. He debuted for TNA at a weekly pay-per-view event on July 10, where he participated in a six-way elimination match to determine the #1 contender for the X Division Championship
The Impact X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of then-TNA's second weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The current champion is Trey ...
, where he was the runner-up, being eliminated by Low Ki
Brandon Silvestry (born September 6, 1979) is an American professional wrestler of Italian and Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring name Low Ki. He is known for his time with Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Major League Wrestli ...
. The following week, on July 17, Daniels teamed with Elix Skipper
Elix Skipper (born December 15, 1967) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, where he was a one-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time WCW Cruiserweight Tag ...
for the first time in a losing effort against The Flying Elvises (Jorge Estrada
Jorge Moraza is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Jorge Estrada. He is a former National Wrestling Alliance North American Heavyweight champion and participated in the first televised match of NWA Total Nonstop A ...
and Sonny Siaki
Sonny Siaki (born July 23, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler of American Samoan descent. He is best known for his time in NWA Total Nonstop Action, where he was a one-time TNA X Division Champion.
Early life
When Siaki was t ...
). After a long hiatus, Daniels returned to TNA on December 18 and joined Vince Russo
Vincent James Russo (born January 24, 1961) is an American professional wrestling booker, writer, and pundit.
He is notable for his tenures with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonsto ...
's Sports Entertainment Xtreme
Vincent James Russo (born January 24, 1961) is an American professional wrestling booker, writer, and pundit.
He is notable for his tenures with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop ...
stable, along with Low Ki and Elix Skipper by attacking Curt Hennig
Curtis Michael Hennig (March 28, 1958 – February 10, 2003) was an American professional wrestler. He performed under his real name for promotions including the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF; now WWE) ...
. Later in the night, the trio defeated Amazing Red
Jonathan Figueroa (born April 26, 1982), better known by his ring name Amazing Red, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler and promoter. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former three-time ...
and The S.A.T. in a six-man tag team match. On January 8, the trio of Daniels, Ki and Skipper was named Triple X as all three members competed against Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he also serves as Director of Business Development.
Beginning his career in his father ...
for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is i ...
in a gauntlet match but failed to win. On January 22, Ki and Skipper defeated America's Most Wanted ( Chris Harris and James Storm) to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship
The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed member promotions to create their own territorial version of the "NWA World ...
. Daniels was recognized as the champion as well with any two of the three members defending the tag team titles via the Triple X Rule. The titles were vacated via a double pin against The Harris Brothers
Donald Harris and Ronald Harris (born October 23, 1960) are American twin brothers best known for their professional wrestling careers with promotions including Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestli ...
on February 5. On March 12, Daniels and Low Ki defeated America's Most Wanted to win the vacant NWA World Tag Team Championship, beginning the trio's second reign with the tag team titles.
On April 16, Daniels and Skipper lost the titles to Jerry Lynn
Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach. He has worked for promotions such as World Championship ...
and Amazing Red. On April 23, Triple X defeated America's Most Wanted to earn a rematch for the tag team titles. However, Daniels lost a match to Lynn on April 30 and as per pre-match stipulation, Lynn and Red would have to defend the titles against one member of Triple X of their choosing and Daniels was chosen. The subsequent handicap match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
took place on May 7, where Daniels defeated Lynn and Red via disqualification to win Triple X's third NWA World Tag Team Championship and becoming the first person to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship individually. Shortly after, Low Ki left TNA while Daniels and Skipper continued to team as Triple X and defend the tag team titles until losing them to America's Most Wanted in a steel cage match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
on June 25. Following the title loss, Triple X disbanded as both men went their separate ways.
Daniels briefly feuded with Jeff Jarrett in the summer of 2003. He then regularly wrestled in the X Division
The X Division is a high-flying, high-risk, fast-paced style of professional wrestling seen in Impact Wrestling (formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) and since then in various NWA member promotions. Its tagline is that "It's not about weight ...
and pursued the X Division Championship before briefly reuniting Triple X with the returning Low Ki in March 2004 as they participated in a tournament for the vacant NWA World Tag Team Championship by defeating The New Franchise (Michael Shane
Michael Shane (May 4, 1927 — February 22, 1994)) was an American lawyer and actor. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he attended Glenville High School. While earning his undergraduate and law degrees at Ohio State University, he performed as a stan ...
and Shane Douglas
Troy Allan Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (W ...
) and The Naturals
The Naturals were a professional wrestling tag team made up of Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens. They are best known for their work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where they are former three-time NWA World Tag Team Champions.
History ...
( Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens
Chase Bradley Stevens (born January 17, 1979) is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name of "The Natural" Chase Stevens. He is known primarily for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he was a member ...
) before losing to Kid Kash
David Tyler Cash (born July 31, 1969) better known by his ring name Kid Kash, is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, best known for his tenures with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Impact Wrestling, Total Nonstop A ...
and Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
in the tournament final. Ki left TNA shortly after. On April 21, Daniels defeated Michael Shane to qualify for Team USA
The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions.
Olympic teams
Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...
for the 2004 World X Cup, where Daniels was reunited with his Triple X teammate Elix Skipper as they defeated Team Canada members Bobby Roode and Johnny Devine
John Parsonage (born April 27, 1974) is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Hot Shot" Johnny Devine. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Professional wrestling career Early ye ...
. After the World X Cup, Daniels reunited Triple X with Skipper and they participated in a Best of Three Series against America's Most Wanted with the winning team earning the #1 contendership for the NWA World Tag Team Championship. After both teams won the first and second matches respectively, the third match ended in a no contest after interference by The Naturals. A rematch between both teams on the August 27 episode of '' Impact!'' would turn into a singles match between Daniels and Harris after Storm suffered an injury. The match ended in a ten-minute time limit draw, resulting in AMW and Triple X both unsuccessfully challenging Naturals for the tag team titles in a three-way on September 1.
On September 8, Harris and Skipper won the tag team titles after both Daniels and Storm were injured by The Naturals. On the September 24 episode of ''Impact!'', Daniels and Storm defeated Harris and Skipper to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship, marking Daniels' fourth reign. They lost the titles to Team Canada's Bobby Roode and Eric Young on the October 15 episode of ''Impact!''. Triple X would resume their feud with America's Most Wanted after the title loss, which led to a last man standing match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
between the two teams at TNA's first-ever monthly pay-per-view Victory Road on November 7, which Triple X lost. The following month, at Turning Point
A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work.
Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to:
Film
* ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke
* ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
, Triple X lost to AMW in a Six Sides of Steel match, which forced Triple X to disband.
X Division Champion (2005–2007)
On the January 14, 2005 episode of ''Impact!'', Daniels lost to Chris Sabin in a qualifier for the Ultimate X match
The Ultimate X match is a type of professional wrestling match created by Impact Wrestling (formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling aka TNA), mainly used in their X Division. It is considered the signature match of the X Division.
Match format ...
at Final Resolution. However, Daniels competed at the event as he teamed with Michael Shane and Kazarian against 3Live Kru in a losing effort. On the January 21 episode of ''Impact!'', Daniels lasted ten minutes with A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
, thus earning a title shot against Styles for the TNA X Division Championship at Against All Odds, where Daniels failed to win the title. This marked the beginning of a lengthy feud between Daniels and Styles over the X Division Championship. On the March 11 episode of ''Impact!'', Daniels defeated Chris Sabin to qualify for the Ultimate X Challenge at Destination X
Destination X is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Impact Wrestling currently in the month of August. The event primarily revolves around the X-Division, the 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010 events had Ultimate X matches.
It w ...
against Styles, Ron Killings
Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand under the ring name R-Truth.
Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now ...
and Elix Skipper. The match ended in a screwjob
Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence ...
. Styles had retrieved the belt, but the referee was unconscious. Daniels hit Styles with an ''Angel's Wings'' and took the belt when the ref woke, thus winning his first X Division Championship. Daniels successfully defended the title against Skipper in a Six Sides of Steel match at Lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
. Daniels successfully defended the title against Shocker at Hard Justice
Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, is an annual professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind use ...
, Chris Sabin and Michael Shane in a three-way match at Slammiversary
Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling. It is one of Impact's “Big Four” PPV events (along with Hard to Kill, Rebellion, and Bound for Glory), and celebrates ...
and Petey Williams
Peter Williams III (born August 26, 1981) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE as a backstage producer. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling, where he is a two-time X Division Champion. He is also ...
at No Surrender No Surrender may refer to:
Politics
* "No Surrender!", a British Unionist slogan originating from Siege of Derry now used in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England
*No Surrender (to the IRA), a political chant since used by England football fans
...
. After defeating Austin Aries
Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion. He is best known for his ...
in a non-title match at Sacrifice, Daniels lost the title to Styles in a three-way dance also involving Samoa Joe
Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as AE ...
at Unbreakable
Unbreakable may refer to:
* '' Unbreakable: My Story, My Way'', a book written by Jenni Rivera
* Unbreakable (horse) (1935–1962), a Thoroughbred racehorse and sire
Film and television
* ''Unbreakable'' (film series), a trilogy directed by M ...
on September 11 when Styles reversed an ''Angel's Wings'' attempt into a pin. This match received a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer
David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.
Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON''). He has als ...
. Daniels set the record for the longest reign at the time, ending at 150 days. Daniels unsuccessfully challenged Styles for the title in an Iron Man match at Bound for Glory.
On November 13 at Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
, Daniels teamed with Alex Shelley, Roderick Strong
Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due t ...
and Samoa Joe to defeat Austin Aries, Chris Sabin, Matt Bentley and Sonjay Dutt
Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer and manager. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop ActionImpact Wrestling under the ring name Sonjay ...
in an Elimination X match. After the match, Joe attacked Daniels and hit him with a Muscle Buster
Professional wrestling throws are the application of professional wrestling techniques that involve lifting the opponent up and throwing or slamming them down. They are sometimes also called "power" maneuvers, as they are meant to emphasize a wrest ...
onto a chair, leading to Daniels sustaining a (storyline) concussion. At Turning Point
A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work.
Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to:
Film
* ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke
* ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
, when Joe tried to similarly injure A.J. Styles after winning the X Division Championship from him, Daniels returned and attacked Joe, enabling security guards to protect Styles and restrain Joe. At Final Resolution, Daniels challenged Joe for the title but lost when Styles threw in the towel to protect Daniels, badly beaten and defenseless, from further damage. The next week, Daniels accused Styles of doing this to get the number one contendership for the X Division Championship. That night, he cost Styles a match against Shannon Moore
Shannon Moore (born July 27, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1999 and 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for several years in the 2000s. H ...
by throwing in the towel. At Against All Odds, Joe retained the title in a three-way match against Daniels and Styles. The following month, at Destination X
Destination X is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Impact Wrestling currently in the month of August. The event primarily revolves around the X-Division, the 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010 events had Ultimate X matches.
It w ...
, Daniels defeated Joe and Styles in an Ultimate X match
The Ultimate X match is a type of professional wrestling match created by Impact Wrestling (formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling aka TNA), mainly used in their X Division. It is considered the signature match of the X Division.
Match format ...
to win his second X Division Championship, before losing the title to Joe on the April 13 episode of ''Impact!'' after taking a second rope '' Island Driver''.
Daniels was then scheduled to face Jushin Thunder Liger
, better known as and later , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having wrestled for the company since h ...
in a cage match at Lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
, but Liger pulled out of the match. Instead, he faced a mystery opponent, who turned out to be the returning Low Ki (now named Senshi), who defeated him. Daniels turned face
The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
by teaming with A.J. Styles and becoming the number one contender for the NWA World Tag Team Championship, held by America's Most Wanted. Daniels and Styles unsuccessfully challenged AMW for the titles at Sacrifice, before beating them in a rematch at Slammiversary
Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling. It is one of Impact's “Big Four” PPV events (along with Hard to Kill, Rebellion, and Bound for Glory), and celebrates ...
, marking Daniels' fifth reign with the title.[ At Victory Road, Daniels and Styles teamed with ]Sirelda
Jaime Dauncey is a Canadian retired professional wrestler, best known for her appearances with NWA Total Nonstop Action in 2006 under the ring name Sirelda and on the independent circuit as Jaime D.
Professional wrestling career
Early caree ...
to defeat Gail Kim
Gail Kim-Irvine (born February 20, 1977) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where she serves as a producer. In Impact Wrestling she was the inaugural and record setting seven-time Knockou ...
and AMW in a six-person mixed tag team match to retain the titles. They then feuded with The Latin American Xchange
The Latin American Xchange (LAX) is a professional wrestling stable that has wrestled in various incarnations primarily for Total Nonstop Action / Impact Wrestling and currently in Major League Wrestling (MLW).
The group achieved initial succe ...
( Homicide and Hernandez). At Hard Justice
Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, is an annual professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind use ...
, Styles and Daniels successfully defended the titles against LAX. However, on the August 24 episode of ''Impact!'', Styles and Daniels lost the titles to LAX in a Border Brawl. At No Surrender No Surrender may refer to:
Politics
* "No Surrender!", a British Unionist slogan originating from Siege of Derry now used in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England
*No Surrender (to the IRA), a political chant since used by England football fans
...
, Styles and Daniels defeated LAX in an Ultimate X match to win their second NWA World Tag Team Championship as a team and marked Daniels' sixth individual reign. At Bound for Glory, Styles and Daniels lost the titles to LAX in a Six Sides of Steel match to end the rivalry.
On November 16, Daniels defeated Styles and Chris Sabin in a three-way match on the primetime debut of ''Impact!'' on Spike TV, by pinning Sabin, to win his third TNA X Division Championship. Daniels successfully defended the title against Sabin at Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
and Turning Point
A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work.
Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to:
Film
* ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke
* ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
before losing the title to Sabin in a three-way match at Final Resolution on January 14, 2007, also involving Jerry Lynn
Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach. He has worked for promotions such as World Championship ...
. Daniels then took time off from TNA. He made his return, as a heel, at Destination X
Destination X is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Impact Wrestling currently in the month of August. The event primarily revolves around the X-Division, the 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010 events had Ultimate X matches.
It w ...
, distracting Lynn during his match with Sabin. After the match, the newly bearded Daniels, sporting tribal-styled paint on one side of his face, hit Sabin with the Angel's Wings and Lynn with the X Division title belt. At Lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
, Daniels pinned Jerry Lynn in a cage match. At Sacrifice, Daniels pinned Rhino
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
after hitting him with a baseball bat.
Triple X reunion (2007)
Daniels began feuded with Sting, costing him a King of the Mountain match
The King of the Mountain match (Queen of the Mountain when female wrestlers are involved) is a professional wrestling match exclusive to Impact Wrestling (formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling).
Match format
The five competitors in the match st ...
qualifier by hitting him with a baseball bat. Sting attacked him the next week on ''Impact!''. On June 17 at Slammiversary
Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling. It is one of Impact's “Big Four” PPV events (along with Hard to Kill, Rebellion, and Bound for Glory), and celebrates ...
, Sting pinned him after the Scorpion Death Drop. According to Daniels, the feud ended before start because Vince Russo did not know what to do with his Fallen Angel gimmick.
At Victory Road, Daniels won a ten-man Ultimate X Gauntlet match with the assistance of Senshi and Elix Skipper, thus reuniting Triple X in the process. At Hard Justice
Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, is an annual professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind use ...
, Daniels and Senshi competed against Jay Lethal
Jamar Shipman (born April 29, 1985), better known by the ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Dubbed "The Franchise" of Ring of Honor, Lethal is a two-time ROH World Champio ...
and Sonjay Dutt and Motor City Machine Guns
The Motor City Machine Guns is an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. They are currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where they are three-time and current Impact World Tag Team Champions. The team ...
(Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) in a three-way dance which Lethal and Dutt won. At No Surrender No Surrender may refer to:
Politics
* "No Surrender!", a British Unionist slogan originating from Siege of Derry now used in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England
*No Surrender (to the IRA), a political chant since used by England football fans
...
, Daniels and Senshi participated in a gauntlet match for a future TNA World Tag Team Championship TNA may refer to:
Organisations
* Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka
* The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya
* The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body
* Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...
opportunity but failed to win. At Bound for Glory on October 14, Daniels unsuccessfully challenged for Jay Lethal for the X Division Championship. At Turning Point
A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work.
Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to:
Film
* ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke
* ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
, Daniels participated in the inaugural Feast or Fired
Feast or Fired is a professional wrestling match concept featured in Impact Wrestling. The idea is based on the object on a pole match, which sees wrestlers trying to gain possession of items hanging from poles attached to the ring posts. In this ...
but failed to win any briefcase. On the December 6 episode of ''Impact!'', Daniels beat Senshi in a match for his "Feast or Fired" briefcase, refereed by Elix Skipper.[ The next week, the briefcase was revealed to contain a pink slip, meaning Daniels was fired from TNA.][
]
Curry Man and Suicide (2008–2009)
One month after Daniels was fired, Covell returned to TNA as the colourful, masked Curry Man, who soon became allied with Shark Boy
Dean Matthew Roll (born January 28, 1975) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Shark Boy. Prior to his appearances in TNA, Roll competed on the independen ...
.[ Unlike the brooding serious nature of his "Fallen Angel" persona, Curry Man was a dancing, cartoonish comedy act. He and Shark Boy feuded with ]Team 3D
The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley family me ...
, and won a "Fish Market Street Fight" against them at Destination X
Destination X is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Impact Wrestling currently in the month of August. The event primarily revolves around the X-Division, the 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010 events had Ultimate X matches.
It w ...
.[ On the March 13, 2008 ''Impact!'', Curry Man beat ]Petey Williams
Peter Williams III (born August 26, 1981) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE as a backstage producer. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling, where he is a two-time X Division Champion. He is also ...
to qualify for the Xscape match for the X Division Title at Lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
,[ along with Jay Lethal, ]Sonjay Dutt
Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer and manager. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop ActionImpact Wrestling under the ring name Sonjay ...
, Shark Boy, Consequences Creed
Austin Watson (born September 4, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Xavier Woods. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-half of the current NXT Tag ...
, and Johnny Devine
John Parsonage (born April 27, 1974) is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Hot Shot" Johnny Devine. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Professional wrestling career Early ye ...
. He eliminated Creed from the match after hitting his Spice Rack finisher, and was eliminated by Devine after the Devine Intervention.
In June, Curry Man represented Team TNA
A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal.
As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson (academic), Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interde ...
in the 2008 World X Cup. After losing to Team International's Alex Koslov
Alex Sherman (born January 21, 1984) is a Moldovan-born retired professional wrestler and color commentator, currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling under the ring name Alex Koslov.
Koslov has mainly worked in Mexico from 2005 until 2008 ...
in a preview match, he lost to Team Japan
Team Japan is a professional wrestling group that was brought together as a part of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's World X Cup Tournament.
History 2004
Team Japan started as six-man team as team captain Nosawa from All Japan Pro Wrestling tea ...
's Milano Collection A.T. in the tournament.[ At Victory Road, Curry Man wrestled in a four-team, twelve-man elimination tag match; he was eliminated by ]Team Mexico
Team Mexico is a professional wrestling stable that was first formed in 2004 to compete in TNA Wrestling's America's X-Cup Tournament and has since returned to compete in other TNA X Cup Tournaments.
History 2004
The original team consisted of ...
's Último Guerrero
José Gutiérrez Hernández (born March 1, 1972), better known by his ring name Último Guerrero (Spanish for ''Last Warrior''), is a Mexican (or professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He is not related to ...
.
Curry Man and Shark Boy then allied with Super Eric to form a comedic superhero-themed stable called The Prince Justice Brotherhood.[ At Final Resolution, Curry Man was one of the four participants in the "Feast or Fired" match (along with Jay Lethal, Homicide and Hernandez) to retrieve a briefcase. His contained a pink slip, meaning he was fired.
In early 2009, Covell began playing the role of the masked Suicide, while ]Frankie Kazarian
Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. In addition, Kazarian also performs for Impact Wrest ...
(the original Suicide) recovered from injury. As Suicide, he won the X Division Championship in an Ultimate X match at Destination X
Destination X is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Impact Wrestling currently in the month of August. The event primarily revolves around the X-Division, the 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010 events had Ultimate X matches.
It w ...
.
Various feuds (2009–2010)
Christopher Daniels returned to TNA television as a face, under his "Fallen Angel" gimmick (his name shortened to just Daniels afterwards) on the April 16 ''TNA Impact!
''Impact!'' (stylized as ''IMPACT!''), also known as ''IMPACT! on AXS TV'',
is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling (formerly known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)) tha ...
''. He defeated Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...
to give Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he also serves as Director of Business Development.
Beginning his career in his father ...
's team the first-man advantage in Lethal Lockdown, at Lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
. He was then announced as a member of Team Jarrett. The win was overturned by Jeff Jarrett, after he noticed Angle's shoulder was up during the pinfall and Daniels' shoulders were down.[ At ''Lockdown'', Team Jarrett defeated Team Angle.][
Daniels then feuded with Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin (]The Motor City Machine Guns
The Motor City Machine Guns is an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. They are currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where they are three-time and current Impact World Tag Team Champions. The tea ...
), who, on the April 30 ''Impact!'', accused him of being Suicide.[ On the May 7 ''Impact!'', Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed echoed the accusations.][ On the May 14 ''Impact!'', Daniels helped Suicide clear the ring of Shelley, Sabin, Lethal, and Creed after they attempted to unmask him.][ At Sacrifice, Daniels defeated Suicide to win the TNA X Division Championship. After the match, Daniels saw a replay of the finish, involving Alex Shelley's interference. He said he didn't want to win the belt like that and asked for five extra minutes. The five minutes expired in a draw, and Suicide kept the title.
At ]Slammiversary
Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling. It is one of Impact's “Big Four” PPV events (along with Hard to Kill, Rebellion, and Bound for Glory), and celebrates ...
, Daniels pinned Shane Douglas
Troy Allan Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (W ...
in a match with Daniels' job on the line, after hitting the Best Moonsault Ever.
At Victory Road, Wrestling Observer's Worst Show of the Year, Daniels lost to Matt Morgan
Matthew Thomas Morgan (born September 10, 1976) is an American politician, actor and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is a current City Commissioner in Longwood, Florida. He is known for his time in Total Nonstop Actio ...
.
At Hard Justice
Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, is an annual professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind use ...
, Daniels won the Steel Asylum match to become the number one contender for the X Division Championship, reigniting his feud with champion Samoa Joe. Daniels lost to Joe at No Surrender No Surrender may refer to:
Politics
* "No Surrender!", a British Unionist slogan originating from Siege of Derry now used in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England
*No Surrender (to the IRA), a political chant since used by England football fans
...
, then lost a three-way match (also involving Homicide) to him on the following ''Impact''.[
At Bound for Glory, Daniels wrestled a six-man Ultimate X match for the X Division Championship, also featuring Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Suicide, Homicide and successfully defending champion, Amazing Red.
On the November 5 ''Impact!'', Daniels confronted the ]TNA World Heavyweight Champion
The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result o ...
, A.J. Styles, and claiming he was just as good a wrestler as Styles, but was not given the same breaks by TNA, which he said was pampering, coddling and spoiling Styles. At Turning Point
A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work.
Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to:
Film
* ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke
* ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
, Styles retained his title in a three-way match against Daniels and Samoa Joe by pinning Joe. On the November 19 ''Impact!'', Daniels completed his heel turn and teamed with Desmond Wolfe
Steven Haworth (born 23 January 1976), better known by his ring name Nigel McGuinness, is an English actor, professional wrestling commentator and retired professional wrestler.
He is best known for his time with WWE where he worked as a color ...
against Styles and Kurt Angle, pinning Styles. At Final Resolution, Daniels unsuccessfully challenged Styles for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
The following month at Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
, Daniels lost to Sean Morley
Sean Allen Morley (born March 6, 1971), better known by the ring name Val Venis, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE) fro ...
in Morley's TNA debut.
On the March 8 ''Impact!'', Daniels vowed to re-ignite the flame of the X Division. That night, he was pinned by X Division Champion Doug Williams in a three-way title match, also involving Kazarian.
At Destination X
Destination X is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Impact Wrestling currently in the month of August. The event primarily revolves around the X-Division, the 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010 events had Ultimate X matches.
It w ...
, Daniels competed in a four-way ladder match for the number one contendership for the X Division title, and was defeated by Kazarian. Two days later, Daniels defeated Kazuchika Okada
(born November 8, 1987) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Okada is a five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion where his fourth reign with the championship is the longest in history at 720 days. He also h ...
in a dark match
Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...
at the ''Impact!'' taping.
Covell was released from his TNA contract on March 31, 2010, after nearly eight years with the company.
Second return to ROH (2010–2011)
Daniels returned to Ring of Honor on April 3, 2010, at its second live pay-per-view, The Big Bang!, challenging Davey Richards to a match. On May 7, at ''Civil Warfare'', Daniels defeated Kevin Steen
Kevin Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Kevin Owens.
Steen began his career in 2000, at the age of 16. Prior to joining WWE in lat ...
in his return match and so took his #2 spot in the Pick 6 standings. The following day, at ''Supercard Of Honor V'', Daniels defeated ROH World Television Champion
The ROH World Television Championship is a professional wrestling world television championship in the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion. With the introduction of the ROH World Television Championship, the television type championship returned to na ...
and Richards' tag team partner, Eddie Edwards, in a non-title match. On May 21, Daniels participated in his first ''Ring of Honor Wrestling
''Ring of Honor Wrestling'', often shortened as ''ROH Wrestling TV'' or ''ROH TV'', is an American professional wrestling television series produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). The series featured professional wrestlers competing in matches and condu ...
'' taping, teaming with Roderick Strong in a losing effort against The American Wolves
The American Wolves are a professional wrestling tag team which consisted of Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards. They are seven-time world tag team champions being five-time TNA World Tag Team Champions and two-time ROH World Tag Team Champions. ...
(Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards).
On June 19, Daniels made his ROH pay-per-view wrestling debut at Death Before Dishonor VIII, successfully defending his #2 Pick 6 spot against Kenny Omega
Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name Kenny Omega, is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. Omega is an executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), in which he also performs. Omega is a former one-ti ...
and rupturing an eardrum in the process. At the next PPV, Glory By Honor IX
Glory By Honor IX was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH), which was only available online. It took place on September 11, 2010, at the Manhattan Center in New York City. This was the ninth event ent ...
, Daniels defeated Austin Aries. On October 16, Daniels finally received his match with Davey Richards, but lost via submission. Three days later Ring of Honor announced that Daniels had officially signed a contract with the promotion. On November 13, Daniels received a shot at the ROH World Championship, but lost to the champion, Roderick Strong.
At the December 10 taping of ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'' in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, Daniels beat Eddie Edwards for the ROH World Television Championship. Eight days later, at Final Battle 2010
Final Battle 2010 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on December 18, 2010, at the Manhattan Center in New York City. It was the eighth annual event in the ROH Final Battle, Final Ba ...
, Daniels lost to Homicide in a non–title number one contender's match. At the net pay-per-view, 9th Anniversary Show, on February 26, 2011, Daniels wrestled Eddie Edwards to a thirty-minute time limit draw in a Two Out of Three Falls rematch for the Television title. Afterwards, it was announced that Daniels would challenge for the ROH World Championship at the following pay-per-view on April 1. On March 18, Daniels successfully defended the Television title against Mike Bennett.
In preparation for his World Championship match against Roderick Strong, Daniels stole "The Book of Truth" from Strong's manager, Truth Martini
Martin Krcaj (born May 8, 1975) is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, and trainer better known by the ring name Truth Martini. He is perhaps best known as the manager of The House of Truth stable in Ring of Honor.
Career
Early ...
, to learn his match strategy. He was forced to shift his focus when, on March 19, Strong lost the title to Eddie Edwards. On April 1, at Honor Takes Center Stage
Honor Takes Center Stage was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place over two consecutive days, on 1 and 2 April 2011, at the Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, with the 1 April show at 8pm E ...
, Daniels unsuccessfully challenged Edwards for the World Championship, and afterwards teased a heel turn by refusing to shake his hand. The next day (the second of the Honor Takes Center Stage weekend), Daniels completed his heel turn by attacking El Generico
Rami Sebei ( ar, رامي سبعي; born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sami Zayn, and is a member of The Bloodline.
Prior to joi ...
with "The Book of Truth" and aligning himself with Truth Martini, Roderick Strong and Michael Elgin
Aaron Frobel (born December 13, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name Michael Elgin. He most recently worked for Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was a one-time GHC Tag Team Champion with Masa Kitamiya ...
, a stable called The House of Truth.
On June 26, at Best in the World 2011, Daniels lost the Television title to El Generico. This was his last appearance in ROH before rejoining TNA full-time.
Chikara (2010)
Curry Man replaced the injured Cassandro
Saúl Armendáriz (born May 20, 1970) is an American-born Mexican ''luchador'', or professional wrestler, who works as an ''exótico'' for several independent promotions all over the world under the ring name Cassandro. He is a former NWA World ...
to team with Los Ice Creams (El Hijo del Ice Cream and Ice Cream Jr.) in Chikara's 2010 King of Trios tournament, which started on April 23, 2010. The trio lost in the first round to Team Perros del Mal
Los Perros del Mal (''English: The Dogs of Evil'') was a Mexican ''Lucha libre'' wrestling group stable, originally competed in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and in Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (AAA). The name (meaning "The Dogs of Evil") is a pla ...
( El Alebrije, Cuije and El Oriental
Noé Astro Moreno León (born December 6, 1972) is a Mexican ''Luchador'' known under the ring name El Oriental, currently works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) but is mainly known for his almost 10-year-long stint in Asistencia Asesor ...
). The following day, Christopher Daniels defeated Hallowicked
Robert Goodwin (born November 1, 1981) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Hallowicked. He performs primarily in the Chikara professional wrestling promotion, where he started his career in May 2002. His accomplis ...
in a singles match. On the third night of the event, Daniels lost to Eddie Kingston
Edward Moore (born December 12, 1981), better known by his ring name Eddie Kingston, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Kingston started his wrestling career in 2002, and has wrestled for numerou ...
.
Mexican promotions (2010, 2018)
On April 30, 2010, Christopher Daniels debuted for the major Mexican promotion, AAA
AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to:
Airports
* Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA)
* Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA)
Arts, entertainment, and me ...
, as a surprise member of the rudo
Rudo ( sr-cyrl, Рудо) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 7,963 inhabitants, while the town of Rudo has a population of 1,949 inhabitants.
It is f ...
La Legión Extranjera
La Legión Extranjera (Spanish for "The Foreign Legion") was the main Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración heel group, though loosely affiliated. It was a catch all for one time and irregularly scheduled foreign heels, working as Konnan's hired ...
(Foreign Legion) stable. In a six-man tag match, he, Alex Koslov
Alex Sherman (born January 21, 1984) is a Moldovan-born retired professional wrestler and color commentator, currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling under the ring name Alex Koslov.
Koslov has mainly worked in Mexico from 2005 until 2008 ...
and Joe Líder
José de Jesús Álvarez Gutierrez (born June 2, 1978) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by his ringname Joe Líder. He currently competes in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He is known for being a former member of the tag tea ...
defeated Extreme Tiger
Tigre Uno (born April 4, 1981) is a Mexican professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a one-time X Division Champion. Outside of the United States he is best known for his work in Luch ...
, Jack Evans and Rocky Romero
John R. Rivera (born October 28, 1982) is a Puerto Rican-American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is currently signed non-exclusively to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), better known by his ring name Rocky Romero (ロッ ...
when Daniels pinned the AAA Cruiserweight Champion, Extreme Tiger.
On June 6, at Triplemanía XVIII
Triplemanía XVIII (Triplemanía 18) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the AAA promotion that took place on June 6, 2010 at the Palacio de los Deportes ("Sports Palace") in Mexico City, Mexico. The show featured ei ...
, Daniels lost to Jack Evans in a four-way elimination match for the Cruiserweight Championship, along with Extreme Tiger and Nosawa
, better known by his ring names Nosawa and , (born December 17, 1976) is a Japanese freelance professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in All Japan Pro Wrestling and various independent promotions.
Career Early career (19952004)
Nos ...
.
On August 4, 2018, in the promotion, Pura Raza Daniels unsuccessfully challenged Hechicero
Hechicero / Rey Hechicero (born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), where he a former CMLL World Heavyweight Champion. ...
of Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre for the NWA World Historic Light Heavyweight Champion.
Return to TNA
Fortune (2011–2012)
Covell returned to TNA at the January 31, 2011, taping of '' Xplosion'', as Suicide. Still contracted to Ring of Honor, he received the promotion's blessing for the return, provided he not work as Christopher Daniels until the contract expired. On February 10, Suicide returned to ''Impact!'', losing a three–way X Division number one contender's tournament match, also involving Brian Kendrick
Brian David Kendrick (born May 29, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE. Kendrick is also known for his appearances with Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), New Japan Pro-Wrest ...
, to Robbie E
Robert Strauss (born October 1, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and manager. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand as a manager under the ring name Mr. Stone. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop A ...
.
On March 16, at the tapings of the March 31 ''Impact!'', Covell made his TNA return under the Christopher Daniels character, saving Fortune members James Storm, Kazarian and Robert Roode
Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to undergoing neck surgery.
Roode is known for his 12-year tenure for Total Nonst ...
from a four–on–three beatdown inside a steel cage at the hands of Immortal
Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life.
Immortal or Immortality may also refer to:
Film
* ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film
* ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film ''The Wisdom of ...
, in the process establishing himself as a face. In his return Daniels targeted especially Bully Ray, who had sidelined Fortune leader A.J. Styles with an injury two weeks earlier. On the April 7 ''Impact!'', Daniels proclaimed his loyalty to Styles and announced that he would be taking his place alongside Kazarian, Roode and Storm in the Lethal Lockdown match at Lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
, where they will face Immortal representatives Abyss
Abyss may refer to:
* Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld
Film and television
* ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film starring Asta Nielsen
* ''The Abyss'' (1988 film) (''L'Œuvre au noir''), a French- ...
, Bully Ray, Matt Hardy and Ric Flair. Later that same evening Daniels wrestled his TNA return match, losing to Bully Ray in a Lumberjack match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, where Fortune and Immortal worked as lumberjacks, after Immortal leader Hulk Hogan interfered and hit him with a chain. Despite his return as Daniels, Covell also kept performing as Suicide and on the same April 7 ''Impact!'', teamed with Brian Kendrick and Chris Sabin in a six-man tag team match, where they defeated Generation Me and Robbie E.[ Soon after this Suicide's profile was removed from TNA's roster page. On April 17 at Lockdown, Daniels and Fortune defeated Immortal in a Lethal Lockdown match. On the next ''Impact!'', Daniels was officially named a member of Fortune. On the May 26 ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels and Styles defeated Bully Ray and his new partner, ]Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) prom ...
, in a No Disqualification Street Fight.
On July 10 at Destination X
Destination X is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Impact Wrestling currently in the month of August. The event primarily revolves around the X-Division, the 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010 events had Ultimate X matches.
It w ...
, TNA's first ever all X Division pay-per-view, Daniels faced fellow Fortune member A.J. Styles in the main event of the evening in a losing effort. During the event Daniels also made a brief appearance as Curry Man, in a segment where Eric Young was looking for a tag team partner to face Generation Me. After weeks of Daniels asking for a rematch, Styles finally granted him one on the September 1 ''Impact Wrestling'', which Daniels won. After the match, Daniels refused to shake hands with Styles. On the September 22 episode, Daniels refused to return the favor and give Styles a rematch, which led to them brawling. When they were separated by Kazarian, Daniels kicked Styles in the groin, completing his heel turn and signifying his departure from Fortune. At Daniels' request, he faced Styles at Bound for Glory on October 16 in an "I Quit" match; Daniels lost the match after being threatened with a screwdriver, but continued the feud by attacking Styles after the match.
On the October 27 ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels lost to Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
by disqualification after hitting him with a toolbox. On the November 10 ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels was defeated by A.J. Styles, after Van Dam prevented Daniels from using a screwdriver. On November 13 at Turning Point
A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work.
Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to:
Film
* ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke
* ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
, Daniels lost to Van Dam in a No Disqualification match. In retaliation, Daniels interfered and cost Van Dam his match for the TNA Television Championship
The TNA Television Championship was a professional wrestling championship owned by the promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, now Impact Wrestling). It was introduced on the October 23, 2008 episode of TNA's television program '' TNA I ...
on the December 1 ''Impact Wrestling''. This led to a singles match on December 11 at Final Resolution on December 11, where Van Dam was victorious.
Bad Influence (2012–2014)
The credit for this picture goes to Alex Gibson from Paisley
Daniels then returned to his rivalry with A.J. Styles, managing to convince Kazarian to turn on him on the January 5, 2012 ''Impact Wrestling''. On the February 9 ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels defeated Styles in a singles match with help from Kazarian, who was now showing signs that Daniels was holding something over his head and had forced him to turn on Styles against his will. On March 18 at Victory Road, Daniels and Kazarian were defeated in a tag team match by Styles and Mr. Anderson. The rivalry continued on April 15 at Lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
, where the two duos were on opposing teams in the annual Lethal Lockdown match. Styles' and Anderson's team, led by Garett Bischoff
Garett Bischoff (born April 20, 1984) is an American professional wrestler. He is known for his time in Impact Wrestling and is the son of pro-wrestling executive and personality Eric Bischoff.
Early life
Bischoff was born in 1984 to Eric and L ...
, ended up defeating Daniels' and Kazarian's team, led by Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, professional wrestling booker, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Senior Vice President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) an ...
.
During Styles' absence from ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels and Kazarian set their sights on the TNA World Tag Team Championship TNA may refer to:
Organisations
* Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka
* The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya
* The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body
* Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...
, attacking champions Magnus
Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...
and Samoa Joe on the April 26 episode. On the May 10 ''Impact Wrestling'', Kazarian revealed that he originally aligned himself with Daniels to keep him from revealing Styles' secret, but changed his mind after learning what the secret was. Daniels then revealed the secret, a series of photographs insinuating a relationship between Styles and TNA president Dixie Carter
Dixie Virginia Carter (May 25, 1939 – April 10, 2010) was an American actress. She starred as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom ''Designing Women'' (1986–1993) and as Randi King on the drama series ''Family Law'' (1999–2002). She was nomin ...
. Three days later at Sacrifice, Daniels and Kazarian defeated Magnus and Samoa Joe to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship for the first time. Later in the event, Daniels and Kazarian cost A.J. Styles his match with Kurt Angle, who afterwards turned on the two, saving Styles from a beatdown.[ On May 31, Daniels main evented a live episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', losing to A.J. Styles in a singles grudge match. After the match, Daniels and Kazarian attacked both Styles and Angle, who attempted to make the save, before rolling an audio of a phone conversation to prove an affair between Styles and Carter. The tape was abruptly cut short by Carter ending the show. On June 10 at ]Slammiversary
Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling. It is one of Impact's “Big Four” PPV events (along with Hard to Kill, Rebellion, and Bound for Glory), and celebrates ...
, Daniels and Kazarian lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship to Styles and Angle. On the next ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels entered the 2012 Bound for Glory Series, taking part in the opening gauntlet match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, from which he eliminated both Styles and Angle, before being eliminated himself by James Storm.
On the June 21 ''Impact Wrestling'', Styles and Carter proved that Daniels and Kazarian had been lying about their relationship by producing a pregnant woman named Claire, whom they had been helping overcome her addictions. The following week, Kazarian teased dissension with Daniels, claiming that he had been lied to. However, in the main event of the evening, Kazarian revealed that he was still on Daniels' side, when the two defeated Styles and Angle, after Kazarian hit Styles with a steel chair, to regain the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Following the win, Daniels admitted that Styles and Carter had told the truth about Claire, but claimed that they had left out the part about Styles being the father of her unborn baby. On July 8 at Destination X
Destination X is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Impact Wrestling currently in the month of August. The event primarily revolves around the X-Division, the 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010 events had Ultimate X matches.
It w ...
, Daniels was defeated by Styles in a Last Man Standing match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
. On the August 8 ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels and Kazarian, billing themselves as " The World Tag Team Champions of the World", made their first televised defense of the TNA World Tag Team Championship, defeating Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
and Garett Bischoff. Daniels' participation in the 2012 Bound for Glory Series ended on the following ''Impact Wrestling'' with a loss against A.J. Styles, leaving him outside a spot in the semifinals. As a result of the win, Styles also earned a paternity test, which revealed that Claire was not pregnant at all. The storyline ended with Claire, through her attorney, revealing Daniels' and Kazarian's plot to blackmail Styles with her fake pregnancy. On September 6 as part of the first "Championship Thursday", Daniels and Kazarian successfully defended the TNA World Tag Team Championship against Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Hernandez. Three days later at No Surrender No Surrender may refer to:
Politics
* "No Surrender!", a British Unionist slogan originating from Siege of Derry now used in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England
*No Surrender (to the IRA), a political chant since used by England football fans
...
, Daniels and Kazarian made another successful title defense against previous champions, A.J. Styles and Kurt Angle. On October 14 at Bound for Glory, Daniels and Kazarian lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship to Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Hernandez in a three-way match, which also included A.J. Styles and Kurt Angle. Daniels and Kazarian received their rematch on November 11 at Turning Point
A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work.
Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to:
Film
* ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke
* ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
, but were again defeated by Guerrero and Hernandez.
On December 9 at Final Resolution, Daniels defeated A.J. Styles in what was billed as their "final match", after hitting Styles with his own Styles Clash finisher. Following this, Daniels and Kazarian dubbed their tag team Bad Influence, and Daniels tweaked his "Fallen Angel" character into that of a vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...
-ridden heel to fit his new "Ring General" nickname for the team's new name. Bad Influence then began a rivalry with James Storm after he defeated Kazarian at Final Resolution, and again on the January 3, 2013 ''Impact Wrestling''. On January 13 at Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
, Daniels defeated Storm in a number one contenders match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result o ...
. Daniels received his title shot on the January 24 ''Impact Wrestling'', but was defeated by defending champion Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...
. On March 10 at Lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
, Bad Influence unsuccessfully challenged Austin Aries and Bobby Roode for the TNA World Tag Team Championship in a three-way match, also involving Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Hernandez. In April, Daniels and Kazarian began teasing a Fortune reunion to battle the Aces & Eights
Aces & Eights are an American stable in the promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), initially consisting of a group of masked wrestlers before their identities were revealed. It had the gimmick of an outlaw motorcycle club; members of ...
stable, however, this plan was foiled by A.J. Styles and Bobby Roode both turning down offers to join them. Bad Influence faced Austin Aries and Bobby Roode in a number one contenders match on the May 9 ''Impact Wrestling'', however, the match ended in a no contest after special guest referee James Storm superkicked Daniels and Aries and walked out on the match. On June 2 at Slammiversary XI
Slammiversary XI was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion, which took place on June 2, 2013 at the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts. It was the 11th anniversary cel ...
, Bad Influence failed to capture the TNA World Tag Team Championship from Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Hernandez in a fatal four-way elimination match, which also included Austin Aries and Bobby Roode and was won by Gunner and James Storm. On the June 13 ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels and Kazarian defeated Gunner and Storm in a non-title match to qualify for the 2013 Bound for Glory Series. The following week, Daniels defeated Hernandez in his first BFG series match via pinfall to earn seven points in the tournament. On the August 8 ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels and Kazarian faced off in a BFG series match. Despite teasing tension earlier in the night, they both intentionally got counted out to gain two points each. Afterward, they allied with Bobby Roode, in hopes it would help one of them win the tournament.
At Bound for Glory, Bad Influence were defeated by Eric Young and Joseph Park in a Gauntlet match. After being eliminated, both attacked Park and made him bleed. The same night, Abyss appeared and attacked Bad Influence. On December 12, 2013, Bad Influence were defeated by Parks and Eric Young when Young made Park bleed. On December 26, 2013, Bad Influence were defeated again by Park in a Monster's Ball match. On March 2, 2014, Bad Influence were part of a group of TNA wrestlers that took part in Wrestle-1
was a Japanese ''puroresu'' or professional wrestling promotion, founded in July 2013 by Keiji Mutoh following his resignation from All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The core of the promotion's roster was formed by wrestlers loyal to Mutoh, who lef ...
's Kaisen: Outbreak event in Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, defeating Junior Stars (Koji Kanemoto
(born Kim Il-Sung (김일성); October 31, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler of Zainichi Korean descent. He has previously worked with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling. He is currently a freelancer.
Professional wres ...
and Minoru Tanaka) in a tag team match. On April 23, 2014, Daniels announced his departure from TNA.
Return to the independent circuit (2013–2019)
While Bad Influence were in TNA, they appeared in other promotions. On January 24, 2014, Bad Influences appeared at Big Time Wrestling's Battle Royal, where they defeated The Ballard Brothers (Shane & Shannon). On April 5, Bad Influences appeared in two events. First, they defeated The Bravado Brothers
The Bravado Brothers were an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of real-life brothers Harlem Bravado (born Chance Barrow on April 22, 1989) and Lancelot Bravado (born Houston Barrow on September 16, 1985). The duo have worked for ...
(Harlem Bravado & Lancelot Bravado) at Dragon Gate USA
Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2009 as an international expansion of the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate.
Gabe Sapolsky, former head booker of Ring of Honor, served as the promotion's Vice P ...
's Mercury Rising. After, they defeated The Irish Airborne
The Crist Brothers were an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers David Crist Jr. and John Crist, who are best known by their ring names Dave Crist and Jake Crist, they are best known for their time with Impact Wrestling ...
(Dave Crist & Jake Crist) at WrestleCon. On June 6, 2014, Bad Influence made their debuts in Tommy Dreamer's House of Hardcore
House of Hardcore (HOH) is an American wrestling promotion founded by professional wrestler Tommy Dreamer. Its slogan is "No Politics, No BS, Just Wrestling." In its history, HOH has run events in twelve states and three countries.
History
O ...
, defeating Outlaw Inc. (Eddie Kingston and Homicide). On June 7, 2014, Bad Influence returned to House of Hardcore at HOH 5, defeating Petey Williams
Peter Williams III (born August 26, 1981) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE as a backstage producer. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling, where he is a two-time X Division Champion. He is also ...
and Tony Nese
Anthony Nese (born August 6, 1985) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he is a former one-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion.
Professional wrestling career
Ind ...
. on July 4, 2014, at a WrestleCentre Voltage TV taping, Daniels defeated Titus to win the Vacant IFWA Heavyweight Championship. Daniels went on to hold the title for over year, defeating Lance Storm, AJ Styles, JP Simms, Riddick Stone, and Samoa Joe. He would lose the IFWA Title on July 3, 2015, to Simms, who was a replacement for an injured Julien Young. In November and December 2015, The Addiction took part in New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...
's 2015 World Tag League, where they finished with a record of three wins and three losses, failing to advance from their block.
On March 20, 2017, at WCPW Bulletproof: Championship Showdown Daniels successfully defended the ROH Championship against Adam Cole
Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Adam Cole. He is also known for his tenures with WWE and Ring of Honor (ROH).
C ...
and Zack Sabre Jr.
Lucas Eatwell (born 24 July 1987), better known by his ring name Zack Sabre Jr. (Katakana: ザック・セイバーJr, ''Zakku Seibā Jr.''), is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Outsid ...
in a triple threat match.
On March 21, 2017, at WCPW Pro Wrestling World Cup Daniels successfully defended the ROH Championship against El Ligero
Simon Musk (born 7 January 1985) is an English professional wrestler better known under his in-ring persona of masked Mexican luchador, El Ligero (or simply Ligero). He is most known for his time in WWE, on their NXT UK brand.
Professional wre ...
in a singles match.
Third return to ROH (2014–2019, 2022)
On May 17, 2014, Daniels made an appearance at War of the Worlds
''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appearance in hardcover was i ...
, announcing his return to ROH at Best in the World 2014 on June 22. Frankie Kazarian subsequently joined the company as well, with the duo continuing to team under the name of The Addiction
''The Addiction'' is a 1995 American vampire horror film directed by Abel Ferrara, starring Lili Taylor, Christopher Walken and Annabella Sciorra. Edie Falco and Kathryn Erbe appear in supporting roles. The film was written by Ferrara's frequ ...
.
At Supercard of Honor IX Daniels was defeated by Roderick Strong
Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due t ...
. On April 4, 2015, during the ''Ring of Honor Wrestling
''Ring of Honor Wrestling'', often shortened as ''ROH Wrestling TV'' or ''ROH TV'', is an American professional wrestling television series produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). The series featured professional wrestlers competing in matches and condu ...
'' tapings, Daniels and Kazarian defeated reDRagon (Kyle O'Reilly
Kyle Edward Greenwood (born March 1, 1987) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he performs under the ring name Kyle O'Reilly. He is also known for his time in Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2009 to 20 ...
and Bobby Fish
Robert Anthony Fish (born October 27, 1976) is an American professional wrestler currently appearing on the independent circuit. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand and was a member of The Undisputed E ...
) to become ROH World Tag Team Champions
The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion; it is contested for in their tag team division. The championship was created and debuted on September 21, 2002 ...
. It was also revealed that fellow TNA alum Chris Sabin had joined Daniels and Kazarian to form a new stable called KRD. Daniels and Kazarian held the ROH Tag Team Championships until All Star Extravaganza VII
All Star Extravaganza VII was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on September 18, 2015 at San Antonio Shrine Auditorium in San Antonio, Texas. It was the seventh event under the All Star Extra ...
on September 18, 2015, when they were defeated by The Kingdom in a match also involving The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team and promoters, consisting of brothers Matthew and Nicholas Massie, who are known by their ring names Matt and Nick Jackson, respectively. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
. At Field of Honor Daniels was defeated by Adam Cole
Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Adam Cole. He is also known for his tenures with WWE and Ring of Honor (ROH).
C ...
.
At Survival of the Fittest Daniels defeated Mark Briscoe
Mark Pugh (born January 18, 1985) is an American professional wrestler best known as Mark Briscoe. He is currently signed with Ring of Honor, where he is the current one-half of ROH World Tag Team Champions with Jay Briscoe in their thirtee ...
, Hanson
Hanson or Hansson may refer to:
People
* Hanson (surname)
* Hansson (surname)
* Hanson (wrestler), ringname of an American professional wrestler
Musical groups
* Hanson (band), an American pop rock band
* Hanson (UK band), an English rock ...
and Kenny King Kenneth, Ken or Kenny King may refer to: Ken King
* Ken King (born 1971), American politician and businessman
* Ken King (ice hockey) (1952–2020), Canadian sports executive
Kenneth King
* Kenneth George King or Jonathan King (born 1944), Englis ...
in a Survival of the Fittest tournament match. The next night Daniels was involved in the Survival of the Fittest tournament final where the winner faces the ROH World Championship where he eliminated A. C. H.
Albert Christian Hardie Jr. (born December 7, 1987), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, currently known by his ring name A. C. H.
He has wrestled for several American promotions, like Ring of Honor, Ring of Honor Wrestl ...
after Daniels was eliminated by Jay Briscoe
Jamin "Jay" Pugh (born January 25, 1984) is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Jay Briscoe. He is currently signed with Ring of Honor, where he is the current one-half of ROH World Tag Team Champions with Mark Briscoe ...
. At ROH 14th Anniversary Show Daniels was defeated by Alex Shelley. On May 9, 2016, at War of the Worlds
''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appearance in hardcover was i ...
, The Addiction defeated War Machine to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the second time. On September 30 at All Star Extravaganza VIII
All Star Extravaganza VIII was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on September 30, 2016 at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, Massachusetts. Wrestlers from Mexico's Consejo Mundial de L ...
, The Addiction lost the ROH World Tag Team Championship to The Young Bucks in a three-way ladder match, which also included The Motor City Machine Guns.
In early 2017, Daniels began feuding with Bullet Club
(stylised as BULLET CLUB), sometimes shortened to BC, is a professional wrestling stable primarily appearing in the Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In the United States, the group currently appears on NJPW events run by the co ...
, turning face in the process. On January 14, 2017, Daniels defeated Jay Briscoe
Jamin "Jay" Pugh (born January 25, 1984) is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Jay Briscoe. He is currently signed with Ring of Honor, where he is the current one-half of ROH World Tag Team Champions with Mark Briscoe ...
in the finals of the Decade of Excellence tournament to become the number one contender for the ROH World Championship at the 15th Anniversary Show. On February 11, Kazarian turned on Daniels, joined Bullet Club and disbanded The Addiction. On March 10 at ROH's 15th Anniversary Show, Daniels defeated Adam Cole with help from Frankie Kazarian, whose heel turn was actually a ruse to dupe Cole, to become ROH World Champion for the first time. The victory made Daniels the fourth Triple Crown Champion in ROH. On April 1, at Supercard of Honor XI
Supercard of Honor XI was the 11th Supercard of Honor professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place Saturday, April 1, 2017, at the Lakeland Center (Jenkins Arena) in Lakeland, Florida ...
Daniels defeated Dalton Castle Dalton Castle may refer to:
*Dalton Castle, Cumbria
*Dalton Castle (wrestler)
Brett Giehl (born March 4, 1986), better known by the ring name Dalton Castle, is an American professional wrestler who is best known for his tenure in Ring of Honor ...
for the ROH World Championship, after the match Daniels was attacked by Cody
Cody may refer to:
People
*Cody (given name)
*Cody (surname)
* Cody (wrestler), a ring name of Cody Runnels
Places Canada
* Cody, British Columbia
United States
* Cody, Florida
* Cody (Duluth), Minnesota
* Cody, Missouri
* Cody, Nebraska
*Cody, ...
. On May 10 at ROH/NJPW War of the Worlds Daniels retained the ROH World Championship against Jay Lethal and Cody. On June 23 at Best in the World, he lost the title to Cody.
On March 9, 2018, at the ROH 16th Anniversary Show, SoCal Uncensored defeated The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team and promoters, consisting of brothers Matthew and Nicholas Massie, who are known by their ring names Matt and Nick Jackson, respectively. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
to win the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship
The ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won as a result of a match with a predetermined outcome. ...
. As a result of the win, Daniels became the first ROH Grand Slam champion in company history. At War of the Worlds: Lowell, they lost the Six-Man Tag Team Title to The Kingdom. The day after Final Batte, SoCal Uncensored left ROH.
On the first Ring of Honor Wrestling
''Ring of Honor Wrestling'', often shortened as ''ROH Wrestling TV'' or ''ROH TV'', is an American professional wrestling television series produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). The series featured professional wrestlers competing in matches and condu ...
episode of 2019, Daniels was shown being offered a new contract with ROH before being attacked by Shane Taylor, who ultimately ripped up the contract.
In 2022 he was a judge at Supercard of Honor XV
Supercard of Honor XV was a professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on April 1, 2022, at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. It was the 14th event in the Supercard of Honor ...
for ROH Pure Championship
The ROH Pure Championship is a professional wrestling championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participant ...
.On December 10, 2022, he return as a judge during the ROH Pure Championship match at Final Battle
Final Battle is a professional wrestling event, held annually by the Ring of Honor promotion. The event was initially held in 2002, and is traditionally ROH's last show in the calendar year. The 2009 edition of the show was ROH's first internet ...
.
All Elite Wrestling (2019–present)
In January 2019 it was revealed that Daniels, alongside Sky and Kazarian, would be one of the first signees to All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE.
AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, ...
, a new wrestling promotion started by wrestlers Cody Rhodes
Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (''né'' Runnels; born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Rhodes is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AE ...
and The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team and promoters, consisting of brothers Matthew and Nicholas Massie, who are known by their ring names Matt and Nick Jackson, respectively. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
. It was later revealed on Being the Elite
The Elite is a professional wrestling stable currently appearing in U.S. based Professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). As of December 2022, the line-up has consisted of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) ...
that Daniels would also serve as head of Talent Relations for AEW. At AEW's inaugural pay-per-view event Double or Nothing
Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either the subject doubled to twice the amount as the original ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It ...
on May 25, SoCal Uncensored defeated Strong Hearts ( Cima, T-Hawk, and El Lindaman). The following month at Fyter Fest
AEW Fyter Fest is an annual professional wrestling event produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The event was established by the promotion in 2019 and is held during the summer; the first event was held in June but moved to July in 2020. The name, ...
, Daniels faced Cima in a losing effort. SoCal Uncensored then went onto defeat the Jurassic Express
Jurassic Express was a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus. The team performed in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where they are former AEW World Tag Team Champions.
History
Prior to signing with AEW, Jung ...
( Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus
Austin Matelson (born March 10, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and television personality currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Luchasaurus, where he is a former AEW World Tag Team Cha ...
and Marko Stunt
Noah Nelms (born July 30, 1996), better known under the ring name Marko Stunt, is an American professional wrestler and singer best known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his appearances for Game Changer Wrestling ...
) at All Out on August 31. In October, Daniels suffered a pinched nerve
Radiculopathy, also commonly referred to as pinched nerve, refers to a set of conditions in which one or more nerves are affected and do not work properly (a neuropathy). Radiculopathy can result in pain (radicular pain), weakness, altered sensati ...
, injuring him for a short time. He returned at the Full Gear pay-per-view on November 9, assisting Kazarian and Sky from an attack by the Lucha Brothers ( Pentagón Jr. and Rey Fénix Rey may refer to:
* Rey (given name), a given name
* Rey (surname), a surname
* Rey (''Star Wars''), a character in the ''Star Wars'' films
*Rey, Iran, a city in Iran
* Ray County, in Tehran Province of Iran
* ''Rey'' (film), a 2015 Indian film
*Th ...
).
In January 2020, SCU began a rivalry with The Dark Order
The Dark Order is a professional wrestling stable, currently performing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The stable consists of Evil Uno, John Silver, Alex Reynolds, and Brodie Lee Jr.
The group debuted on the inaugural Double or Nothing pay-per- ...
(Evil Uno
Nicolas Dansereau (born July 20, 1987), better known by the ring name Evil Uno, is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Dark Order.
Formerly known as Player Uno, he r ...
, Stu Grayson, Alex Reynolds and John Silver
Alex Reynolds and John Silver, formerly known as the Beaver Boys, are an American professional wrestling tag team currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as members of The Dark Order. They are also known for their appearances in Combat Zon ...
) when the latter group tried to recruit Daniels. SCU and Colt Cabana defeated The Dark Order on the March 4 episode of '' Dynamite''. On May 14, 2021, Daniels and his long time partner Frankie Kazarian
Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. In addition, Kazarian also performs for Impact Wrest ...
were forced to split up from SCU following their defeat to The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team and promoters, consisting of brothers Matthew and Nicholas Massie, who are known by their ring names Matt and Nick Jackson, respectively. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
on episode 84 of AEW Dynamite AEW or aew may refer to:
* Airborne early warning, airborne radar system for detecting aircraft
* Aerosvit Airlines, an airline based in Kyiv, Ukraine (ICAO airline designator: AEW)
* AEW Capital Management, a property investment management company
...
.
Daniels was briefly suspended by AEW in September 2022 after he was involved in a fight between CM Punk and Ace Steel
Christopher Guy (born January 25, 1973) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ace Steel. He is perhaps best known for his time with Ring of Honor and occasional appearances for World Wrestling Entertainment, as w ...
on one side and Kenny Omega
Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name Kenny Omega, is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. Omega is an executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), in which he also performs. Omega is a former one-ti ...
and The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team and promoters, consisting of brothers Matthew and Nicholas Massie, who are known by their ring names Matt and Nick Jackson, respectively. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
on the other. The fight was reportedly triggered by disparaging remarks Punk made during the media scrum that followed All Out. The suspension was lifted when an independent investigation commissioned by AEW concluded that Daniels was trying to break up the fight.
Second return to Impact Wrestling (2021)
On the September 23, 2021 episode of ''Impact
Impact may refer to:
* Impact (mechanics), a high force or shock (mechanics) over a short time period
* Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US
Science and technology
* Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event
* Impac ...
'', Daniels made his return to TNA, now known as Impact Wrestling, saving Christian Cage
William Jason Reso (born November 30, 1973) is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Christian Cage. He is best known for his tenure in WWE under the ring name Christ ...
and Josh Alexander
Joshua Lemay (born May 29, 1987) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he performs under the ring name Josh Alexander. He is a two-time Impact World Champion, with his second reign being the longest reig ...
from an attack by Ace Austin
Austin James Highley (born February 28, 1997), better known by the ring name Ace Austin, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is a former three-time X Division Champion. He also makes appearan ...
and Madman Fulton
Jacob Southwick (born April 2, 1990) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Madman Fulton, where he was a former member of OVE (Ohio Versus Everything). He also wrestled in WWE on their ...
. The following week on ''Impact!'', Daniels defeated Fulton in his return match.
Return to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2021-2022)
In December 2021, Daniels made his return to New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...
, for the first time in 5 years, on the NJPW Strong
''NJPW Strong'' is a professional wrestling television series produced by Japanese professional wrestling promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) which debuted on August 7, 2020. It currently airs Saturday at 8pm ET on NJPW World and FITE TV.
...
special episode Nemesis, unsuccessfully challenging Jay White's "U-S-of-Jay" open challenge. In February 2022, Rivals
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
, Daniels defeated Karl Fredericks
Karl Fredericks (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on NXT. He is known for his stint in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was the winner of the 2019 Young Lion Cup.
Professional wr ...
.
In June, Daniels was set to team with Fredericks in the Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship tournament, but Fredericks was replaced by Yuya Uemura
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Early life
In March 2013, Uemura graduated from Imabari Technical High-school. He wrestled collegiately before he started his professional wrestling care ...
. In the tournament, the team defeated Aaron Solo and Nick Comoroto
Nicholas Comoroto (born April 22, 1991) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Comoroto began his career in 2013 on the independent circuit. In 2019, he signed a development contract with WWE, but was ...
in the first round and TMDK
The Mighty Don't Kneel (TMDK) are a professional wrestling stable which currently wrestles for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The stable consists of Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste Bad Dude Tito, Zack Sabre Jr. and Kosei Fujita. Sabre Jr. is the ...
in the semi-finals. In the finals, Daniels and Uemura were defeated by Aussie Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. ...
. At Fighting Spirit Unleashed
Fighting Spirit Unleashed is a series of professional wrestling events produced annually in September by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, in the United States. NJPW first produced the event in 2018 and ha ...
Daniels and Uemura lost to TMDK. After the match, Daniels attacked Uemura, turing heel and breaking up the team. At Autumn Action in September, Uemura defeated Daniels, in a grudge match.
Other media
He appeared in the video game ''TNA Impact!
''Impact!'' (stylized as ''IMPACT!''), also known as ''IMPACT! on AXS TV'',
is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling (formerly known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)) tha ...
'' as Christopher Daniels and Curry Man as a downloadable character.
Covell appeared in two episodes of ''Distraction
Distraction is the process of diverting the attention of an individual or group from a desired area of focus and thereby blocking or diminishing the reception of desired information. Distraction is caused by: the lack of ability to pay attentio ...
'' as Curry Man, with fellow wrestlers Frankie Kazarian and Samoa Joe. He made a Chef Boyardee
Chef Boyardee is an American brand of canned pasta products sold internationally by Conagra Brands. The company was founded by Italian immigrant Ettore Boiardi in Milton, Pennsylvania, U.S., in 1928.
History
After leaving his position as head ...
commercial with Jeff and Matt Hardy and a guest appearance on ''Numb3rs
''Numbers'' (stylized as ''NUMB3RS'') is an American crime drama television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010, for six seasons and 118 episodes. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heu ...
'' with mixed martial artist
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...
Tito Ortiz
Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz (; born January 23, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist and politician. He is currently signed to the Combate Americas promotion. Ortiz is best known for his stints with the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...
.
He competed on the January 18, 2008, episode of ''Merv Griffin's Crosswords
''Merv Griffin's Crosswords'' (also simply called ''Crosswords'') is an American game show based on crossword, crossword puzzles. The show was created by its namesake, Merv Griffin, who died shortly after beginning production on the series. Ty Tre ...
'', coming in at the beginning of the second round as a "Spoiler". He made it to the front row once, temporarily winning a trip to Reno, Nevada
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...
, but ended the show back as a Spoiler, therefore leaving with only the consolation prize
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements. .
He appeared on the NBC late night talk show '' Later'' circa 1998 in the episode with Bret Hart
Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling back ...
. He would be introduced as "Fallen Angel", to help Hart demonstrate wrestling moves, including taking a clothesline from host Rita Sever.
He appears uncredited in the 1999 documentary film, ''Beyond the Mat
''Beyond the Mat'' is a 1999 American documentary film directed, written, produced and narrated by Barry W. Blaustein. The film focuses on the lives of professional wrestlers outside of the ring, primarily Mick Foley, Terry Funk, and Jake Rober ...
''.
Christopher Daniels was credited as the masked wrestler "Slither" in Exposed! Pro Wrestling's Greatest Secrets, which is a 1998 documentary about professional wrestling. It was first aired on NBC television on November 1, 1998, and released on VHS on September 22, 1999. However, Christopher Daniels denied that he played this role in an October 2022 edition of Hey! (EW) on YouTube.
He appeared wearing part of his Curryman outfit in episode 5 Debbie Does Something of the Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
original series '' GLOW'' with fellow wrestler Frankie Kazarian
Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. In addition, Kazarian also performs for Impact Wrest ...
He also appeared uncredited in the 2013 parody film
A parody film or spoof film is a subgenre of comedy film that parodies other film genres or films as pastiches, works created by imitation of the style of many different films reassembled together.
Although the subgenre is often overlooked by crit ...
, '''' as Bane
Bane may refer to:
Fictional characters
* Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman
* Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series
* Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy
* Bane the Druid, a Gu ...
.
Covell appeared in the episode "Deadpool Vs. The Punisher" of the stop-motion animated web series
A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single in ...
'' Marvel Superheroes: What the--?!'' as the Punisher
The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...
.
In 2017 Christopher Daniels worked as a Stunt performer for Universal Studios Hollywood, in the Water World Stuntacular show, he played the Deacon, while away from Ring of Honor, this is a live action show based on the film Water World, it takes place in a arena in a 60-gallon pool with pyrotechnics and live motor stunts.
Personal life
Covell married his college sweetheart, a substitute teacher named Lisa, in June 1993. They have two children.
Covell earned a degree in theater from Methodist College in Fayetteville, North Carolina,[ and initially planned to become an actor.]
Covell is a comic book fan, having read Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
since he was a child, and his favorite character is Wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscul ...
. He trades comics with other wrestlers, including Samoa Joe
Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as AE ...
, Alex Shelley, and Homicide. Covell has also co-written a comic book based on his wrestling persona which was published by Aw Yeah Comics on April 23, 2014.[
Covell's best friend and fellow professional wrestler ]AJ Styles
Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
' first son's middle name was taken after him, that being Ajay Covell Jones (Styles' real name being Allen Jones).
Championships and accomplishments
*All Action Wrestling
**AAW Championship (1 time)
*All Pro Wrestling
All Pro Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion and training school, based in Hayward, California. The company was founded by Roland Alexander and managed by him until his death on November 5, 2013. It is located 45 miles so ...
**APW Worldwide Internet Championship
The APW Worldwide Internet Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the independent professional wrestling promotion All Pro Wrestling.
Title history
As of , , there have been 53 reigns between 39 champions ...
( 1 time)
**King of the Indies King of the Indies (Rex Indiarum) was a title used by the monarchs of Spain to reflect their sovereignty in large parts of the Americas (called "Indies" at their discovery).
Isabella of Castile was the first to use it as she became queen of the We ...
(2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
)[
*]Ballpark Brawl
Sahlen Field is a baseball park in Buffalo, New York, United States. Originally known as Pilot Field, the venue has since been named Downtown Ballpark, North AmeriCare Park, Dunn Tire Park, and Coca-Cola Field. Home to the Buffalo Bisons of the ...
**Natural Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*Bar Wrestling
**Trios Tournament (2019) - with Frankie Kazarian
Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. In addition, Kazarian also performs for Impact Wrest ...
and Scorpio Sky
Schuyler Andrews (born April 2, 1983), better known by the ring name Scorpio Sky, is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Andrews is also known for his appearances with Ring of ...
*Cauliflower Alley Club
The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America.
Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Abra ...
**Men's Wrestling Award (2015)
*DDT Pro-Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name stands for Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's official name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the promotion was eventually bo ...
**Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship
The is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight in its DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) brand. Open to anyone, regardless of gender or DDT employment status, the championship is defended " 24/7", as ...
( 1 time) – with Frankie Kazarian
Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. In addition, Kazarian also performs for Impact Wrest ...
*DEFY Wrestling
**DEFY Interim World Championship (1 time, current)
**Defy Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) - with Swerve Strickland
Stephon Strickland (born September 30, 1990) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Swerve Strickland and is a former AEW World Tag Team Champion (with Keith Lee ...
*East Coast Wrestling Association
East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to ...
**ECWA Heavyweight Championship
ECWA Heavyweight Championship is the top title contested in the independent professional wrestling promotion East Coast Wrestling Association
East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion
A professio ...
(2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
)
**Super 8 Tournament
The Super 8 Tournament is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by the East Coast Wrestling Association. The tournament is contested by eight wrestlers in a one-night single-elimination format.
History
The ECWA Super 8 Tournament was f ...
(2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
, 2004)
**ECWA Hall of Fame
East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded by promoter Jim Kettner. It is home to the annual Super 8 Tournament, one of the longest-running independent wrestling tournaments in the country, a ...
( Class of 2001)
*Empire Wrestling Federation
The Empire Wrestling Federation (EWF) is an independent wrestling promotion based in Covina, California. It is owned and operated by Jesse Hernandez. The EWF is also tied to Hernandez's wrestling school, ''The School Of Hard Knocks''. The EWF is ...
**EWF Heavyweight Championship
The EWF Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling title in the Southern California-based Empire Wrestling Federation independent promotion. It was established in 1996, with Bobby Bradley as the first champion, who defeated Zuma t ...
( 1 time)
*Frontier Wrestling Alliance
Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) was a professional wrestling promotion in Britain. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted ...
**FWA British Heavyweight Championship
The British Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship contested for in the XWA. The championship was originally created and contested for in the Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) but moved to XWA when the former company ...
( 1 time)
*German Stampede Wrestling
**Battlefield (2008)
*Impact Championship Wrestling
**ICW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Xavier
**Impact Cup (2010) – with Xavier
*Michinoku Pro Wrestling
(originally known as North Eastern Wrestling) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded by The Great Sasuke on October 1, 1992. It was the first independent wrestling promotion in Japan to not base its operations in Tokyo, but rather ...
**British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship The British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship that although being created in England, it gained its biggest notoriety in Japan. Not long after its creation the title made its way to Michinoku Pro ...
( 1 time)
**Futaritabi Tag Team League (2002)[ – with Super Rice Boy
*Midwest Championship Wrestling
**MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time)][ – with Reign
*]New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...
**IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on August 8, 1998, at an NJPW live event. The IWGP Juni ...
( 1 time) – with American Dragon
*NWA Florida
Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as ...
**NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship was a major title in Championship Wrestling from Florida, USA and is now the major title in NWA Florida Wrestling Alliance. It started in 1937 and was abandoned in 1949. It was picked back up in 1966 by C ...
( 1 time)
* NWA Midwest
**NWA Midwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kevin Quinn
*New Age Wrestling Federation
**CT Cup (1 time)[Daniels held the title jointly with John Brooks.]
*Premier Wrestling Federation
**PWF United States Championship (1 time)
**2nd Shinya Hashimoto Legacy Cup (2002)
**Most Popular Wrestler of the Year Award (2003)
*Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling
Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling, or 3PW, was a hardcore professional wrestling promotion based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It ran many shows from the former ECW Arena. Following the close of Extreme Championship Wrestling, many former ECW veterans, su ...
** 3PW World Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time)
*Pro Wrestling Illustrated
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...
** PWI Tag Team of the Year (2006) with A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
**PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year
This is a list of both active and inactive ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' awards which are voted on by ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') readers every year from 1972 onwards, expanding to more categories in later years.
Unlike other wrestling ...
(2017)
**Ranked No. 15 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...
in 2006
*Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max
(stylized as Pro Wrestling ZERO1), formerly known as Pro Wrestling Zero-One and Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max (stylised in all capital letters) and often referred to simply as Zero1, is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded in 2001. ...
** Zero1-Max United States Openweight Championship ( 1 time)
*Remix Pro Wrestling
**Remix Pro Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* Ring of Honor
** ROH World Championship ( 1 time)[
**]ROH World Television Championship
The ROH World Television Championship is a professional wrestling world television championship in the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion. With the introduction of the ROH World Television Championship, the television type championship returned to n ...
( 1 time)[
**]ROH World Tag Team Championship
The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, i ...
( 4 times, inaugural) – with Donovan Morgan
Andrew Vassos (born January 10, 1976) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Donovan Morgan. Best known for his near five-year run as a Pro Wrestling NOAH mainstay in Japan and Ring of Honor in the United States, M ...
(1), Matt Sydal
Matthew Joseph Korklan (born March 19, 1983), better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Prior to signing with AEW, Sydal wrestled in WWE as Evan Bourne, and was ...
(1), and Frankie Kazarian
Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. In addition, Kazarian also performs for Impact Wrest ...
(2)
**ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship
The ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won as a result of a match with a predetermined outcome. ...
( 1 time) – with Scorpio Sky
Schuyler Andrews (born April 2, 1983), better known by the ring name Scorpio Sky, is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Andrews is also known for his appearances with Ring of ...
and Frankie Kazarian
Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. In addition, Kazarian also performs for Impact Wrest ...
** ROH Decade of Excellence Tournament (2017)[
** ROH Tag Team Championship Tournament (2002) – with Donovan Morgan
**ROH Round Robin Challenge II
** Fourth Triple Crown Champion
**]First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
Grand Slam Champion
**ROH Year-End Award (1 time)
***Best Interview Award (2007)
*SoCal Uncensored
**Match of the Year (2000) vs. Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...
, September 13, 2000, Ultimate Pro Wrestling
**Wrestler of the Year (2000)[
* Southern California Pro-Wrestling Hall of Fame
**Inducted 2020
* NWA: Total Nonstop Action/Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
**]TNA X Division Championship
The Impact X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of then-TNA's second weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The current champion is Trey ...
( 3 times)
**TNA World Tag Team Championship TNA may refer to:
Organisations
* Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka
* The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya
* The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body
* Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...
(2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
) – with Kazarian[
**]NWA World Tag Team Championship
The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed member promotions to create their own territorial version of the "NWA World ...
( 6 times)[ – with ]Low Ki
Brandon Silvestry (born September 6, 1979) is an American professional wrestler of Italian and Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring name Low Ki. He is known for his time with Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Major League Wrestli ...
and Elix Skipper
Elix Skipper (born December 15, 1967) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, where he was a one-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time WCW Cruiserweight Tag ...
as Triple X (3), James Storm (1) and A.J. Styles (2)
** NWA World Tag Team Championship Tournament (2003) -with Low Ki
**Feast or Fired
Feast or Fired is a professional wrestling match concept featured in Impact Wrestling. The idea is based on the object on a pole match, which sees wrestlers trying to gain possession of items hanging from poles attached to the ring posts. In this ...
( 2007 – Pink Slip)[on the December 6, 2007 ''Impact!'', Daniels defeated Senshi with Elix Skipper as ]Special Guest Referee
In professional wrestling, a referee is an authority figure present in or near the ring during matches. The referee's purpose is similar to that of referees in combat sports such as boxing or mixed martial arts, that is, as an arbiter of the rul ...
to win his briefcase
**Feast or Fired
Feast or Fired is a professional wrestling match concept featured in Impact Wrestling. The idea is based on the object on a pole match, which sees wrestlers trying to gain possession of items hanging from poles attached to the ring posts. In this ...
(2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
– Pink Slip)
** TNA World Cup of Wrestling (2013) – with James Storm, Kazarian, Kenny King Kenneth, Ken or Kenny King may refer to: Ken King
* Ken King (born 1971), American politician and businessman
* Ken King (ice hockey) (1952–2020), Canadian sports executive
Kenneth King
* Kenneth George King or Jonathan King (born 1944), Englis ...
and Mickie James
** World X Cup ( 2004)[ – with ]Jerry Lynn
Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach. He has worked for promotions such as World Championship ...
, Chris Sabin, and Elix Skipper
** TNA Year End Awards (4 times)
***Feud of the Year (2005) vs. A.J. Styles
***Match of the Year (2004) with Elix Skipper vs. Chris Harris and James Storm at Turning Point
A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work.
Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to:
Film
* ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke
* ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
, December 5, 2004
***Match of the Year (2006)[ with A.J. Styles vs. Homicide and Hernandez at ]No Surrender No Surrender may refer to:
Politics
* "No Surrender!", a British Unionist slogan originating from Siege of Derry now used in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England
*No Surrender (to the IRA), a political chant since used by England football fans
...
, September 24, 2006
***Tag Team of the Year (2006)[ with A.J. Styles]
*Ultimate Pro Wrestling
Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) was a California-based independent pro wrestling company owned and operated by Rick Bassman, that operated from 1999 to 2007.
The company had working relationships with Pro Wrestling Zero1 and World Wrestling Entertai ...
**UPW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
*Windy City Pro Wrestling
Windy City Pro Wrestling is an American regional professional wrestling promotion originally based in Chicago, Illinois. Established as Windy City Wrestling by retired wrestler Sam DeCero in 1988, the promotion was one of several major regiona ...
** WCPW League Championship ( 1 time)[
** WCPW Lightweight Championship ( 1 time)][
** WCPW Middleweight Championship ( 1 time)][
**WCPW Tag Team Championship (2 times)][ – with Kevin Quinn (1), Mike Anthony (1)
*World Power Wrestling
**WPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)][
*]World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...
**WWC Television Championship
The WWC Television Championship is a tertiary championship that is currently defended in the World Wrestling Council. The title was initially created in 1986 and used until 2003, then from February 3, 2007 until July 11, 2008. The title was brought ...
( 1 time)
**WWC World Tag Team Championship
The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council.
History Abroad (2017)
On February 11, 2017, Thunder and Lightning defended the WWC World T ...
( 1 time) – with Kevin Quinn
*WrestleCentre
**IFWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* WrestleCrap
''WrestleCrap'' is a professional wrestling website created by R. D. Reynolds and Merle Vincent, serving as a "hall of shame" for some of the worst gimmicks and storylines in professional wrestling history. The site is currently run by Reynolds ...
** Gooker Award (2012) –
*Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
This is a list of both active and inactive ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' awards created by professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) journalist Dave Meltzer. The first fourteen awards were created in 1980 as an informal poll between ...
** Tag Team of the Year (2012) with Kazarian
** Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) TNA Reverse Battle Royal on TNA Impact!
''Impact!'' (stylized as ''IMPACT!''), also known as ''IMPACT! on AXS TV'',
is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling (formerly known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)) tha ...
Notes
References
External links
Ring of Honor profile
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniels, Christopher
1970 births
All Elite Wrestling personnel
American male professional wrestlers
Living people
Masked wrestlers
Faux Japanese professional wrestlers
Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan
Methodist University alumni
People from Palmdale, California
Professional wrestlers from Michigan
ROH World Champions
ROH World Television Champions
Sportspeople from Kalamazoo, Michigan
TNA/Impact World Tag Team Champions
20th-century professional wrestlers
21st-century professional wrestlers
ROH World Tag Team Champions
TNA/Impact X Division Champions
ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions
British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Champions
Ironman Heavymetalweight Champions
WWC Television Champions
NWA World Tag Team Champions
NWA Florida Heavyweight Champions