December, 1999

Mad Phat Wrestling had the privilege of interviewing indy wrestler, "The Fallen Angel," Christopher Daniels.  Chris is currently whoowrestling.com's #1 independent wrestler in all of the U.S. and Canada (and has been since September, 1999).  He's an excellent wrestler who boasts an impressive body of work throughout the U.S. and Japan, in leagues such as WWF, ECW & Michinoku Pro.

We caught up with Chris via email after he returned from his tour of Japan in December, 1999. Since we didn't conduct this interview sitting around a table, (tete a tete and) interrupting each other, the Q&A may seem a bit disjointed. Rest assured, we still managed to piece it together in a readable format.

For those who are already Christopher Daniels fans, this interview should provide further insight and entertainment.  For those of you who aren't fans yet, we're sure his professional attitude, great outlook and refreshing sense of humor will perhaps, 'mystically draw you in'.

For more information on The Fallen Angel, Christopher Daniels, please visit his official website, at: ChristopherDaniels.com.

Before we get started, we'd like to thank Chris for his time, and for being such a good sport as well as a great interviewee.

(NOTE: To avoid any confusion, our questions and comments are in this color, and Christopher Daniels' comments are italicized and in this color.)

For those of you not familiar with The Fallen Angel, Christopher Daniels, we at Mad Phat Wrestling would like to provide this "crash course" in Fallen Angel-ology.

If you click on the following three pictures, you can view real video of Christopher Daniels.  All were captured by Mad Phat Wrestling, and were taken from his match against Rhino which aired on ECW Hardcore TV on October 2, 1999.

CD: Hello ladies. I hope your Holidays were fruitful. I hope my answers are as interesting as the questions.

CS:  Honest and forthright, what more can we ask for? Humorous!! That's what else we could ask for. This is actually Mad Phat's first interview so you have actually DE-virginized us!! We're proud that you are our ... first! That makes for a fruitful holiday..

BC: Our Christmas was great, being that we celebrated it at an ECW TNN taping on Thursday.  We're glad you weren't put off by any of the questions, we're just naturally silly in nature.  Thanks for being cool and honest.

Basics:
Age, Birth date, Height, Weight, Married? Dog?  Cat? Goldfish? Parakeet? Fish? Chiapet?  Kids?

CD: I'm 29 years old, born March 24, 1970. I'm 5'11" and 210 lbs. I am married and I have three dogs, no other animals necessary (or kids).

Where were you born?  Are you Canadian?
(Because by default, Canadians love Mad Phat Wrestling. And if they're named Ashley or any formations of Steve, AND Canadian, they worship us and they don't know why. They are just mystically drawn to us.  Just thought we'd let you know that little bit of extraneous information.)

CD: I was born in Kalamazoo, MI, therefore I am not Canadian, although I still feel a slight mystical pulling and I don't know why.  

CS: As long as the pulling is enjoyable, it's cool! Then we have done our job. =)

BC: A slight mystical pulling towards Mad Phat Wrestling?  I don't believe you, but still, I love the compliment!

Where did you grow up?

CD: I grew up in Fayetteville, NC., a stone's throw from Ft. Bragg, deep in the heart of the old Mid-Atlantic/NWA region, where my early wrestling diet consisted of Flair, Magnum T.A., Rhodes, and the earliest incarnation of the Four Horsemen.

History: How many years have you been wrestling pro? CD: I started wrestling in April 1993 after training at Windy City Pro Wrestling School, located in Chicago, run by former "Super Maxx" Sam DeCero, and Mike Anthony and Kevin Quinn.  What are some of your favorite matches so far? CD: My favorite matches so far have been with Taka Michinoku, Jinsei Shinzaki, Suicide Kid, Danny Dominion, and the Texas Hangmen.

Which wrestlers do you enjoy working with?

CD: All of the above were great to work with, very generous, and great learning experiences as well.

Who are your influences?

CD: My biggest influence overall in my career has got to be Shawn Michaels. In terms of work rate and charisma, he's the measuring stick for a generation of cruiserweights, and I hope to enjoy even a fraction of his success. I've also tried to incorporate the styles of Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero into my work

Which league do you prefer? CD: I've been a big follower of the WWF and ECW since my career started, and it's always been my goal to work for either company full time. I've had some opportunities, but nothing concrete has come from them. Hopefully, 2000 is my year!

CS: We hope so too! Impressing us can either be immediate or it'll take some time but your abilities were noticed right away. You also realize the benefits of and can utilize the internet to help get your name out there. Whichever league you end up in, we wish you success! Perhaps we will one day watch you in action LIVE and if we get the opportunity to meet, we can watch you run away from us in dire fear. =) Just kidding.

BC: We look forward to watching you on TV in 2000, wherever you wrestle.

Who brought you into ECW? CD: I was brought in to ECW by Victor Quinones, who was responsible for bringing Tajiri, Super Crazy, and El Mosco, as well as being instrumental in ECW's renewed relationship with FMW. Is it hard being a smaller wrestler when it seems that heavyweights with devastating power moves get the most heat? (Note: For the record, we at Mad Phat Wrestling are big fans of "light heavyweights," their overall superior athleticism and speed are what wrestling is all about for us.)

CD: As far as being a smaller wrestler goes, I don't think it's hard getting heat from fans, I think it's more difficult getting respect from the promoters and bookers of some organizations who still see wrestling as a "big man's sport", despite all the great work seen in the last five years from guys like Mysterio Jr., Kidman, Taka, and others. You can see it in the ridiculously small amount of mic time these great athletes get, and the small amount of character development allotted to these athletes.

Do you like working in Japan?  Especially in regards to the grueling kind of tours; traveling by bus, cheap hotels, wrestlers raiding other wrestler's buses, stealing underwear and tights?

CD: I like working in Japan. It is a grueling schedule, but it's very rewarding to go and have great matches with the Japanese wrestlers, who put so much more into being wrestlers than most of the Americans I've seen. (No disrespect intended to American wrestlers, but the training regimen for a Japanese wrestler is probably ten times more difficult than what I personally went through to be a wrestler. Even the worst Japanese wrestler I've ever seen still has my respect in terms of the effort he put into his training.) When you've earned the respect of a Japanese wrestler, it means a lot. Also, no one's ever raided our bus, stolen my underwear or my tights.

CS: It was a slow night, huh?? Everyone was tired, huh?

Is there a notable difference between Japanese and American audiences?

CD: The biggest difference between Japanese and American audiences is that Japanese audiences are conditioned to appreciate false finishes more than American audiences are. A finishing sequence in a Japanese match can be up to ten minutes long, and when it's done well, the crowd is into every second, popping for every two-count as if that was the finish itself. It's a great feeling when you've got the crowd in the palm of your hand and they stay with you until the very end.

Do you like Japan?

CD: I like wrestling in Japan, but living in Japan is very difficult. There's no English stimuli (unless you bring it yourself), so it's very boring.

Do you like the food?

CD: The food is expensive and fattening.

The women? The men?

CD: The women are okay, the men are all right, the wrestling fans are insane...

The dojos?

CD: The dojos are great learning experiences.

The clogs?

CD: I just don't understand the clogs. (Although if I could wrestle in them, I'd be 6'2").

CS: And you can fling them off and really hurt your opponent if your aim is good.

BC: Heck, we've seen Atsushi Onita wrestle in those things!  That's an amazing skill!

CD: A note on the wrestling fans: They want you to sign anything and everything. I once was out to dinner with some of the guys when a fan approached me and asked me to sign his shirt. Not unusual, until you realize that its a dress shirt that probably costs around sixty dollars! "Are you sure?" I ask politely. "Oh yes!" he replied. So I write: "This was a nice shirt until I signed it! Curry Man!!"

Do you speak Japanese? How difficult is it to work with someone when there's a slight language barrier??  If you didn't learn Japanese, did you at least learn some curse words? 

CD: I haven't learned Japanese, except for a few words. Most of the Japanese wrestlers speak enough English that we can talk through a match with a minimum of difficulty. Plus most of them speak a great deal of Spanish, and I've learned a lot of Espanol (at least wrestling terms). By the way, "Ba-ger-o!!" means something like cocksucker, and "ta-pa-tey!!" means "Eat me!!" which I now write on my arm whenever I wrestle as C-man.

Do you like Mexico?

CD: I've only been in Mexico a few times, but every experience has been disappointing. Money, wrestling, the fans, everything was just not what I expected.

Do you like the United States?
Note: Those people are just the worst. Horrible. They'll spit on you when you're without an umbrella during a rainstorm.  Just kidding.

CD: I've had mostly good experiences with American audiences, but every once in a while I'll run into a fan that makes me wonder how he got loose from his cage. But I'm sure that's true everywhere you go.

CS: Hey, my cage is very nice and actually renovated.. carpeting and new appliances!  =)

BC: Absolutely true.  We live in New York City, and ride the subway every day to work.  We believe all the escaped lunatics in the world head straight for New York...  some of them must be wrestling fans.

Curry Man:

This is an extremely interesting character. Was it your idea or did someone have it in for you?    CD: The Curry Man character was Jinsei Shinzaki's idea, based on a cartoon character named Curry Cook. You should have seen the look on my face when they handed it to me "What? Curry? Are you SERIOUS?!?"  CS: Imagine if you were teamed with someone with a 'Chicken' gimmick. You guys would be pretty yummy.. if not a complete meal. BC says: Too bad Terry Taylor doesn't wrestle as the Red Rooster anymore...

Is the character a heel or a face?  CD: I thought it was meant to be a comedy gimmick, but after a few matches, Gran Hamada told me to be more of a heel, and somewhere along the way, it got over so well they put me with Crazy Max, the big heel group out of Torymon gym (Ultimo Dragon's trainees).  Do you like curry at all? Are you spicy, mild or medium? Do you come with rice? Does this sound like a Dating Game questionnaire? (Note: LOVE THE BOWL on your head!)

CD: I've never eaten and will never eat curry, it looks terrible.

CS: Darn, I guess then we can't treat you out to Indian food...

CD: I, however, am very spicy, and yes, one side of my mask is rice. (Is this a Dating Game questionnaire? If so, I'm game, but don't tell my wife!!)

CS: If you could be any food, what would you be?  =) (*picking up phone.. calling wife..*)

Just out of curiosity, did you ever wrestle Tudor the Turtle? (the name of that character just really interests Chokee Slam).

CD: I've never wrestled the Turtle guy, but I did see tapes of him and I'm sure anything is possible.

CS: Did he come spinning out to the ring .. like Gamera?? (I'm still intrigued by this dude)...

What was Curry Man's finishing move? Did you blow a curry fart and destroy the ring?  (Note: What a way to end a show.)

CD: My finish as C-Man is called the Spicy Drop (pretty catchy, no?) 

CS: Excellent!

CD: And I try not to have gas while I wrestle as a show of respect to my opponent. 

CS: You da man!

BC: That's very professional of you!  Was this the same move as the "Angel Wings"??

CD: The Spicy Drop isn't like the Angel's Wings. When I got to the first show of the Masked Man tour, and they told me I was going over, I just picked the first big move out of my head and decided that was my finish. I didn't want to do any of my Fallen Angel moves because I had been there as myself only two months prior. So the Spicy Drop is actually a set-up like a Torture Rack, but then I flip the guy over onto his stomach and sit down, kind of a super DDT. 

Current Gimmick: Fallen Angel:
Was this your idea?

CD: The Fallen Angel gimmick was my idea entirely, inspired by Dustin Rhodes and his Goldust gimmick. I thought to myself:" Other than sexuality, what would everybody relate to if confronted with it in a wrestling arena?" To which I replied:" Religion!" Brilliant!!

BC: Religion is a great gimmick, but do you talk to yourself often? (Note: It's ok, I talk to my cat all the time...)

Where did you get the priest robe?

CD: I got the priest robe from a Catholic church close by (I told them I was an actor in a play and I was looking for my costume. I figure I'm already going to Hell for the gimmick, what's lying to a real priest going to add?)

CS: But if you're entertaining us savages, I think you're doing something that God would approve of. =) And yes, God definitely has a sense of humor, otherwise he wouldn't have put me on this Earth. heh..

BC: Nah, we strongly believe that God has a sense of humor, and probably loves wrestling.  I'm sure He's OK with it all.  Hope that makes you feel better.

Is there anyone underneath the robe?

CD: I'm usually the only one under the robe, but if you mean that question in the same manner as a kilt, I usually wear something under it, because the robe comes off in public, and I find it hard to wrestle in the nude, especially since my opponent has one more thing to grab me by (although he'll need both hands. You understand).

CS: Oh, I have blushed. =)  But good thing he wouldn't need a handtruck, that could be a little distracting if one is trying to wrestle.

BC: So you're saying when you're away from home, your wife REALLY misses you... (way to be!)

Are you religious?

CD: I grew up in a Catholic household, so I'm sure that's where the idea subconsciously came from.

General:

CLICK ON THIS PICTURE TO VIEW AN ANIMATED GIF!

Are you signing with the WWF or is this rumor? CD: I'm not signing with the WWF yet, so yes, it's a rumor. But I'm always hoping they'll come to their senses and sign me anytime now. Describe your style (mat, high flyer, etc.)

CD: I've always described myself as a high-flyer, but I do enough mat wrestling to call myself well rounded, I think.

What do you think of the hardcore style?

CD: I'm not a big fan of the hardcore style when it's used by guys to mask an inability to work, but I think it's great when it's added to matwork and high-flying to create a great storyline in a match.

How do you feel about people chanting 'You fucked up' or throwing things into the ring?

CD: I think fans sometimes think they are the stars of the show, and when they chant things to take away from the action in the ring, I find it a little offensive.

CS: Definitely disrespectful, in my opinion.

BC: Ditto.

CD: Having said that, I feel that if you can't hit a move ten times out of ten, it's better not to attempt the move at all rather than screwing the move up and shattering the illusion.

BC: This is a good point, giving us a perspective we hadn't seen before.  Being respectful of the abilities of the athletes, we are personally offended by these chants.  Still it makes sense not to attempt a move in the ring you haven't fully perfected yet.

Your dream match would be against who?

CD: I don't have a specific dream match, but I would like to work the following guys in the future: Billy Kidman, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, 

CS: I'd like to work Jericho..  oh wait.. I'm not a wrestler.. Excuse me.

CD: (continues)... Edge, Christian, D-lo Brown, Jerry Lynn, Tajiri, Super Crazy (I worked him once, but I was so disappointed in my work that I feel I owe him a rematch so I can do better), Rob Van Dam, and Balls Mahoney.

CS: Watch out for those chair shots though!

BC: How about chair shots?  Are you into that sort of thing? Admittedly, you're not a hardcore wrestler, but if it played in the storyline?  Ever take a chair to the head?  Go through a table? ... And your list is amazing!  We'd love to see you wrestle these guys. (All at once! -- just kidding)  I  vote for Jerry Lynn first!

CS says: Tajiri!

CD: I have no problem taking chair shots, and I like to think I take them rather well (no hands, Ma!! Right on the noggin). I haven't had the opportunity to go through a table yet. I don't believe in doing stuff just to do it, so I'm just waiting for the right time. Like I said, to tell a great story, I think hardcore stuff is good. 

CS: (Re: the Super Crazy match) Did you feel you were inexperienced at the time or was it just a bad day??

CD: It took place this last June, so it wasn't a lack of experience. It was really a lot of factors, none of which in hindsight seem like good excuses to have a shitty match. I hadn't wrestled in three weeks, I felt like I was in bad physical shape, I was nervous to be wrestling what I thought was my first match for the company I would be working for for a long time, PLUS Paul E. put me over and was expecting a tear-down-the-house match, so I was trying to put a lot into the match and impress the hell out of him and the rest of the locker room and prove that I belonged there. After the match, I just felt like I blew a great opportunity, and since I haven't been back to ECW, that may be the case. I hope I'm wrong and that I get another chance to work in ECW.

BC: I think most people are their own worst critics, and perhaps you're being a bit tough on yourself.  Everyone has an off day, and we at Mad Phat Wrestling would love to see you in our favorite league, ECW.

CS: Timing is also important. If you stick to your guns and keep doing what you do best, your work will be noticed. And though WWF may provide a paycheck with whirly lights, sparkles and confetti, we want to be selfish and see you in ECW... where you'll get A paycheck, at least. =) (Just kidding, Paul E! )

What do you like to do on your days off?  Party animal or couch leech? Homebody or walk the Earth like Cain from Kung Fu?

CD: On my days off, I usually like to work out, go to movies ...

CS: Comedy, horror, drama, action/adventure?? 

BC: What's the best movie you've seen recently?

CD: I like a lot of different types of movies. The last couple of movies I saw were Dogma,  Illuminata (a John Turturro film), and Deep Blue Sea. The last great movies I saw were Sixth Sense and Fight Club. Both had great plot turns that I really never saw coming, and I just saw Sixth Sense again, and I liked it knowing what was going to happen and looking for the clues ahead of time. 

BC: OOOH!  You really won us over with that one, we're huge Kevin Smith fans, and flipped over Sixth Sense.  I know we'll enjoy that one just as much on the second ... and third viewings.

CS: Sixth Sense actually made me scream like a 3 year old girl. THAT's A GOOOOD movie!!

CD: (continues) ... and watch a little TV (I know, BORING!!)

CS: Nature programs, comedy, old sitcoms, Laverne and Shirley, drama, soap operas?? Not boring at all! You'd be amazed at how many people don't like going out anymore..  just measure their asses.  J/K

CD: Oh yeah, I also like to read Mad Phat Wrestling (how was that? Realistic?)

CS:  =) I'll believe it whether it's true or not. =) A stroke of the ego is good. =)

BC: Realistic?  No, but we appreciate the effort.  =)  Our motto is: "If you can't say anything nice about us, LIE!"  -- actually, that's not our motto, we're just always changing our motto.  This one will suffice for this week.

CD: Ladies, thanks for the interest in my opinions.

BC says: No, thank you.  Especially for calling us "Ladies."

 CD: I hope I didn't come off sounding ignorant or uninteresting.

CS: HELL NO! You funny! Great attitude as well and you show a lot of respect to your co-workers..

BC: Absolutely not.  We were entertained and informed by your answers, as well as your forthright nature.  Thanks again for being a sport about it. 

CD: Hey, I'm glad that you ladies enjoyed the interview. You sent some really smart questions, and I like your sense of humor. 

BC: What a compliment!  ... and what a great way to end an interview.

CS: HEY! We smart AND we're LADIES!! =) Score!