Why Do People Think Christopher Daniels isn't a Main Eventer?

[It's Damn Real!]

Three were made famous before they came to TNA, one was made champion under different management.

Daniels also just looks skinnier. I don't buy him for one second at 224. (Nor do I buy AJ at 215. Jeff, maybe.) I'd peg Daniels at around 185, comparing him to similar shaped fighters in the UFC.

So? They were made famous, and were still world champions, in a company who was actually much more strict (at the time) about who was really main event material, so why does that matter here?

Are you insinuating that no one can get over in TNA if not over elsewhere first?

Even if he is at 185, that puts AJ around 195, and AJ is over as fuck (or well, was), so why is AJ main event material but Daniels isn't?

And I don't buy the age thing at all. Sting is fifty-fuckin-two, man and still going.

 

[SpecialFNK]

But I bet you thought Michaels had "the look" when he was dancing around like a overly flamboyant homoerotic cowboy with assless chaps (that he wore tights under, granted) and heart-shaped glasses, huh?

Daniels is roughly the same size as Michaels. Both men are fuckin' giants compared to Mysterio who's like 3'6.

Daniels is 6'0, 224. Michaels was 6'1, 225.

Michaels had long hair and looked like a rock star. he looked like Brett Michaels. Daniels is bald. bald can work, but not when your skinny. when I say small, I mean skinny. you can be short, but still physically built. maybe if Daniels bulked up and looked stronger it would improve his look. Daniels also doesn't look like he has any eye brows. he just looks weird.
no doubt wrestling fans can like Daniels.. but to general wrestling fans that like looks/promo/story line, he doesn't seem that good.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Michaels had long hair and looked like a rock star. he looked like Brett Michaels. Daniels is bald. bald can work, but not when your skinny. when I say small, I mean skinny. you can be short, but still physically built. maybe if Daniels bulked up and looked stronger it would improve his look. Daniels also doesn't look like he has any eye brows. he just looks weird.
no doubt wrestling fans can like Daniels.. but to general wrestling fans that like looks/promo/story line, he doesn't seem that good.

It's true. Daniels looks weird. I remember the first time I saw him, it took me MONTHS to actually get used to his look. To me, he looked like a penis in tights. His neck is kinda long, he has no hair anywhere, skinny arms, frail body, tiny legs, big ass. He's weird looking for sure, but I warmed up to him and now I never even notice those traits. I figure it's gonna be like that for other fans too. He just needs more personality and an attitude to show that he's not just a ding dong.

And Michaels didn't look like a rockstar at all. He looked homo to me. Earrings, long ass hair, flashy gear, looking like one of the Village People. Took me a while to take Michaels seriously as well, but he's incredibly talented, and that's when stars are born. I love guys who have a wacky look, something that's weird in people's eyes, but the sheer brilliance that they dish out in the ring or the mic makes the weird - cool. That's how I feel about Daniels and his mascara crap.

 

[MrHashasheen]

I love Christopher Daniels. I like his skills, his attitude, everything. I don't even mind the mascara and painted nails.

My only problem with him, as it relates to main-event potential is his build. If you look at say Sting, Benoit or Eddie Guerrero or AJ Styles, neither man is a built beast ala Triple H, Batista, Steiner, but they still look somewhat big, which grants them a more menacing and respectable look. You can buy that they're in the main-event and that they can handle themselves. Compare 2000 AJ Styles to 2006 Styles, you'll notice the difference in muscle mass.

Daniels comes off more of a gymnast. Someone obviously capable of holding his own and fit, but still looking out of place because of how he comes off in comparison to bigger dudes like Bully Ray, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe. As a consequence, people tend to mentally shift him to mid-card and cruiserweight/x-division status.

If he put on some extra muscle - not to the point where it affected his skills and mobility, but to add more credibility to his offense and look - I could probably buy him main-eventing a lot easier. And I'd buy his fucking moonsault as a finisher.

Edit: And what is his gimmick exactly? I've heard that the Fallen Angel thing got turned into a nickname by TNA while Daniels wanted to take it the other way, but I'm not sure...

 

[SpecialFNK]

Shawn Michaels was the spitting image of a rock star from the big hair band 80's. Brett Michaels, Jon Bon Jovi, Axl Rose, ect.
I wouldn't be surprised if there were A LOT of women who loved Shawn Michaels image. Christopher Daniels? would there be more than you can count on one hand?

when Eddie Guerrero was in WCW, was he not skinnier? and then when he got to be main event level in WWE, wasn't he more built?

 

[He's Phenomenal]

By the way ... with WWE removing "wrestling" from its name, trying to stay away from that and be "sports entertainment", doesn't that mean that TNA is now the N#1 Wrestling Company in the world? Woo hooo!

I would love to see Hogan come out on iMPACT! and say he was right and was true to his word. And that he’s made TNA the number 1 wrestling company in the World.

Now to the thread in question: I would say it’s just Daniels as an overall package that I don’t buy into as being main event. I’ve got nothing against the guy, I think he’s pretty decent in all areas. He’s good in the ring, can talk ok etc But he doesn’t really excel in any area IMO. And that’s probably the main reason I don’t see him as a main eventer.

Guys like Sting, RVD, Mr Anderson, AJ Styles, Kurt Angle and Matt Morgan all excel in one area or more. Sting has his huge name value. AJ Styles has his ring work. Mr Anderson has his mic work etc.

Daniels has never done anything to stand out (while I’ve watched TNA, not sure what he may have done before I started watching). He’s not the kind of guy I don’t want to see on my TV, but I didn’t miss him when he was gone either. In effect, I don't think he takes away from the product but I'm not sure he contributes a huge amount either. That's why I see him as a solid mid-carder.

When Daniels was feuding with AJ for the World Title, I had no doubts AJ would retain his World Title. Daniels, IMO, is one of the top guys if he’s in the X-Division. But if he’s competing for a World Title, I would always have the other guy as favourite.

 

[ABMorales787]

Simply put, he rubs you in that direction. I know it's not much of an explanation, but that's how I feel when I see him. I love the guy. Fan of his work, specifically in TNA, but I just have issues picturing it. I had the same trouble with Jeff Hardy even during his 2008 push. No matter what, he just didn't scream like the kind of guy who could constantly sell events. Headline one or two PPV's? Well, yeah. Hold a solid title reign? I never pictured the likes of Jeff Hardy, Jack Swagger or even someone as major as Chris Jericho being steady main event draws, and wouldn't you know it, I haven't really been wrong.

There's just something in Daniels that raises doubt. Is it age? Hell, if people didn't keep bringing it up, I'd just assume he's in his 30's just like AJ. He certainly doesn't look 40 years old. Batista was another guy who's looks would fool you when it came to age. Is it his stature? Well, he does seem a bit out of place wrestling bigger guys like Bully Ray. Then again, Daniels is the superior singles competitor based on accomplishments alone, so clearly size is about as ambiguous in TNA as it is in WWE if not more. Is it his look? What? It wasn't that long ago that there was all sorts of emo bands popping out with idiots wearing guy liners. At least we know Daniels isn't some depressed man-bitch. I place the blame on TNA itself. Let's face it, we don't have a problem seeing AJ Styles as a main event man because TNA's already done it. We don't have a problem imagining Samoa Joe in the main event because TNA's done it. But with Daniels, being the #1 of the mid-card since 2003 does not matter because unlike the other two guys, he never had feuds with the likes of Raven, Jeff Jarrett, Abyss, Christian and such. And by the time he was placed in that position, his peers (AJ and Joe) had already left him behind. Why else would people doubt him even though he's been presented as an equal to TNA's 2 other golden boys?

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I see this has turned into yet another back-and-forth between TNA and WWE marks. Jesus.

Anyhow, yes, I think he has what it takes to main event. Will he be booked that way? Probably not.

In the ring (at this point in time), he's better than Jeff Hardy, RVD, Sting, Ken Anderson, Abyss, Matt Hardy, Bully Ray, Jeff Jarrett a few other top-level guys. He isn't nearly as small as some make him out to be, either.

I think, given the right booking, he could be quite the main event wrestler. I don't think he's going to carry a company, but he's good enough, inside of the ring, to be on that level.

What's his specialty? In-ring work. Over the past year, what has TNA seemingly not given a shit about? In-ring work. I don't see him going very far with this current regime, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't.

If you don't think he has what it takes, watch some his matches with AJ, Samoa Joe, Doug Williams, and so on. I don't claim to know much about ROH, but from the few matches I've seen involving Daniels, I can't buy into him not having what it takes to main event TNA.

In my view, TNA has a clear in-ring advantage over WWE. The guys in TNA usually have more freedom to have the kinds of matches they want to have, and they are absolutely stacked with talent. Daniels is a big part of that, and I wish he (and actual wrestling overall) were featured more often.

 

[GLS1412]

So? They were made famous, and were still world champions, in a company who was actually much more strict (at the time) about who was really main event material, so why does that matter here?

Are you insinuating that no one can get over in TNA if not over elsewhere first?

Even if he is at 185, that puts AJ around 195, and AJ is over as fuck (or well, was), so why is AJ main event material but Daniels isn't?

And I don't buy the age thing at all. Sting is fifty-fuckin-two, man and still going.

What do you mean AJ is over as fuck (or well, was) ??

AJ is still over big time!!

 

[Rayne]

So? They were made famous, and were still world champions, in a company who was actually much more strict (at the time) about who was really main event material, so why does that matter here?

Are you insinuating that no one can get over in TNA if not over elsewhere first?

Yup. As I said, it's not entirely about the right person- it's about the right person, at the right time, around the right people. Three years ago Christopher Daniels could have easily fit into the role of World Champion. Today, there are different people involved, in an era where TNA is trying to gain fan recognition by featuring wrestlers which the audience is already familiar with. They aren't building new headliners in TNA right now. (Mr. Kenderson doesn't quite count; he was sent over complete with red ribbon from the WWE.)

By the time this era of TNA ends in a couple of years, he'll be 42. I'm not saying 40 is too old to be a World Champion- I'm saying it's too old for a lot of people working in wrestling right now to consider building you into the top company star. It's not just about making him champion then; it's about being able to use the time you're investing in him as champion later to promote him as a bigger star. Wrestlers often work into their 40's, but there's a big drop-off point there. Why push Daniels as champion now if you're not sure you'll have him for later? Why not use that title push on someone else, or a proven championship commodity that can carry other people?

Even if he is at 185, that puts AJ around 195, and AJ is over as fuck (or well, was), so why is AJ main event material but Daniels isn't?

And I don't buy the age thing at all. Sting is fifty-fuckin-two, man and still going.

It's not just age. It's not just size. It's a combination of several factors that are all against Christopher Daniels. Sting's 52, but he was a made man long, long ago. AJ Styles was made champion under a different regime, and the current one has kept him quite far from the belt. (I think they view him as a belt-chaser, which is what he should be. No long runs for AJ- let him chase that belt forever, give the fans that cathartic moment when he finally wins it, then quickly have the bad guys screw him out of it.)

AJ Styles was a great candidate for champion a few years ago as well, but it's different times and different people.

 

[Melina]

I pretty much agree with everything Rayne says.

I love watching Daniels compete, but I don't think he can draw at all. I just don't picture him as the kind of guy a casual wrestling fan would buy a PPV for (or even a ticket to a live show). If I walked around my College and asked 50 random people who Christopher Daniels was, I would be shocked if anyone knew. But if I mentioned Kurt Angle, Ken Anderson, Sting, Jeff Hardy, I am sure some people would know who those guys are.

Everything about Daniels screams long term mid-card guy. He puts on fantastic matches, but doesn't have the look, character, or charisma to get over to a level to make him a Main Eventer.

TNA has been on a mission to improve Brand Recognition, but if you put the belt on a guy like Daniels, it will likely slow that growth at least to some degree.

 

[shattered dreams]

He certainly could be a main eventer but I just think TNA has better options right now besides making him the main guy. As a heel it could be a good enough idea though. Daniels is great in the ring. I think some people oversell his mic abilities though. He is decent on the mic but that often isn't enough when you are a little undersized. Then again when RVD and AJ are getting prime spots it is a little harder to dismiss him for that reason alone. RVD made his name earlier which is why he has that spot. I think it is the presence of AJ that actually hurts Daniels the most. There are ways you could push Daniels but most of that is going to be rightfully reserved for AJ.

 

[harrythem]

He's got charisma and he's got the wrestling talent but, and this is the big but, I don't think he has the build to it.

Yeah he's in shape but, he's in normal guy shape, not jacked up wrestler shape. I commend him for that but, in companies like WWE and TNA (especially now Hogan and Bischoff are on board) the look is important.

Hell, my bird doesn't have a big interest in wrestling but even she wondered why the "skinny bald poof" was getting into an arguement with Hulk Hogan as "Hogan looks like he has bigger shits" and, sadly, that is quite often the wider publics view of talent of certain build (hell, even AJ looks bulky next to Daniels).

Still, he could easily be a solid upper-midcard guy or, even better, someone that can actually make the X Division mean something again and, to me, that's just as important as a main event guy

 

[Notorious718]

I don't see any reason why Christopher Daniels can't be in the same position as AJ Styles is in. I'll be honest, before his feud with AJ, I didn't see him in the main event position. To be fair though, by the time I first watched TNA in 2008 he was already gone from the company. When I watched his program with AJ, I saw something in him that I didn't see (or rather, probably didn't bother to see) in the months following his initial return in 2009. The man IS good in the ring. The man IS over with the crowd. The man IS good on the mic. Hell, personally (and this is just my opinion) I think the guy is able to hold his own on the mic better than AJ can. I personally thought he showed his best mic skills during his 2009 feud with AJ which culminated with a tremendous match at Final Resolution. That said, I don't see why he can't be in the main event scene. From what I've seen of the man, he's every bit as good as AJ Styles is. So why isn't he already world champion? As X already said, I believe it's simply all about the way he's been booked. Now that he's back, I'd like to think he'll be a world title contender as he was in late 2009 but I'm currently under the impression he'll be working the X Division after Lockdown.

 

[wrestlingfan]

Well Daniels just doesn't have the look and physique. He looks more like an X-Division guy. Now theres nothing wrong with high-flyers being in the main event but they have to have that main event feel to them and have more to their offense.

Daniels mic skills could use work, theres' nothing unique about them and his gimmick needs to be pushed to the next level.

 

[GrandSword]

I support the Daniels as World Champion bandwagon, I can't talk enough about this guy. He can do it all, and is probably the best wrestler in the U.S. right now. His movest reads like an encyclopeadia of moves and he knows exactly when to hit them. He has it all, and TNA management has always held him back. His matches are legendary in TNA.

Daniels has never done anything to stand out (while I’ve watched TNA, not sure what he may have done before I started watching).
.

This is a totally untrue statement.

XXX vs. AMW, vs. Styles, his X Div Championship reigns, vs. Joe, vs. Styles and Joe, w/ Styles vs. L.A.X, vs. Wolfe, his very quick program with Angle during the end of the MEM,

All TNA matches of the years and were met with huge critcal praise.

The man deserves better, and hopefully stays in the spotlight with this story with either rejoining Styles or joining Immortal...

 

[klunderbunker]

Anyone that has read my reviews of TNA or ROH knows I'm no fan of Daniels, mainly because his matches bore me to death as I hate the style he uses beyond belief. However, that's not something I see holding him back.

I'm not entirely sure why, but I think a lot of the problem boils down to he's never really won anything big. He's always been booked as the guy that is a step below the main event but never really does anything. Think back to the three way AJ/Joe/Daniels feud. Daniels never won anything in that feud and it was AJ vs. Joe with Daniels in the background.

Daniels has never held a world title, either in TNA or ROH. At this point it's almost expected that he won't. Not due to a lack of talent, but simply because he's not looked at as a guy that wins world titles, based on his track record.

Another thing I've always had issues with when it comes to him is his nickname. The Fallen Angel. What is that supposed to mean anyway? I know in the early days of ROH this was played up more, but in TNA it seems to just be a name more often than not. I know he's done a few religious/preacher related things, but more often than not he's just The Fallen Angel in name only.

Look at the nicknames of the two guys he's often associated with. We have the Phenomenal AJ Styles and the Samoan Submission Machine Samoa Joe. So we have Phenomenal, which makes you think he'll blow your mind, and a Submission Machine, which is self explanatory. Then you have the Fallen Angel. What does that make you think of? I've never gotten a clear idea of what they're going with for it. This is obviously not a huge deal but it's always been something that was off to me.

Overall, I think it's a combination of his track record and the fact that he's always been looked at as a sidekick. He's been on again/off again best friends with AJ Styles, the golden boy. It's like teaming with Hogan in the 80s. Randy Savage was awesome but he paled in comparison to Hogan as far as star power went and when he never won a big match over Hogan, it made him seem even weaker of a star, despite being arguably a far better worker. Similar thing here I think. You could also say he's the Christian to AJ's Edge.

 

[Coco]

It comes down to one thing: Hair. Main eventers have hair. Austin had facial hair. Goldberg had facial hair Rock had hair when he was headlining and legend has it that he still possess a mad pube fro. Hulk Hogan had... some hair. The best and brightest in wrestling history have it, we're frequently told about it by people in the business, and it is hair. The fact that it is something tangible is the wrestling industry's deepest, darkest secret. The business simply isn't ready for a smooth freak whose only hair is his makeup riddled eyelashes. Sad, but true. Frankly, I'm surprised bald interest groups aren't all over this. Like hair on George Steele.

 

[GrandSword]

Anyone that has read my reviews of TNA or ROH knows I'm no fan of Daniels, mainly because his matches bore me to death as I hate the style he uses beyond belief. However, that's not something I see holding him back.

I'm not entirely sure why, but I think a lot of the problem boils down to he's never really won anything big. He's always been booked as the guy that is a step below the main event but never really does anything. Think back to the three way AJ/Joe/Daniels feud. Daniels never won anything in that feud and it was AJ vs. Joe with Daniels in the background.

Daniels has never held a world title, either in TNA or ROH. At this point it's almost expected that he won't. Not due to a lack of talent, but simply because he's not looked at as a guy that wins world titles, based on his track record.

Another thing I've always had issues with when it comes to him is his nickname. The Fallen Angel. What is that supposed to mean anyway? I know in the early days of ROH this was played up more, but in TNA it seems to just be a name more often than not. I know he's done a few religious/preacher related things, but more often than not he's just The Fallen Angel in name only.

Look at the nicknames of the two guys he's often associated with. We have the Phenomenal AJ Styles and the Samoan Submission Machine Samoa Joe. So we have Phenomenal, which makes you think he'll blow your mind, and a Submission Machine, which is self explanatory. Then you have the Fallen Angel. What does that make you think of? I've never gotten a clear idea of what they're going with for it. This is obviously not a huge deal but it's always been something that was off to me.

Overall, I think it's a combination of his track record and the fact that he's always been looked at as a sidekick. He's been on again/off again best friends with AJ Styles, the golden boy. It's like teaming with Hogan in the 80s. Randy Savage was awesome but he paled in comparison to Hogan as far as star power went and when he never won a big match over Hogan, it made him seem even weaker of a star, despite being arguably a far better worker. Similar thing here I think. You could also say he's the Christian to AJ's Edge.

The bolded is incorrect. During the 3 way feud there were several 3 way matches one of them being an Ultimate X match which Daniels won and took the belt from Joe.

Also the Fallen Angel is the most kick ass name in wrestling. The Fallen Angel is meant to be the anti christ, a master manipulator. He used these to perfection in the early days of RoH and TNA. It's aname that's stuck with him ever since and just like Raven's "Quote the Raven Nevermore", Daniels' "That's the Gospel according to the Fallen Angel" over the years has always been his sign off.

I'll agree that Daniels will always be the Christian to AJ's Edge, but Edge and Christian both bore me to tears and AJ and Daniels are awesome and it's the TNA mangement who have dropped the ball.

Daniels continues to have match of the year honors whenever he gets the opportunity, and he makes the most of them, only to be screwed over by management. His in ring style is excited, well paced and tells a story each time he steps in the ring. He has awesome pyschology unlike top guys like Angle. But of course this is Hogan's TNA and it's hot or miss which way the comapny direcion goes in.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Just because a guy has the talent to be a main eventer doesn't make him so.

Personally I love Christopher Daniels, I remember being livid last year when I found out TNA released him. Daniels is a great talent no question about it and although I certainly believe he has the talent to be a main eventer I don't see him as a main eventer.

Lets see, Million Dollar Man, Jake The Snake, Ravishing Rick Rude and Mr. Perfect all had the skill to be main eventers yet none of them really ever were. Sure they all had brushes in the main event scene but none of them were actually main eventers. The reason for this is because they were never PUSHED as main event wrestlers, therefore they never were.

Making a wrestler a main event talent takes years of work in 99% of all cases, you just can't take a good wrestler and say "hey, you're a main eventer now, get to it!" it doesn't work that way. If the fans are going to believe a guy as a main eventer he has to prove it over years of exceptional work (which I admit Daniels has) but also has to be pushed as such (this is where they dropped the ball). Daniels was never pushed or meant to be a main eventer which is why people don't buy it. By your logic Daniel Bryan should have been main eventing Wrestlemania.

 

[GrandSword]

Daniels push much like Joe has come and gone. Just like Joe he has no momentum and no wins to back up being in the world title scene, which is full right now anyway.

Daniels wont be a main eventer in TNA as long as Hogan is there that's for sure, but all his fans ask for is a match every second week perhaps and a chance to see him hit the Angels Wings for a few victories.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Daniels has been on fire recently in TNA. His last two promos were pretty awesome especially the one in which he told Bubba Ray that he should not worry about the mascara and the nail polish if the guy wearing it is whipping your ass. He is a very underrated talent especially when it comes to mic work.

I think that there are two major problems with Daniels. One is that his style is too flashy and seems too choreographed for him to be taken seriously. Cruiserweights wrestle in that manner. Main eventers don't. He has put on some good matches in the past but I do not think that he has fully transitioned from a spot monkey to a rounded wretling talent.

The second thing is that he has always been booked as shit. He has never won a World Title in the biggest promotions he has wrestled in, namely TNA and ROH. Plus gimmicks like The Curry Man have also held him back. He has very rarely competed for the World Title in either promotion.

So yes, those are the reasons why Daniels is not considered to be a main eventer.