The Christopher Daniels story: A neglected legend who influenced wrestling without needing WWE

The Fallen Angel, Christopher Daniels, has finally ascended to the heavens of professional wrestling and become a legend without WWE as he has hung up his boots once and for all. Daniels seemingly wrestled his final bout against Hangman Adam Page in a Texas Death match on the latest episode of AEW Collision, with the latter emerging victorious.

However, we're not here to discuss his loss and retirement; this is purely a celebration of Christopher Daniels' legendary career in the professional wrestling industry.

So, join us in paying tribute to one of the best professional wrestlers to ever lace his boots and make a lasting impact without ever needing WWE.

The first part of your life, you learn - The Early Years when he even competed for WWE

The early years of any professional wrestler are all about learning, and Christopher Daniels learned quickly when he started in 1993. The beginning of Daniels' wrestling career was ironic, as he competed for the biggest promotions at that time: ECW, WCW, and WWE (which was then called WWF).

He would appear as an enhancement talent for WWE that would last for a limited amount of time. He competed in a few matches for the Stamford-based promotion under his real name and an alias of Dos of the Los Conquistadores during Edge and Christian's feud against The Hardy Boyz.

Daniels even participated in a tryout for WWE in the early 2000s. However, he wasn't given a full-time contract. A young Christopher Daniels then made it a mission to make it big, as he never returned to World Wrestling Entertainment and continued to gain recognition as a talent to watch out for in the indies.

The second part of your life, you earn - Christopher Daniels in his prime

Christopher Daniels didn't let the rejection from WWE let him get down, so he continued his work in the independent wrestling scene. His star began to shine brighter as he found himself at home in two independent wrestling promotions, Ring of Honor and TNA.

His technical prowess and impeccable in-ring ability were on full display during his run for ROH when he faced off against Low-ki, Bryan Danielson, and CM Punk. Daniels then helped build the X-division of TNA during the 2000s, colliding in matches against Samoa Joe and AJ Styles.

One of these matches between Daniels, Styles, and Joe at Unbreakable 2005 would become a legend, and it is still regarded as a five-star classic today.

During this time, Christopher Daniels adopted the character of The Fallen Angel, which saw him presented as a cult-like figure. This partly stemmed from his rejection of big promotions such as WWE. He often presented himself as someone with great influence, speaking in cryptic undertones. He continued to perfect this character of great arrogance and malice.

The third part of your life, you return - the latter Part of Christopher Daniels' career

As the 2010s approached, Christopher Daniels had established himself as one of the best talents on the independent professional wrestling scene. By this time, his influence on the next generation of professional wrestlers would begin to show as a crop of talent emerged with a similar in-ring style to him.

A particular talent with a devilish charm similar to a young Christopher Daniels would be Adam Cole, back in his Bullet Club era in Japan, who would feud with him in Ring of Honor. Their matches in ROH would captivate fans as Daniels finally finished his long-term quest of becoming ROH World Champion after he defeated Cole at the promotion's 15th Anniversary show.

However, Christopher Daniels continued to work with the younger generation when he joined AEW in 2019. He worked closely with Kazarian and Scorpio Sky in the group SoCal Uncensored, which took on The Young Bucks, and also helped introduce Mr. Brodie Lee to Tony Khan's promotion.

Khan would shortly buy ROH, and Daniels would switch between the two promotions. As his career began to wind down, The Fallen Angel took on a backstage role in AEW and even served as an interim EVP during Kenny Omega's hiatus. Ultimately, he got involved in a heated feud with Hangman Page, which led to his retirement match.

The impact of Christopher Daniels

We're here to thank you, Christopher Daniels, for the time he's served in professional wrestling. The 32 years he's given to this industry for the fans will be remembered and put him high up as a legendary wrestler who made it big without ever needing the help of WWE.

He gave the younger generation a blueprint for achieving their dreams. His efforts at a time when many felt they couldn't become successful wrestling stars without competing for the biggest promotions showed them they were wrong.

His dedication to his craft and the young stars he would also help make are true signs of a classy professional wrestler. Now, as The Final Angel bowed his head for the final time in the squared circle, it's time for us to say, Thank you, Christopher Daniels.