John
05-22-2009, 07:39 PM
IGN recently published an interview with TNA's Christopher Daniels.
IGN: TNA's got a big Pay Per View coming up this Sunday called Sacrifice. I would assume since they've brought you back in a big role that you'll be having a match, but I don't see you listed on the card as of yet? Do you know what you'll be doing?
Christopher Daniels: I'll be on the show, yeah. But I'm not sure exactly what the story on that is. I don't want to allude to something that won't wind up happening. I know I'll definitely be there, but right now there's, like, one of two choices, and I don't want to say one when it could be the other.
IGN: When I was growing up, there were four Main Pay Per Views in the old WWF. They wound up switching to twelve Pay Per Views a year. These last two that they just had were only three weeks apart. TNA now follows suit with a similar schedule, about one Pay Per View a month? How do you think that impact's the business? Do you think it runs the risk of diluting the product?
Daniels: We're just trying to go and put on the best show we can. It wouldn't be any different if we decided to do bi-monthly Pay Per Views, or even quarterly Par Per Views. I think it's just a matter of forwarding our storylines and keeping it interesting and keeping it worth watching. If the landscape of the business had stuck with four "big ones" then we might have stuck with that. Or we might have decided that it was better to try and do more. I think that once it turned into a monthly thing, and there was revenue to be made there, it was just a matter of time before it became the norm. No matter what though, when the Pay Per View lights are on, we're always trying to put our best foot forward.
IGN: How does it feel to be back on in TNA, and back on TV, without a mask on?
Daniels: It's awesome, man. I couldn't have asked for a better way to come back. I feel, like, right now, we're firing on all cylinders as far as the ratings – and our storylines. So it's a good place to be. It's good to be back in the mix. I'm looking forward to just keeping the momentum going. And hopefully move my way up the card as myself.
IGN: I see you're just going by "Daniels" now. Is the "Fallen Angel" persona gone for the meantime?
Daniels: I'm just trying to be myself. Whether or not the "Fallen Angel" disappears completely or re-surfaces eventually – that's still something off in the future for me. Right now I'm concentrating on getting back in the swing of things and trying to hit the ground running like I did in April when I came back. You know, it doesn't matter if they call me "Fallen Angel" or not. Everyone pretty much knows who I am by now, so it's just me going out there and trying to have he best match I can against the people they put in front of me.
IGN: What's your take on the X Division of 2009?
Daniels: I feel like, with guys like Alex Shelly, Chris Sabin and Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed, I still feel like there's a lot of action in the X Division and a lot of intrigue. It's just a matter of TNA trying to put as much of it and as much of its roster on television as they can. And not everybody's an X Division wrestler, but I feel like when the X Division guys get their opportunity, they still shine. It's just a matter of taking what you're given and making the most of it.
IGN: You've been had stints, some longer than others of course, in ROH, WCW, WWE, ECW, XPW and have worked in Japan. You've been in them all pretty much. Is TNA a place where you could see yourself spending the rest of your career?
Daniels: Yeah, I'm happy here. I feel like their ideas and mine coincide. AS far as the schedule that they've given me and the opportunity that they've given me, I've been happier here than just about anywhere else I've been. Right now, they've done good by me as far as how they've put me on television. I absolutely feel loyalty to this company.
IGN: TNA , in the past couple years, has brought in a bunch of WWE ex-patriots, and most of them wound up creating the Main Event Mafia. Do you feel like the attention they bring to the company is good, or do you think that it creates fewer opportunities for the rest of the roster?
Daniels: I feel that anything that's going to shine a spotlight on TNA is a good thing. As long as people are watching, it's great. It's just up to us to make sure that once they start watching, they keep watching. Whether it's the guys like Angle or Foley that do it, or if it's the X Division that does it…it really just depends on what people like. Whatever brings people to the table, it's up to the entire company product to make sure that they keep coming back. It doesn't matter to me if they tune in to see me, or if they tune in to see Kurt Angle or Jeff Jarrett or NO LIMIT. As long as they're coming to see the show, all I can do is worry about what I do in the ring and if I can continue to put the best product out there that I can.
IGN: What's in been like for you, in TNA, to wrestle in the TV studio environment? What's the crowd like?
Daniels: It's still a bunch of hardcore TNA supporters that come to see us. I mean, every once in a while, depending on the season, there are more casual fans or more of a park-going fan that comes to Universal Studios and hears about the tapings and gets to see it. But really, the core audience is still those supporters of us that have been with us since the beginning. And not to downplay their importance, but they're not really the main focus of what we're doing on television. Our focus is the television audience. They're good to have around, but that's not who we're playing to, to be honest with you.
IGN: Would you say that your house shows are a better way to catch your in-ring wrestling product?
Daniels: The house shows are more of a self-contained unit. Most people at house shows aren't as interested in storylines at that moment, so they're just there to see the action. They're there to see the people that they see on television. It's more of an action-based thing. It's all straight finishes straight-up wrestling matches, and the TV is meant to move the storylines along and hopefully keeping people interested enough to get the Pay Per View.
IGN: Which wrestlers did you idolize growing up? Who did you watch that made you say "I want to do that?"
Daniels: I grew up in North Carolina so I got to see old Mid-Atlantic and old NWA. You know, guys like Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes and The Road Warriors. Growing up, my favorites were Magnum T.A. – and Sting to be honest with you. Growing up and watching Mid-Atlantic become the NWA and then become WCW, for the longest time that is what my opinion of wrestling was. In the 90s when I sort of became a wrestler, the guys that I was watching were the guys that were close to my size. Guys like Shawn Michaels and Sean Waltman, and the guys who weighed, you know, 200 to 215 pounds, but that were still successful. Those are the guys I've idolized and that I've tried to pattern myself after. And the guys I've strived to be like in terms of athleticism and character.
IGN: Since he was a childhood hero of yours, did you ever get a chance to meet Sting before he came into TNA?
Daniels: The couple times I was in WCW, I got to meet him. You know "Hi, how are you?" But nothing in depth. It wasn't until he came to TNA and became part of our roster full time that I got to know him better. I was really stoked when I found out I was going to get a chance to work with him. As a guy growing up and watching him, before I was a wrestler, getting to actually work with him was a big deal to me. I felt very honored that the company put me in that position to work with him.
IGN: Well, we're really excited to see you in the ring this Sunday at Sacrifice. What would you has been your favorite TNA moment for you professionally?
Daniels: I would have to say the three-way match I had with Joe and A.J. in 2005. That still stands out to me. The fact that we were put on last. We were the X Division Title Match. And just the fact that I got the be the only X Division Champion to defend his title in the Main Event – that's just something that no one can ever take from me. And the fact that the match was received as well as it was by the wrestling public meant a lot to me. It's something I still try and strive for.
IGN: TNA's got a big Pay Per View coming up this Sunday called Sacrifice. I would assume since they've brought you back in a big role that you'll be having a match, but I don't see you listed on the card as of yet? Do you know what you'll be doing?
Christopher Daniels: I'll be on the show, yeah. But I'm not sure exactly what the story on that is. I don't want to allude to something that won't wind up happening. I know I'll definitely be there, but right now there's, like, one of two choices, and I don't want to say one when it could be the other.
IGN: When I was growing up, there were four Main Pay Per Views in the old WWF. They wound up switching to twelve Pay Per Views a year. These last two that they just had were only three weeks apart. TNA now follows suit with a similar schedule, about one Pay Per View a month? How do you think that impact's the business? Do you think it runs the risk of diluting the product?
Daniels: We're just trying to go and put on the best show we can. It wouldn't be any different if we decided to do bi-monthly Pay Per Views, or even quarterly Par Per Views. I think it's just a matter of forwarding our storylines and keeping it interesting and keeping it worth watching. If the landscape of the business had stuck with four "big ones" then we might have stuck with that. Or we might have decided that it was better to try and do more. I think that once it turned into a monthly thing, and there was revenue to be made there, it was just a matter of time before it became the norm. No matter what though, when the Pay Per View lights are on, we're always trying to put our best foot forward.
IGN: How does it feel to be back on in TNA, and back on TV, without a mask on?
Daniels: It's awesome, man. I couldn't have asked for a better way to come back. I feel, like, right now, we're firing on all cylinders as far as the ratings – and our storylines. So it's a good place to be. It's good to be back in the mix. I'm looking forward to just keeping the momentum going. And hopefully move my way up the card as myself.
IGN: I see you're just going by "Daniels" now. Is the "Fallen Angel" persona gone for the meantime?
Daniels: I'm just trying to be myself. Whether or not the "Fallen Angel" disappears completely or re-surfaces eventually – that's still something off in the future for me. Right now I'm concentrating on getting back in the swing of things and trying to hit the ground running like I did in April when I came back. You know, it doesn't matter if they call me "Fallen Angel" or not. Everyone pretty much knows who I am by now, so it's just me going out there and trying to have he best match I can against the people they put in front of me.
IGN: What's your take on the X Division of 2009?
Daniels: I feel like, with guys like Alex Shelly, Chris Sabin and Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed, I still feel like there's a lot of action in the X Division and a lot of intrigue. It's just a matter of TNA trying to put as much of it and as much of its roster on television as they can. And not everybody's an X Division wrestler, but I feel like when the X Division guys get their opportunity, they still shine. It's just a matter of taking what you're given and making the most of it.
IGN: You've been had stints, some longer than others of course, in ROH, WCW, WWE, ECW, XPW and have worked in Japan. You've been in them all pretty much. Is TNA a place where you could see yourself spending the rest of your career?
Daniels: Yeah, I'm happy here. I feel like their ideas and mine coincide. AS far as the schedule that they've given me and the opportunity that they've given me, I've been happier here than just about anywhere else I've been. Right now, they've done good by me as far as how they've put me on television. I absolutely feel loyalty to this company.
IGN: TNA , in the past couple years, has brought in a bunch of WWE ex-patriots, and most of them wound up creating the Main Event Mafia. Do you feel like the attention they bring to the company is good, or do you think that it creates fewer opportunities for the rest of the roster?
Daniels: I feel that anything that's going to shine a spotlight on TNA is a good thing. As long as people are watching, it's great. It's just up to us to make sure that once they start watching, they keep watching. Whether it's the guys like Angle or Foley that do it, or if it's the X Division that does it…it really just depends on what people like. Whatever brings people to the table, it's up to the entire company product to make sure that they keep coming back. It doesn't matter to me if they tune in to see me, or if they tune in to see Kurt Angle or Jeff Jarrett or NO LIMIT. As long as they're coming to see the show, all I can do is worry about what I do in the ring and if I can continue to put the best product out there that I can.
IGN: What's in been like for you, in TNA, to wrestle in the TV studio environment? What's the crowd like?
Daniels: It's still a bunch of hardcore TNA supporters that come to see us. I mean, every once in a while, depending on the season, there are more casual fans or more of a park-going fan that comes to Universal Studios and hears about the tapings and gets to see it. But really, the core audience is still those supporters of us that have been with us since the beginning. And not to downplay their importance, but they're not really the main focus of what we're doing on television. Our focus is the television audience. They're good to have around, but that's not who we're playing to, to be honest with you.
IGN: Would you say that your house shows are a better way to catch your in-ring wrestling product?
Daniels: The house shows are more of a self-contained unit. Most people at house shows aren't as interested in storylines at that moment, so they're just there to see the action. They're there to see the people that they see on television. It's more of an action-based thing. It's all straight finishes straight-up wrestling matches, and the TV is meant to move the storylines along and hopefully keeping people interested enough to get the Pay Per View.
IGN: Which wrestlers did you idolize growing up? Who did you watch that made you say "I want to do that?"
Daniels: I grew up in North Carolina so I got to see old Mid-Atlantic and old NWA. You know, guys like Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes and The Road Warriors. Growing up, my favorites were Magnum T.A. – and Sting to be honest with you. Growing up and watching Mid-Atlantic become the NWA and then become WCW, for the longest time that is what my opinion of wrestling was. In the 90s when I sort of became a wrestler, the guys that I was watching were the guys that were close to my size. Guys like Shawn Michaels and Sean Waltman, and the guys who weighed, you know, 200 to 215 pounds, but that were still successful. Those are the guys I've idolized and that I've tried to pattern myself after. And the guys I've strived to be like in terms of athleticism and character.
IGN: Since he was a childhood hero of yours, did you ever get a chance to meet Sting before he came into TNA?
Daniels: The couple times I was in WCW, I got to meet him. You know "Hi, how are you?" But nothing in depth. It wasn't until he came to TNA and became part of our roster full time that I got to know him better. I was really stoked when I found out I was going to get a chance to work with him. As a guy growing up and watching him, before I was a wrestler, getting to actually work with him was a big deal to me. I felt very honored that the company put me in that position to work with him.
IGN: Well, we're really excited to see you in the ring this Sunday at Sacrifice. What would you has been your favorite TNA moment for you professionally?
Daniels: I would have to say the three-way match I had with Joe and A.J. in 2005. That still stands out to me. The fact that we were put on last. We were the X Division Title Match. And just the fact that I got the be the only X Division Champion to defend his title in the Main Event – that's just something that no one can ever take from me. And the fact that the match was received as well as it was by the wrestling public meant a lot to me. It's something I still try and strive for.