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Professional wrestling is a challenging and dangerous vocation, and AEW stars aren't immune to its hazards. But for one of the company's most promising young talents, it was an incident outside the ring that nearly ended his career. The star in question is former ROH Pure Champion Daniel Garcia.
Garcia signed with AEW in October 2021 and was initially presented as one of wrestling's most talented in-ring technicians. The 25-year-old wanted to expand his skills in the realm of sports entertainment, however, and chose to join The Jericho Appreciation Society last year. Since then, he has become popular for his humorous dance routine.
The fact that he can wrestle and dance as well as he does is a testament to the young star's perseverance and physical prowess, as he was involved in a car accident in 2019 that nearly ended his career. In an exclusive interview with The Messenger, Garcia described the accident as one of the hardest parts of his life.
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"After the accident, I really didn't know if I wanted to continue wrestling," he said.
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Garcia broke both of his legs in the crash, and his arduous rehabilitation forced him to briefly reconsider his chosen profession:
"It made me realize that life has so many variables that exist, and there's so much danger in day-to-day life without wrestling," Garcia said. "I was like, 'Man, do I really want to put more danger in my life by traveling so much and doing a high-risk activity? Is that something I want to put myself through? Is that something I want to put my mom through?'"
The 25-year-old further pointed to his family as the support system that helped him through the ordeal.
AEW's Daniel Garcia is committed to proving his doubters wrong
When Daniel Garcia first arrived in AEW, he had many detractors in the online wrestling community. The Jacksonville-based promotion has been criticized by some for its focus on in-ring action over entertaining personalities and storylines, and Garcia was looked at by many as 'just another wrestler.'
The former ROH Pure Champion chose to tackle that narrative head-on, turning down Bryan Danielson's invitation to The Blackpool Combat Club in order to learn under WWE legend Chris Jericho.
In the same interview, Garcia described his commitment to overcoming the specific criticisms that have been thrown his way:
"If somebody says, 'Hey, this guy can't cut a promo,' then OK, I'm going to learn how to cut a promo," Garcia said. "'Oh, this guy has bad gear,' OK, I'm gonna get good gear. 'Oh, this guy is too skinny,' OK then I'm gonna get big."
Daniel Garcia has shown some frustration over his recent string of losses but reconfirmed his commitment to being the best in a recent promo.
Do you think Daniel Garcia will ever be a main event talent in AEW? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
