Christopher Daniels revives legendary gimmick days after AEW retirement

AEW Head of Talent Relations Christopher Daniels hung up his boots last month. However, he recently resurfaced in a mask, reviving the legendary persona known as 'Curry Man.'

Before Christopher Daniels made his name as the Fallen Angel, he was grinding on the independent circuit. In 1999, Daniels competed in Michinoku Pro's 2nd Masked Man League Tournament, where he donned a fiery mask and called himself Curry Man.

He revived the gimmick years later in TNA, bringing Curry Man's cartoonish antics to the American wrestling scene. The persona, which was jarringly different from the Fallen Angel gimmick he'd become known for, quickly gained a cult following.

It's been years since fans last saw Curry Man, but Christopher Daniels has now revived the character. Following his brutal Texas Death Match with Hangman Page and subsequent in-ring retirement last month, the AEW star donned the red mask once again on this year's Jericho Cruise. Check out some pictures of Curry Man in action below:

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Christopher Daniels on finding peace in retiring

Despite not wrestling very often, Christopher Daniels has been an important figure within AEW. He, along with Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky as SoCal Uncensored, was integral in building Being the Elite's fanbase, which ultimately brought the original All In—and thus, AEW—into being.

Daniels also serves as the company's Head of Talent Relations and was even a temporary EVP during Kenny Omega's year-long absence. In a recent conversation on Talk is Jericho, the 54-year-old addressed his bloody Texas Death Match against Hangman Page, noting that he's more at peace with retiring than he thought he would be:

"I’m a lot more at peace with it than I thought I would be. I think a lot of that has to do with not wrestling as often as I did in 2024. Like I said, this match that I had with Hangman was the first match that I had in four months. Before that, it was another four months before I had a match. The match that I had before this Hangman match was a match with Jack Perry. And honestly, it wasn’t even supposed to be me. It was just one of those things where Tony had Jack Perry versus TBD, and I was like what if that’s me? Because I had this thing with The Elite," Christopher Daniels said.

Daniels has wrapped up his career in the ring, but he remains a key backstage figure in All Elite Wrestling. Only time will tell what other roles the Fallen Angel will play in Tony Khan's promotion.