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Christopher Daniel Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
Christopher Daniels, is an American retired
professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
. He is signed to
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
(AEW), where he works as the Head of Talent Relations and was formerly an in-ring performer. He is best known for his time in
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
(TNA) and
Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...
(ROH), as well as extensive time on the
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
; he is known as the "King of Indies" for his work with independent promotions across the world, including
Frontier Wrestling Alliance Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) was a professional wrestling promotion in Britain. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted ...
(FWA),
International Wrestling Cartel International Wrestling Cartel is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is owned and operated by Justin Plummer, has become the longest tenured owner. Norm Connors ran the promotion for ...
(IWC), and
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. As of 2024, it is on an extended hiatus. It was created by pro wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super ...
(PWG). Daniels has won 20 total championships between Impact, ROH, and
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...
(NJPW), with three reigns as
Impact X Division Champion The TNA X Division Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of TNA's second then- weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The curr ...
, six reigns as
NWA World Tag Team Champion The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...
, and two reigns as
Impact World Tag Team Champion The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship which is owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion. The current champions are The Nemeth Brothers ( Nic Nemeth and Ryan Nemeth), ...
during his time with Impact Wrestling; one reign as
ROH World Champion The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The current champion is Bandido, who is in his second reign. In ...
, one reign as
ROH World Television Champion The ROH World Television Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#Gimmick/style championships, world television championship in the Ring of Honor (ROH) professional wrestling promotion, promotion. With the int ...
, four reigns as
ROH World Tag Team Champion The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). The current champions are Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara who are in t ...
, and one reign as
ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion The ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion. It is defended by three-man tag teams, also referred to as trios. The current champions are The Sons o ...
while wrestling for ROH; and one reign as
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on August 8, 1998, at an NJPW live event. The IWGP Junio ...
in NJPW. Daniels retired from in-ring competition in January 2025.


Early life

Christopher Daniel Covell was born in
Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...
,
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
, on March 24, 1970. When Covell was three, his family relocated to
Fayetteville Fayetteville may refer to: *Fayetteville, Alabama *Fayetteville, Arkansas ** The Fayetteville Formation *Fayetteville, Georgia *Fayetteville, Illinois *Fayetteville, Indiana *Fayetteville, Washington County, Indiana *Fayetteville, Missouri *Fayette ...
,
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
, where he became an avid fan of
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling Jim Crockett Promotions, at times branded as Eastern States Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in ...
. After he graduated from Methodist College with a degree in
theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...
, Covell and his wife moved to
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, where he planned to become an
actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
.


Professional wrestling career


Early career (1993–2002)

After being trained by Sam DeCero, Mike Anthony and Kevin Quinn, Daniels made his debut for
Windy City Pro Wrestling Windy City Pro Wrestling is an American regional professional wrestling promotion originally based in Chicago, Illinois. Established as Windy City Wrestling by retired wrestler Sam DeCero in 1988, the promotion was one of several major regional ...
in April 1993, losing a tag match with Titan to The Manson Brothers (Ripper and Skull). The following month he defeated Trevor Blanchard for the WCPW Light Heavyweight Championship, and shortly thereafter won the WCPW Tag Team Championship with Kevin Quinn. Daniels subsequently traveled to Puerto Rico to wrestle for the
World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC; Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha") is a professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón, Victor Jovica, and Goril ...
, and on October 22, 1995, teamed with Kevin Quinn (as the team of Overkill) to defeat Huracán Castillo Jr. and
Invader I ''InVader'' is the fourth album by Finnish glam metal band Reckless Love, released on 4 March 2016 through Spinefarm Records. Track listing All songs written by Olli Herman, Pepe Reckless, and Ikka Wirtanen, unless otherwise noted. Reception Wr ...
for the
WWC World Tag Team Championship The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council. History Abroad (2017) On February 11, 2017, Thunder and Lightning defended t ...
. They lost the titles a month later to The Canadian Glamour Boys (
Val Venis Sean Allen Morley (born March 6, 1971), better known by his ring name Val Venis, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE) from 1998 to 20 ...
and
Shane Sewell Shane Sewell (born September 5, 1972) is a Canadian professional wrestler and referee. He has worked for the World Wrestling Council, the International Wrestling Association and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as both a referee and wrestler. Shan ...
). Back in Windy City, Daniels defeated Bret Sanders for the WCPW Middleweight Championship, losing it to Brandon Bishop 17 days later. Around this time, he also wrestled for the Empire Wrestling Federation, where he won the
EWF Heavyweight Championship The EWF Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling title in the Southern California-based Empire Wrestling Federation independent promotion. It was established in 1996, with Bobby Bradley as the first champion, who defeated Zuma t ...
. Daniels teamed with Kevin Quinn to defeat Danny Dominion and Ace Steele at the NWA's 50th Anniversary show in October 1998 to become the first NWA Midwest Tag Team Champions. He participated in the 3rd Annual ECWA Super 8 Tournament, reaching the finals where he lost to Steve Bradley. After a short stint in
Extreme Championship Wrestling Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was an American professional wrestling promotion that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operated by its parent company HHG Corporation. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as Nationa ...
he traveled to Japan, where he developed his masked persona, Curry Man, and competed in the Masked Man League, finishing third. On December 19, 1999, he defeated
Minoru Fujita (born September 5, 1977) is a Japanese professional wrestler who works as a freelancer. He is known for working at Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling. Career Japanese independent scene (1997-present) Fujita started in Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) as a ...
in
Michinoku Pro Wrestling (originally known as North Eastern Wrestling) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded by The Great Sasuke on October 1, 1992. It was the first independent wrestling promotion in Japan to not base its operations in Tokyo, but rathe ...
for the
British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship The British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship that although being created in England, was most notorious in Japan. History Not long after its creation in 1995, the title made its way to Michin ...
. Back in the U.S., he defeated
Michael Modest Michael K. Cariglio (born July 19, 1971) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his stage name, Michael Modest (sometimes shortened to Mike Modest). Modest ran the promotion Pro Wrestling Iron with tag partner Donovan Morgan and F ...
for the
APW Worldwide Internet Championship The APW Worldwide Internet Championship was a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the independent professional wrestling promotion All Pro Wrestling. Title history As of , , there have been 53 reigns between 39 champion ...
in All Pro Wrestling and won the 4th Annual ECWA Super 8 Tournament. He then won APW's King of the Indies tournament, the WCPW League Championship, and the UPW Heavyweight Championship.


World Wrestling Federation (1998–2001)

In 1998, Daniels signed a developmental deal with the
World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
and trained at Dory Funk Jr.'s Funkin' Dojo. He made his WWF debut on January 19, 1998, losing a dark match to Mick Tierney, and went on to be used as a
jobber Jobber may refer to: Athletics * Job (professional wrestling) - A professional wrestler who routinely loses a match. * Wichita Jobbers, a minor league baseball team in the Western Association from 1905 to 1911 Commerce * A person or corporation ...
on the WWF's B-shows, ''
Sunday Night Heat ''WWE Heat'' (formerly known as ''Sunday Night Heat'' and also known as ''Heat'') is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and aired from August 2, 1998 to May 30, 2008. Or ...
'' and ''
WWF Shotgun Saturday Night ''WWF Shotgun Saturday Night'' is a professional wrestling television program that was produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It aired from January 4, 1997, through August 21, 1999, as a syndicated broadcast. ''Shotgun Saturday Nigh ...
'', throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2000, he donned a mask and teamed (as Dos) with
Aaron Aguilera Aaron Aguilera (born February 28, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and actor best known as Jesús and Uno on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), MTV's Wrestling Society X, All Japan Pro Wrestling as Zodiac and Lucha Libre USA as Lu ...
(Uno) as
Los Conquistadores Los Conquistadores were a heel jobber professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), consisting of two masked wrestlers known as ''One'' (or Spanish ''Uno'' for "one") and ''Two'' (or Spanish ''Dos'' for "two"). The o ...
, as part of
The Hardy Boyz The Hardy Boyz are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Jeff Hardy, Jeff and Matt Hardy. They are both signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where they are former three time TNA Tag Team Championship, TNA ...
' feud with
Edge and Christian Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
. He also appeared as one of the
Los Conquistadores Los Conquistadores were a heel jobber professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), consisting of two masked wrestlers known as ''One'' (or Spanish ''Uno'' for "one") and ''Two'' (or Spanish ''Dos'' for "two"). The o ...
alongside Aaron Aguilera where they competed in the APA's bar room brawl at the
WWE Vengeance WWE Vengeance, known as Vengeance Day since 2021, is an American professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was originally created in 2001 as a pay-per-view (PPV), when the prom ...
pay-per-view event in 2003. He made several appearances on ''
WWF Jakked ''WWF Jakked'' and ''WWF Metal'' are American professional wrestling television programs that were produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as WWE). Both programs aired in broadcast syndication weekly from August 28, 1999 until M ...
'' during the spring of 2001, including a singles loss to
Jerry Lynn Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach. Lynn has worked for professional wrestling promotion, promotions ...
and a tag team loss to Kaientai with
Scoot Andrews Andrew Warner (born June 1, 1967) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "the Black Nature Boy" Scoot Andrews. After debuting in 1994, Andrew competed for numerous independent professional wrestling promotio ...
as his partner.


World Championship Wrestling (2000–2001)

On January 14, 2000, Daniels received a tryout match with
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
, defeating Mikey Henderson. The original idea was for Daniels to portray
Vampiro Ian Richard Hodgkinson (born May 31, 1967), better known by his ring name Vampiro, is a Canadian retired professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He currently works for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He also worked for Lucha Underground ...
's dark master, Syndrome, but his WCW debut was continually postponed, and he eventually returned to the independent scene. On the June 17, 2000, episode of ''
WCW WorldWide ''WCW WorldWide'' is an American syndicated television show that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) that aired from October 8, 1975, to March 31, 2001. At the time of its cancellation, ''WorldWide'' was the longest-running, unin ...
'', Daniels lost to
Chris Candido Christopher Barrett Candito (March 21, 1972 – April 28, 2005) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Candito is best remembered for his tenures with professional wrestling promotion, promotions such as World Championship ...
and on the October 21 episode of ''WorldWide'', Daniels lost to Kwee Wee. On the January 22, 2001, episode of ''
WCW Monday Nitro ''WCW Monday Nitro'', also known as ''WCW Nitro'' or simply ''Nitro'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and broadcast weekly every Monday night on TNT (American TV ...
'', Daniels wrestled
Michael Modest Michael K. Cariglio (born July 19, 1971) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his stage name, Michael Modest (sometimes shortened to Mike Modest). Modest ran the promotion Pro Wrestling Iron with tag partner Donovan Morgan and F ...
. During the match, he attempted a springboard moonsault, but his left foot missed the ring rope. Unable to sufficiently push off to complete the rotation, he botched the move and landed on his head, damaging his neck. Though he was able to finish the match, his left arm was impaired throughout it. Afterwards, Daniels and Modest signed 90-day contracts, but Daniels was released before he had another match.


Independent circuit (2001–2002)

Throughout 2001 and 2002, he continued wrestling on the independent circuit, winning multiple titles and tournaments and debuting in Canada and the United Kingdom.


Ring of Honor (2002–2004)


The Prophecy

On February 23, 2002, Daniels wrestled in the triple threat main event of Ring of Honor's first show, ''The Era of Honor Begins'', against
Low Ki Brandon Silvestry (born September 6, 1979) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Low Ki. He is known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Major ...
and
Bryan Danielson Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...
. He lost the match, then refused to shake hands with his opponents, breaking ROH's "Code of Honor", which mandated that all wrestlers shake hands before and after a match. He then took the mic and challenged Low Ki and Danielson to a round robin tournament at ROH's second show, ''Round Robin Challenge''. Daniels defeated Danielson in the first match, then forced him to shake his hand. He next submitted to Low Ki's Dragon Clutch, but again refused to shake hands and said he would have won if he had not already wrestled that night, vowing to not wrestle Low Ki again unless the
ROH World Championship The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The cu ...
was on the line. At Ring of Honor's third show, ''A Night of Appreciation'', Daniels lost to
Donovan Morgan Andrew Vassos (born January 10, 1976) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Donovan Morgan. Best known for his near five-year run as a Pro Wrestling NOAH mainstay in Japan and Ring of Honor in the United S ...
, with both men showing mutual respect. The two men formed a partnership, eventually adding other members and growing into the
stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...
known as The Prophecy. Daniels defeated
AJ Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (or A.J. Styles), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, ...
on June 22, to qualify for the first
ROH World Championship The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The cu ...
match, a one-hour Iron Man match against Spanky, Doug Williams, and Low Ki. In this title match, Daniels scored a pin on the eventual winner, Low Ki, and was the only wrestler not to lose a fall by pin or submission. Two months later, Low Ki defended the title against Xavier. During the match, Daniels came to the ring to distract Low Ki, allowing Xavier to attack the champion with a chair and pin him for the title. Xavier was subsequently announced as the newest member of The Prophecy. Later that night, Daniels and Morgan defeated Danielson and
Michael Modest Michael K. Cariglio (born July 19, 1971) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his stage name, Michael Modest (sometimes shortened to Mike Modest). Modest ran the promotion Pro Wrestling Iron with tag partner Donovan Morgan and F ...
to become the inaugural ROH Tag Team Champions, giving The Prophecy possession of all championships in Ring of Honor. At Glory By Honor, Daniels defeated Doug Williams, who was consequently banned from shaking hands in ROH. The Prophecy recruited the debuting
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...
to take out Low Ki in the first ever
Fight Without Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subse ...
, a match that does not follow ROH's Code of Honor rules. Low Ki won the match and shook Joe's hand. On March 13, 2003, A.J. Styles and
Amazing Red Jonathan Figueroa (born April 26, 1982), better known by his ring name Amazing Red, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler and promoter. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former three-time X ...
defeated Daniels and Xavier (substituting for Morgan) for the ROH Tag Team Championship. At the next show, The Prophecy also lost the ROH Championship, when former member Samoa Joe defeated Xavier. On April 26, Daniels won the second Round Robin Challenge by defeating Amazing Red and
Paul London Paul Michael London (born April 16, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he performs as a wrestler and a producer. He is best known for his tenure in WW ...
in singles matches. On June 14, The Prophecy put their existence in ROH on the line in a six-man tag team match against The Group (Samoa Joe, C. W. Anderson, and Michael Shane). The Prophecy won, and The Group was forced to disband. Daniels defeated the returning Xavier on August 16 to become number one contender for the ROH World Championship, only to be defeated by champion Samoa Joe on September 20. After
CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...
declined an offer to join The Prophecy, someone assaulted his girlfriend
Lucy Lucy is an English language, English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings ar ...
backstage, forcing her out of ROH. On December 23, 2003, Daniels revealed that
B. J. Whitmer Benjamin Whitmer (born January 25, 1978), better known by the ring name B. J. Whitmer, is an American professional wrestling producer, professional wrestling trainer, color commentator, and retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his ...
, the newest member of The Prophecy, had attacked Lucy, starting a rivalry between The Prophecy and Punk's stable,
The Second City Saints The Second City Saints was an American professional wrestling stable in Ring of Honor, consisting of CM Punk, Colt Cabana and Ace Steel, consisting of all three members representing Chicago, Illinois. They were also managed sporadically by Lucy an ...
. On January 10, 2004, at ''Battle Lines are Drawn'', The Prophecy (Daniels, Whitmer, and
Dan Maff Daniel Lopez (born October 28, 1973), better known by his ring name Dan Maff, is an American professional wrestler, known for his time with Ring of Honor (ROH). Professional wrestling career Da Hit Squad Lopez attended Jersey All Pro Wrestling ...
) faced The Second City Saints (Punk,
Colt Cabana Scott Colton (born May 6, 1980), better known by the ring name Colt Cabana, is an American professional wrestler, color commentator, and podcaster. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and as a coach, and he performs the same ...
, and
Ace Steel Christopher Guy (born January 25, 1973) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ace Steel. , he is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a Producer (wrestling), producer. He is perhaps be ...
) in a six-man tag team main event. The Prophecy was disqualified when Whitmer accidentally hit the referee with a chair. After the match, Punk dropped Daniels from the ropes through a table with the Pepsi Plunge, putting him out of ROH. In reality, Daniels' exit was a result of
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
(TNA) not allowing their contracted wrestlers to work ROH shows, in light of a scandal surrounding ROH promoter Rob Feinstein.


Return to ROH (2005–2007)

In the summer of 2005, Ring of Honor announced that, after a sixteen-month absence, Daniels would return on July 8. However, on June 18, at Death Before Dishonor III, he made a surprise early return, confronting and challenging the new ROH World Champion, CM Punk, who had threatened to leave for
World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
with the title. Punk refused the challenge and fled the arena. At the next show, ''Sign of Dishonor'', Daniels defeated Punk's stablemate, Colt Cabana, when Punk attempted to hit Daniels with a steel chain, but instead hit Cabana. At ''Fate of an Angel'', Daniels lost to the debuting
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he a former List of TNA World Tag Team Champions, three time TNA Wor ...
after Punk interfered. Later that night, after Punk's successful defense against James Gibson, Daniels stole the belt and was granted a title shot. On July 23, at ''The Homecoming'', Daniels wrestled Punk to a one-hour time limit draw; the time expired just as Daniels hit his Angel's Wings finisher. At the next show on August 12, ''Redemption'', Daniels, Gibson and Samoa Joe challenged CM Punk for the title in a
Four-Way Elimination match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
. While Joe had Daniels in a submission move, Daniels put his foot on the rope to force a break. Punk knocked it off before the referee noticed, and Daniels submitted. Daniels tried to get revenge, but inadvertently helped Punk eliminate Joe. Daniels remained a regular member of the ROH roster, while also working other promotions. He made his U.S. debut as Curry Man on August 27, against
Shingo Takagi (born 21 November 1982), known by the ring name Shingo Takagi (鷹木信悟, ''Takagi Shingo''), is a Japanese professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a former member of the ''Los Ingob ...
at '' Dragon Gate Invasion'' After defeating
Matt Sydal Matthew Joseph Korklan (born March 19, 1983), better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his tenure with WWE from 2008 to 2014 under the ring nam ...
in two singles matches and losing to him in a third, they became tag team partners in the summer of 2006. On August 26, they failed in their first shot at the ROH World Tag Team Championship, against
Austin Aries Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA Wrestling, where he is a t ...
and
Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his ring name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Paragon stable and is a former one-time AEW I ...
. On November 25, they defeated
Chris Hero William Christopher Spradlin (born December 24, 1979), better known by his ring name Chris Hero, is an American professional wrestler and trainer. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer. Hero has worked for a number of indepen ...
and
Claudio Castagnoli Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Death Riders and a former AEW World Trios Championship, AEW World Trios Champion. He also per ...
for the title, making Daniels a two-time champion. After defending against
CIMA Cima may refer to: Acronyms *The Center for International Media Assistance, a media development organization in Washington, DC * Center for Italian Modern Art * Centre International de la Mécanique d'Art (International centre for Art Mechanics), ...
and Shingo, Austin Aries and Roderick Strong and Jack Evans and Shingo, Daniels and Sydal lost the title to
The Briscoe Brothers The Briscoe Brothers, also called The Briscoes, were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of American brothers Jay Briscoe (Jamin Pugh, 1984–2023) and Mark Briscoe (Mark Pugh, born 1985). They were known for their 20-year tenure with th ...
on February 24, 2007. At ''Good Times, Great Memories'' on April 28, Daniels wrestled a fifteen-minute time-limit draw with Erick Stevens. Following the match, Daniels turned
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
and quit ROH.


Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2002–2010)


Triple X (2002–2004)

Daniels joined the newly founded
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
(TNA) in 2002. He debuted for TNA at a weekly pay-per-view event on July 10, where he participated in a six-way elimination match to determine the #1 contender for the
X Division Championship The TNA X Division Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of TNA's second then- weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The curr ...
, where he was the runner-up, being eliminated by
Low Ki Brandon Silvestry (born September 6, 1979) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Low Ki. He is known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Major ...
. The following week, on July 17, Daniels teamed with
Elix Skipper Elix Skipper (born December 15, 1967) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, where he was a one-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time WCW Cruiserweight Tag ...
for the first time in a losing effort against The Flying Elvises (
Jorge Estrada Jorge Moraza is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Jorge Estrada. He is a former National Wrestling Alliance North American Heavyweight champion and participated in the first televised match of NWA Total Nonstop A ...
and
Sonny Siaki Sonny Siaki (born July 23, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler of American Samoan descent. He is best known for his time in NWA Total Nonstop Action, where he was a one-time TNA X Division Champion. Early life When Siaki was ...
). After a long hiatus, Daniels returned to TNA on December 18 and joined
Vince Russo Vincent James Russo (born January 24, 1961) is an American professional wrestling writer, booker and pundit. He is notable for his tenures with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop ...
's
Sports Entertainment Xtreme Vincent James Russo (born January 24, 1961) is an American professional wrestling writer, booker and pundit. He is notable for his tenures with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop A ...
stable, along with Low Ki and Elix Skipper by attacking
Curt Hennig Curtis Michael Hennig (March 28, 1958 – February 10, 2003), better known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler. Considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time by peers, critics, and fans, he per ...
. Later in the night, the trio defeated
Amazing Red Jonathan Figueroa (born April 26, 1982), better known by his ring name Amazing Red, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler and promoter. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former three-time X ...
and
The S.A.T. The S.A.T. (Spanish Announce Team) was a professional wrestling tag team mostly seen in independent promotions that consisted of brothers Jose Maximo (Kelvin Ramirez, born October 13, 1983) and Joel Maximo (Julio Ramirez, November 28, 1979) who ...
in a six-man tag team match. On January 8, the trio of Daniels, Ki and Skipper was named Triple X as all three members competed against
Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he both wrestles and serves as Director of Business Development. He is also ...
for the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...
in a gauntlet match but failed to win. On January 22, Ki and Skipper defeated
America's Most Wanted ''America's Most Wanted'' (often abbreviated as ''AMW'') is an American television program whose first run was produced by 20th Television, and second run is under the Fox Entertainment#Fox Alternative Entertainment, Fox Alternative Entertain ...
(
Chris Harris Chris Harris may refer to: Sportspeople * Chris Harris (basketball) (1933–2022), English basketballer * Chris Harris (cricketer) (born 1969), New Zealand cricketer * Chris Harris (darts player) (born 1977), Welsh darts player * Chris Harris (rowe ...
and
James Storm James Allen Cox (born June 1, 1977) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name James Storm. He currently competes on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He sta ...
) to win the
NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...
. Daniels was recognized as the champion as well with any two of the three members defending the tag team titles via the Triple X Rule. The titles were vacated via a double pin against
The Harris Brothers Donald Harris and Ronald Harris (born October 23, 1960) are American twin brothers best known for their professional wrestling careers with promotions including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the W ...
on February 5. On March 12, Daniels and Low Ki defeated America's Most Wanted to win the vacant NWA World Tag Team Championship, beginning the trio's second reign with the tag team titles. On April 16, Daniels and Skipper lost the titles to
Jerry Lynn Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach. Lynn has worked for professional wrestling promotion, promotions ...
and Amazing Red. On April 23, Triple X defeated America's Most Wanted to earn a rematch for the tag team titles. However, Daniels lost a match to Lynn on April 30 and as per pre-match stipulation, Lynn and Red would have to defend the titles against one member of Triple X of their choosing and Daniels was chosen. The subsequent
handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
took place on May 7, where Daniels defeated Lynn and Red via disqualification to win Triple X's third NWA World Tag Team Championship and becoming the first person to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship individually. Shortly after, Low Ki left TNA while Daniels and Skipper continued to team as Triple X and defend the tag team titles until losing them to America's Most Wanted in a
steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
on June 25. Following the title loss, Triple X disbanded as both men went their separate ways. Daniels briefly feuded with Jeff Jarrett in the summer of 2003. He then regularly wrestled in the
X Division The X Division is a professional wrestling division utilized by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion and used historically in several National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) member promotions. The division is intended to emphasize a fas ...
and pursued the X Division Championship before briefly reuniting Triple X with the returning Low Ki in March 2004 as they participated in a tournament for the vacant NWA World Tag Team Championship by defeating The New Franchise ( Michael Shane and
Shane Douglas Troy Allan Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler, manager, and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship ...
) and
The Naturals The Naturals were a professional wrestling tag team made up of Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens. They are best known for their work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where they are former three-time NWA World Tag Team Champions. History ...
( Andy Douglas and
Chase Stevens Chase Bradley Stevens (born January 17, 1979) is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name of "The Natural" Chase Stevens. He is known primarily for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he was a member ...
) before losing to
Kid Kash David Tyler Cash (born July 31, 1969), better known by his ring name Kid Kash, is an American mixed martial artist and retired professional wrestler, best known for his tenures with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Total Nonstop Action Wre ...
and
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
in the tournament final. Ki left TNA shortly after. On April 21, Daniels defeated Michael Shane to qualify for
Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...
for the 2004 World X Cup, where Daniels was reunited with his Triple X teammate Elix Skipper as they defeated
Team Canada Canadian National Team or Team Canada may refer to: Canada at multi-sport events * Canada at the Olympics ** Canadian Olympic Committee * Canada at the Paralympics ** Canadian Paralympic Committee * Canada at the Commonwealth Games * Canada at ...
members
Bobby Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (professional wrestling), producer and was formerly an in-ring performer. Roode is known ...
and
Johnny Devine John Parsonage (born April 27, 1974) is a Canadians, Canadian semi-retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Hot Shot" Johnny Devine. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Pro ...
. After the World X Cup, Daniels reunited Triple X with Skipper and they participated in a Best of Three Series against America's Most Wanted with the winning team earning the #1 contendership for the NWA World Tag Team Championship. After both teams won the first and second matches respectively, the third match ended in a no contest after interference by The Naturals. A rematch between both teams on the August 27 episode of '' Impact!'' would turn into a singles match between Daniels and Harris after Storm suffered an injury. The match ended in a ten-minute time limit draw, resulting in AMW and Triple X both unsuccessfully challenging Naturals for the tag team titles in a three-way on September 1. On September 8, Harris and Skipper won the tag team titles after both Daniels and Storm were injured by The Naturals. On the September 24 episode of ''Impact!'', Daniels and Storm defeated Harris and Skipper to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship, marking Daniels' fourth reign. They lost the titles to Team Canada's Bobby Roode and Eric Young on the October 15 episode of ''Impact!''. Triple X would resume their feud with America's Most Wanted after the title loss, which led to a
last man standing match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
between the two teams at TNA's first-ever monthly pay-per-view Victory Road on November 7, which Triple X lost. The following month, at
Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Am ...
, Triple X lost to AMW in a Six Sides of Steel match, which forced Triple X to disband.


X Division Champion (2005–2007)

On the January 14, 2005, episode of ''Impact!'', Daniels lost to
Chris Sabin Joshua Harter (born February 4, 1982), better known by the ring name Chris Sabin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 f ...
in a qualifier for the
Ultimate X match The Ultimate X match is a type of professional wrestling match created by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), mainly used in their X Division. It is considered the signature match of the X Division. Match format Ultimate X is contested by th ...
at
Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling TNA+ event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to ...
. However, Daniels competed at the event as he teamed with
Michael Shane and Kazarian Michael Shane and Kazarian were a professional wrestling tag team in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling formed by Matt Bentley (then known as "Michael Shane") and Frankie Kazarian (usually known just by his last name, "Kazarian"), and managed by Trac ...
against
3Live Kru The 3 Live Kru (3LK) was a professional wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It debuted in July 2003, and was initially a trio consisting of Ron Killings, Konnan and B.G. James. Each member exemplified an ethnic stereotype, ...
in a losing effort. On the January 21 episode of ''Impact!'', Daniels lasted ten minutes with A.J. Styles, thus earning a title shot against Styles for the TNA X Division Championship at Against All Odds, where Daniels failed to win the title. This marked the beginning of a lengthy feud between Daniels and Styles over the X Division Championship. On the March 11 episode of ''Impact!'', Daniels defeated Chris Sabin to qualify for the Ultimate X Challenge at
Destination X Destination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event held by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion TNA Wrestling. The event primarily revolved around the X-Division, the 2005 ...
against Styles,
Ron Killings Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under his real name, stylized as Ron Killings and R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) ...
and Elix Skipper. The match ended in a
screwjob Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence of ...
. Styles had retrieved the belt, but the referee was unconscious. Daniels hit Styles with an ''Angel's Wings'' and took the belt when the ref woke, thus winning his first X Division Championship. Daniels successfully defended the title against Skipper in a Six Sides of Steel match at
Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
. Daniels successfully defended the title against Shocker at
Hard Justice Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, was an annual professional wrestling Impact Plus Impact Plus Monthly Specials, event produced by Impact Wrestling. It was originally introduced as a pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view e ...
, Chris Sabin and Michael Shane in a three-way match at
Slammiversary Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event produced by the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. It is one of TNA's “Big Four” PPV events (along with TNA Hard To Kill, Hard ...
and
Petey Williams Peter Williams III (born August 26, 1981) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a backstage producer. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling, where he is a two-time X Division Champion. He is also known for hi ...
at No Surrender. After defeating
Austin Aries Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA Wrestling, where he is a t ...
in a non-title match at
Sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...
, Daniels lost the title to Styles in a three-way dance also involving
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...
at
Unbreakable Unbreakable may refer to: Books * ''Unbreakable'' (book), the 2017 autobiography of Australian tennis player Jelena Dokic * '' Unbreakable: My Story, My Way'', the 2013 autobiography of singer Jenni Rivera Film and television * ''Unbreakable' ...
on September 11 when Styles reversed an ''Angel's Wings'' attempt into a pin. This match received a 5-star rating from
Dave Meltzer David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist, author, and historian who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter' ...
. Daniels set the record for the longest reign at the time, ending at 150 days. Daniels unsuccessfully challenged Styles for the title in an Iron Man match at Bound for Glory. On November 13 at
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
, Daniels teamed with
Alex Shelley Patrick Kenneth Martin (born May 23, 1983), better known by the ring name Alex Shelley, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is widely known for his tenure ...
,
Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his ring name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Paragon stable and is a former one-time AEW I ...
and Samoa Joe to defeat Austin Aries, Chris Sabin, Matt Bentley and
Sonjay Dutt Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a Glossary of professional wrestling terms#agent, producer and Glossary of professional wrestling terms#manage ...
in an Elimination X match. After the match, Joe attacked Daniels and hit him with a Muscle Buster onto a chair, leading to Daniels sustaining a (storyline) concussion. At
Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Am ...
, when Joe tried to similarly injure A.J. Styles after winning the X Division Championship from him, Daniels returned and attacked Joe, enabling security guards to protect Styles and restrain Joe. At
Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling TNA+ event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to ...
, Daniels challenged Joe for the title but lost when Styles threw in the towel to protect Daniels, badly beaten and defenseless, from further damage. The next week, Daniels accused Styles of doing this to get the number one contendership for the X Division Championship. That night, he cost Styles a match against
Shannon Moore Shannon Moore (born July 27, 1979) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1999 and 2001 and with WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for ...
by throwing in the towel. At Against All Odds, Joe retained the title in a three-way match against Daniels and Styles. The following month, at
Destination X Destination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event held by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion TNA Wrestling. The event primarily revolved around the X-Division, the 2005 ...
, Daniels defeated Joe and Styles in an
Ultimate X match The Ultimate X match is a type of professional wrestling match created by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), mainly used in their X Division. It is considered the signature match of the X Division. Match format Ultimate X is contested by th ...
to win his second X Division Championship, before losing the title to Joe on the April 13 episode of ''Impact!'' after taking a second rope '' Island Driver''. Daniels was then scheduled to face
Jushin Thunder Liger , better known as and later , is a Japanese retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a trainer. He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having work ...
in a cage match at
Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
, but Liger pulled out of the match. Instead, he faced a mystery opponent, who turned out to be the returning Low Ki (now named Senshi), who defeated him. Daniels turned
face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...
by teaming with A.J. Styles and becoming the number one contender for the NWA World Tag Team Championship, held by America's Most Wanted. Daniels and Styles unsuccessfully challenged AMW for the titles at
Sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...
, before beating them in a rematch at
Slammiversary Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event produced by the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. It is one of TNA's “Big Four” PPV events (along with TNA Hard To Kill, Hard ...
, marking Daniels' fifth reign with the title. At Victory Road, Daniels and Styles teamed with Sirelda to defeat
Gail Kim Gail Kim-Irvine (born February 20, 1977) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenures in TNA Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). In TNA, she was the inaugural and record setting seven-tim ...
and AMW in a six-person mixed tag team match to retain the titles. They then feuded with
The Latin American Xchange The Latin American Xchange (LAX) is a professional wrestling stable that has wrestled in various incarnations primarily for Total Nonstop Action / Impact Wrestling and currently in Major League Wrestling (MLW). The group achieved initial succ ...
(
Homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...
and Hernandez). At
Hard Justice Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, was an annual professional wrestling Impact Plus Impact Plus Monthly Specials, event produced by Impact Wrestling. It was originally introduced as a pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view e ...
, Styles and Daniels successfully defended the titles against LAX. However, on the August 24 episode of ''Impact!'', Styles and Daniels lost the titles to LAX in a Border Brawl. At No Surrender, Styles and Daniels defeated LAX in an Ultimate X match to win their second NWA World Tag Team Championship as a team and marked Daniels' sixth individual reign. At Bound for Glory, Styles and Daniels lost the titles to LAX in a Six Sides of Steel match to end the rivalry. On November 16, Daniels defeated Styles and Chris Sabin in a three-way match on the primetime debut of ''Impact!'' on
Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are locate ...
, by pinning Sabin, to win his third TNA X Division Championship. Daniels successfully defended the title against Sabin at
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
and
Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Am ...
before losing the title to Sabin in a three-way match at
Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling TNA+ event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to ...
on January 14, 2007, also involving
Jerry Lynn Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach. Lynn has worked for professional wrestling promotion, promotions ...
. Daniels then took time off from TNA. He made his return, as a heel, at
Destination X Destination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event held by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion TNA Wrestling. The event primarily revolved around the X-Division, the 2005 ...
, distracting Lynn during his match with Sabin. After the match, the newly bearded Daniels, sporting tribal-styled paint on one side of his face, hit Sabin with the Angel's Wings and Lynn with the X Division title belt. At
Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
, Daniels pinned Jerry Lynn in a cage match. At
Sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...
, Daniels pinned
Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...
after hitting him with a baseball bat.


Triple X reunion (2007)

Daniels began feuded with
Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...
, costing him a
King of the Mountain match The King of the Mountain match (Queen of the Mountain when female wrestlers are involved) is a Professional wrestling match types, professional wrestling match exclusive to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Match format The five competitors in the ...
qualifier by hitting him with a baseball bat. Sting attacked him the next week on ''Impact!''. On June 17 at
Slammiversary Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event produced by the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. It is one of TNA's “Big Four” PPV events (along with TNA Hard To Kill, Hard ...
, Sting pinned him after the Scorpion Death Drop. According to Daniels, the feud ended before the start because Vince Russo did not know what to do with his Fallen Angel gimmick. At Victory Road, Daniels won a ten-man Ultimate X Gauntlet match with the assistance of Senshi and Elix Skipper, thus reuniting Triple X in the process. At
Hard Justice Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, was an annual professional wrestling Impact Plus Impact Plus Monthly Specials, event produced by Impact Wrestling. It was originally introduced as a pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view e ...
, Daniels and Senshi competed against
Jay Lethal Jamar Shipman (born April 29, 1985), better known by the ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his tenures in Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action Wrest ...
and Sonjay Dutt and
Motor City Machine Guns The Motor City Machine Guns are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. They are signed to WWE, where they perform on the SmackDown brand and are former one-time WWE Tag Team Champions. They are b ...
(Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) in a three-way dance which Lethal and Dutt won. At No Surrender, Daniels and Senshi participated in a gauntlet match for a future
TNA World Tag Team Championship The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling #World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship (professional wrestling), championship which is owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) professional wrestlin ...
opportunity but failed to win. At Bound for Glory on October 14, Daniels unsuccessfully challenged for Jay Lethal for the X Division Championship. At
Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Am ...
, Daniels participated in the inaugural
Feast or Fired Feast or Fired is a professional wrestling match concept featured in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. The idea is based on the object on a pole match, which sees wrestlers trying to gain possession of items hanging from poles attached to the ring ...
but failed to win any briefcase. On the December 6 episode of ''Impact!'', Daniels beat Senshi in a match for his "Feast or Fired" briefcase, refereed by Elix Skipper. The next week, the briefcase was revealed to contain a pink slip, meaning Daniels was fired from TNA.


Curry Man and Suicide (2008–2009)

One month after Daniels was fired, Covell returned to TNA as the colourful, masked Curry Man, who soon became allied with
Shark Boy Dean Matthew Roll (born January 28, 1975) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Shark Boy. Prior to his appearances in TNA, Roll competed on the independe ...
. Unlike the brooding serious nature of his "Fallen Angel" persona, Curry Man was a dancing, cartoonish comedy act. He and Shark Boy feuded with
Team 3D The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley. The team was also joined by various Dudley family members, notably Spike Dudley and ...
, and won a "Fish Market Street Fight" against them at
Destination X Destination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event held by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion TNA Wrestling. The event primarily revolved around the X-Division, the 2005 ...
. On the March 13, 2008 ''Impact!'', Curry Man beat
Petey Williams Peter Williams III (born August 26, 1981) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a backstage producer. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling, where he is a two-time X Division Champion. He is also known for hi ...
to qualify for the
Xscape match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
for the X Division Title at
Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
, along with Jay Lethal,
Sonjay Dutt Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a Glossary of professional wrestling terms#agent, producer and Glossary of professional wrestling terms#manage ...
, Shark Boy,
Consequences Creed Austin Watson (born September 4, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and YouTuber. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Xavier Woods and is part of The New Day and is one-half of the current World ...
, and
Johnny Devine John Parsonage (born April 27, 1974) is a Canadians, Canadian semi-retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Hot Shot" Johnny Devine. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Pro ...
. He eliminated Creed from the match after hitting his Spice Rack finisher, and was eliminated by Devine after the Devine Intervention. In June, Curry Man represented
Team TNA Team USA (also known as Team NWA or Team TNA) is a wrestling faction brought together as part of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's X-Cup Tournaments, which involved a team of X Division contestants from various countries representing their nation ...
in the 2008 World X Cup. After losing to Team International's
Alex Koslov Alex Sherman (born January 21, 1984) is a Moldovan-born Russian retired professional wrestler and color commentator, currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling under the ring name Alex Koslov. Koslov has mainly worked in Mexico from 2005 unti ...
in a preview match, he lost to
Team Japan Team Japan is a professional wrestling group that was brought together as a part of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's World X Cup Tournament. History 2004 Team Japan started as six-man team as team captain Nosawa from All Japan Pro Wrestling tea ...
's
Milano Collection A.T. , is a Japanese color commentator and retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name . As Milano, Sawafuji adopted the gimmick of an Italian fashion aficionado/supermodel, reflected in his ring attire. Milano is also known for walkin ...
in the tournament. At Victory Road, Curry Man wrestled in a four-team, twelve-man elimination tag match; he was eliminated by
Team Mexico Team Mexico is a professional wrestling stable that was first formed in 2004 to compete in TNA Wrestling's America's X-Cup Tournament and has since returned to compete in other TNA X Cup Tournaments. History 2004 The original team consisted of ...
's
Último Guerrero José Gutiérrez Hernández (born March 1, 1972), better known by his ring name Último Guerrero (Spanish for ''Last Warrior''), is a Mexican (or Professional wrestling, professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CML ...
. Curry Man and Shark Boy then allied with Super Eric to form a comedic superhero-themed stable called The Prince Justice Brotherhood. At
Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling TNA+ event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to ...
, Curry Man was one of the four participants in the "Feast or Fired" match (along with Jay Lethal, Homicide and Hernandez) to retrieve a briefcase. His contained a pink slip, meaning he was fired. In early 2009, Covell began playing the role of the masked
Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
, while
Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. He is also known for his wo ...
(the original Suicide) recovered from injury. As Suicide, he won the X Division Championship in an Ultimate X match at
Destination X Destination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event held by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion TNA Wrestling. The event primarily revolved around the X-Division, the 2005 ...
.


Various feuds (2009–2010)

Christopher Daniels returned to TNA television as a face, under his "Fallen Angel" gimmick (his name shortened to just Daniels afterwards) on the April 16 ''
TNA Impact! ''TNA Impact!'' (stylized as ''TNA iMPACT!'') is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) that debuted on June 4, 2004. It also features wrestlers from WWE's ...
''. He defeated
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
to give
Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he both wrestles and serves as Director of Business Development. He is also ...
's team the first-man advantage in
Lethal Lockdown A Lethal Lockdown match is a professional wrestling match used in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). This match has become a staple of TNA's Lockdown pay-per-view event, but has also made appearances at other TNA pay-per-views, and during ''Im ...
, at
Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
. He was then announced as a member of Team Jarrett. The win was overturned by Jeff Jarrett, after he noticed Angle's shoulder was up during the pinfall and Daniels' shoulders were down. At ''Lockdown'', Team Jarrett defeated Team Angle. Daniels then feuded with
Alex Shelley Patrick Kenneth Martin (born May 23, 1983), better known by the ring name Alex Shelley, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is widely known for his tenure ...
and Chris Sabin (
The Motor City Machine Guns The Motor City Machine Guns are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. They are signed to WWE, where they perform on the SmackDown brand and are former one-time WWE Tag Team Champions. They are ...
), who, on the April 30 ''Impact!'', accused him of being Suicide. On the May 7 ''Impact!'', Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed echoed the accusations. On the May 14 ''Impact!'', Daniels helped Suicide clear the ring of Shelley, Sabin, Lethal, and Creed after they attempted to unmask him. At
Sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...
, Daniels defeated Suicide to win the TNA X Division Championship. After the match, Daniels saw a replay of the finish, involving Alex Shelley's interference. He said he didn't want to win the belt like that and asked for five extra minutes. The five minutes expired in a draw, and Suicide kept the title. At
Slammiversary Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event produced by the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. It is one of TNA's “Big Four” PPV events (along with TNA Hard To Kill, Hard ...
, Daniels pinned
Shane Douglas Troy Allan Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler, manager, and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship ...
in a match with Daniels' job on the line, after hitting the Best Moonsault Ever. At Victory Road, Wrestling Observer's Worst Show of the Year, Daniels lost to
Matt Morgan Matthew Thomas Morgan (born September 10, 1976) is an American politician and retired professional wrestler. He is the former mayor and current deputy mayor of the city of Longwood, Florida and is a former gladiator on ''American Gladiators''. ...
. At
Hard Justice Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, was an annual professional wrestling Impact Plus Impact Plus Monthly Specials, event produced by Impact Wrestling. It was originally introduced as a pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view e ...
, Daniels won the Steel Asylum match to become the number one contender for the X Division Championship, reigniting his feud with champion Samoa Joe. Daniels lost to Joe at No Surrender, then lost a three-way match (also involving Homicide) to him on the following ''Impact''. At Bound for Glory, Daniels wrestled a six-man Ultimate X match for the X Division Championship, also featuring Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Suicide, Homicide and successfully defending champion, Amazing Red. On the November 5 ''Impact!'', Daniels confronted the
TNA World Heavyweight Champion The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won ...
, A.J. Styles, and claiming he was just as good a wrestler as Styles, but was not given the same breaks by TNA, which he said was pampering, coddling and spoiling Styles. At
Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Am ...
, Styles retained his title in a three-way match against Daniels and Samoa Joe by pinning Joe. On the November 19 ''Impact!'', Daniels completed his heel turn and teamed with
Desmond Wolfe Steven Haworth (born 23 January 1972), better known by his ring name Nigel McGuinness, is an English professional wrestler and commentator. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he serves as a color commentator on ''Collision'' as we ...
against Styles and Kurt Angle, pinning Styles. At
Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling TNA+ event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to ...
, Daniels unsuccessfully challenged Styles for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. The following month at
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
, Daniels lost to
Sean Morley Sean Allen Morley (born March 6, 1971), better known by his ring name Val Venis, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE) from 1998 to 20 ...
in Morley's TNA debut. On the March 8 ''Impact!'', Daniels vowed to re-ignite the flame of the X Division. That night, he was pinned by X Division Champion Doug Williams in a three-way title match, also involving Kazarian. At
Destination X Destination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event held by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion TNA Wrestling. The event primarily revolved around the X-Division, the 2005 ...
, Daniels competed in a four-way
ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...
for the number one contendership for the X Division title, and was defeated by Kazarian. Two days later, Daniels defeated
Kazuchika Okada (born November 8, 1987) is a Japanese professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a member of the Don Callis Family stable and is the current AEW Continental Champion in his first reign. Known as the , he is b ...
in a
dark match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that o ...
at the ''Impact!'' taping. Covell was released from his TNA contract on March 31, 2010, after nearly eight years with the company.


Second return to ROH (2010–2011)

Daniels returned to Ring of Honor on April 3, 2010, at its second live pay-per-view, The Big Bang!, challenging
Davey Richards Wesley David Richards (born March 1, 1983), best known under the ring name Davey Richards, is a retired American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Best known for his time in Impact Wrestling, TNA Wrestling and Ring of Honor, and for ...
to a match. On May 7, at ''Civil Warfare'', Daniels defeated
Kevin Steen Kevin Yanick Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kevin Owens. As of A ...
in his return match and so took his #2 spot in the Pick 6 standings. The following day, at ''Supercard Of Honor V'', Daniels defeated
ROH World Television Champion The ROH World Television Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#Gimmick/style championships, world television championship in the Ring of Honor (ROH) professional wrestling promotion, promotion. With the int ...
and Richards' tag team partner, Eddie Edwards, in a non-title match. On May 21, Daniels participated in his first ''
Ring of Honor Wrestling ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'' (also known as ''ROH Honor Club TV'', and often shortened as ''ROH Wrestling TV'', ''ROH TV'', ''ROH TV on HonorClub'', or ''ROH on HonorClub'') is an American professional wrestling television series produced by Rin ...
'' taping, teaming with Roderick Strong in a losing effort against
The American Wolves The American Wolves were a professional wrestling tag team which consisted of Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards. They are seven-time world tag team champions being five-time TNA World Tag Team Champions and two-time ROH World Tag Team Champion ...
(Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards). On June 19, Daniels made his ROH pay-per-view wrestling debut at Death Before Dishonor VIII, successfully defending his #2 Pick 6 spot against
Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name , is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW International Champion in his first reign. He also works as an ...
and rupturing an eardrum in the process. At the next PPV,
Glory By Honor IX Glory By Honor IX was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH), which was only available online. It took place on September 11, 2010, at the Manhattan Center in New York City. This was the ninth event entit ...
, Daniels defeated Austin Aries. On October 16, Daniels finally received his match with Davey Richards, but lost via submission. Three days later Ring of Honor announced that Daniels had officially signed a contract with the promotion. On November 13, Daniels received a shot at the ROH World Championship, but lost to the champion, Roderick Strong. At the December 10 taping of ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'' in
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
, Daniels beat Eddie Edwards for the ROH World Television Championship. Eight days later, at
Final Battle 2010 Final Battle 2010 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on December 18, 2010, at the Manhattan Center in New York City. It was the eighth annual event in the Final Battle chronology, w ...
, Daniels lost to Homicide in a non–title number one contender's match. At the net pay-per-view, 9th Anniversary Show, on February 26, 2011, Daniels wrestled Eddie Edwards to a thirty-minute time limit draw in a Two Out of Three Falls rematch for the Television title. Afterwards, it was announced that Daniels would challenge for the ROH World Championship at the following pay-per-view on April 1. On March 18, Daniels successfully defended the Television title against Mike Bennett. In preparation for his World Championship match against Roderick Strong, Daniels stole "The Book of Truth" from Strong's manager,
Truth Martini Martin Krcaj (born May 8, 1975) is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, and trainer better known by the ring name Truth Martini. He is perhaps best known as the manager of The House of Truth stable in Ring of Honor. Career Early ...
, to learn his match strategy. He was forced to shift his focus when, on March 19, Strong lost the title to Eddie Edwards. On April 1, at Honor Takes Center Stage, Daniels unsuccessfully challenged Edwards for the World Championship, and afterwards teased a heel turn by refusing to shake his hand. The next day (the second of the Honor Takes Center Stage weekend), Daniels completed his heel turn by attacking
El Generico Rami Sebei (born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Sami Zayn. Sebei made his professional wrestling debut in 2002 under the ring name Stevie McFly. Pr ...
with "The Book of Truth" and aligning himself with Truth Martini, Roderick Strong and
Michael Elgin Aaron Michael Frobel (born December 13, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name Michael Elgin. He is known for his work with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a List of IWGP Intercontinent ...
, a stable called The House of Truth. On June 26, at
Best in the World 2011 Best in the World 2011 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event by Ring of Honor (ROH) that took place on June 26, 2011. It was an afternoon show that began at 4pm and marked the return of ROH to the Hammerstein Ballroom for the first ...
, Daniels lost the Television title to El Generico. This was his last appearance in ROH before rejoining TNA full-time.


Chikara (2010)

Curry Man replaced the injured
Cassandro Saúl Armendáriz (born May 20, 1970) is an American-born Mexican ''luchador'', or professional wrestler, who works as an ''exótico'' for several independent promotions all over the world under the ring name Cassandro. He is a former NWA Worl ...
to team with Los Ice Creams (El Hijo del Ice Cream and Ice Cream Jr.) in Chikara's 2010 King of Trios tournament, which started on April 23, 2010. The trio lost in the first round to Team Perros del Mal (
El Alebrije El Alebrije (born July 12, 1972) is a Mexican ''Luchador'' '' enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler, currently working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) under the ring name Kraneo. He best known for his work in Asistencia Asesor ...
, Cuije and
El Oriental Noé Astro Moreno León (born December 6, 1972) is a Mexican ''Luchador'' known under the ring name El Oriental, currently works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) but is mainly known for his almost 10-year-long stint in Asistencia Asesorí ...
). The following day, Christopher Daniels defeated
Hallowicked Robert Goodwin (born November 1, 1981), better known by the ring name Hallowicked, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He has performed primarily in the Chikara (professional wrestling), Chikara professional wrestling pr ...
in a singles match. On the third night of the event, Daniels lost to
Eddie Kingston Edward Moore (born December 12, 1981), better known by the ring name Eddie Kingston, is an American professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is out of in-ring action because of a leg injury, but continues to mak ...
.


Mexican promotions (2010, 2018)

On April 30, 2010, Christopher Daniels debuted for the major Mexican promotion,
AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming * AAA (video game industry) - a category of high budget video games *'' TripleA'', an open source wargame Mu ...
, as a surprise member of the
rudo Rudo ( sr-cyrl, Рудо) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 7,963 inhabitants, while the town of Rudo has a population of 1,949 inhabitants. It is famous throughout form ...
La Legión Extranjera La Legión Extranjera ( Spanish for "The Foreign Legion") was the main Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración heel group, though loosely affiliated. It was a catch all for one time and irregularly scheduled foreign heels, working as Konnan's hi ...
(Foreign Legion) stable. In a six-man tag match, he,
Alex Koslov Alex Sherman (born January 21, 1984) is a Moldovan-born Russian retired professional wrestler and color commentator, currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling under the ring name Alex Koslov. Koslov has mainly worked in Mexico from 2005 unti ...
and
Joe Líder José de Jesús Álvarez Gutierrez (born June 2, 1978) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by his ringname Joe Líder. He currently competes in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He is known for being a former member of the tag team L ...
defeated Extreme Tiger, Jack Evans and
Rocky Romero John Raymond Rivera (born October 28, 1982), better known by his ring name Rocky Romero (ロッキー・ロメロ, ''Rokkī Romero''), is a Cuban-American professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and All Elite Wrest ...
when Daniels pinned the AAA Cruiserweight Champion, Extreme Tiger. On June 6, at
Triplemanía XVIII Triplemanía XVIII (Triplemanía 18) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the AAA promotion that took place on June 6, 2010 at the Palacio de los Deportes ("Sports Palace") in Mexico City, Mexico. The show featured eig ...
, Daniels lost to Jack Evans in a four-way elimination match for the Cruiserweight Championship, along with Extreme Tiger and
Nosawa , better known by his ring names Nosawa and , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in All Japan Pro Wrestling and various independent promotions. Career Early career (19952004) Nosawa spent most of his ear ...
. On August 4, 2018, in the promotion, Pura Raza Daniels unsuccessfully challenged
Hechicero Hechicero ( Spanish for "Wizard") is a Mexican '' luchador enmascarado'' (masked professional wrestler). He is signed to Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He also makes appearances on the Mexican independent circuit, as well as in Japan fo ...
of
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as (EMLL) (''Mexican Wrestling Enterprise''). Founded in 1933, it is the oldest profe ...
for the
NWA World Historic Light Heavyweight Champion The NWA World Historic Light Heavyweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial Historico de Peso Semicompleto de la NWA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). CMLL had held the NWA ...
.


Return to TNA (2011–2014)


Fortune (2011–2012)

Covell returned to TNA at the January 31, 2011, taping of ''
Xplosion Xplosion may refer to: Music *''Xplosión'', a 1993 album by Vico C *The Xplosions!, a band signed to Highland Records Songs * "Xplosión", a 1993 song by Vico C, the title track off the eponymous album ''Xplosión'' *"Xplosion", a song by OutKas ...
'', as Suicide. Still contracted to Ring of Honor, he received the promotion's blessing for the return, provided he not work as Christopher Daniels until the contract expired. On February 10, Suicide returned to ''Impact!'', losing a three–way X Division number one contender's tournament match, also involving
Brian Kendrick Brian David Kendrick (born May 29, 1979) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE. He is also known for his time in Ring of Honor (ROH), Impact Wrestling, Total Nonstop Action Wrestlin ...
, to
Robbie E Robert Strauss (born October 1, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and Manager (professional wrestling), manager. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (wrestling), producer, the on-screen assistant to the NXT general manager Ava (w ...
. On March 16, at the tapings of the March 31 ''Impact!'', Covell made his TNA return under the Christopher Daniels character, saving
Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fate * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (19 ...
members James Storm, Kazarian and
Robert Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (professional wrestling), producer and was formerly an in-ring performer. Roode is known ...
from a four–on–three beatdown inside a steel cage at the hands of
Immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...
, in the process establishing himself as a face. In his return Daniels targeted especially
Bully Ray Mark LoMonaco (born July 14, 1971), known by his ring name Bubba Ray Dudley (also spelled Buh-Buh Ray Dudley), is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for being one-half of the Dudley B ...
, who had sidelined Fortune leader A.J. Styles with an injury two weeks earlier. On the April 7 ''Impact!'', Daniels proclaimed his loyalty to Styles and announced that he would be taking his place alongside Kazarian, Roode and Storm in the Lethal Lockdown match at
Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
, where they will face Immortal representatives
Abyss Abyss may refer to: Religion * Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld * Abyss (Thelema), a spiritual principle within the system of Thelema Film and television * ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film s ...
, Bully Ray, Matt Hardy and
Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Flair's career spanned 50 years. He is ...
. Later that same evening Daniels wrestled his TNA return match, losing to Bully Ray in a
Lumberjack match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
, where Fortune and Immortal worked as lumberjacks, after Immortal leader
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
interfered and hit him with a chain. Despite his return as Daniels, Covell also kept performing as Suicide and on the same April 7 ''Impact!'', teamed with Brian Kendrick and Chris Sabin in a six-man tag team match, where they defeated Generation Me and Robbie E. Soon after this Suicide's profile was removed from TNA's roster page. On April 17 at Lockdown, Daniels and Fortune defeated Immortal in a Lethal Lockdown match. On the next ''Impact!'', Daniels was officially named a member of Fortune. On the May 26 ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels and Styles defeated Bully Ray and his new partner,
Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestli ...
, in a No Disqualification Street Fight. On July 10 at
Destination X Destination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event held by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion TNA Wrestling. The event primarily revolved around the X-Division, the 2005 ...
, TNA's first ever all X Division pay-per-view, Daniels faced fellow Fortune member A.J. Styles in the main event of the evening in a losing effort. During the event Daniels also made a brief appearance as Curry Man, in a segment where Eric Young was looking for a tag team partner to face Generation Me. After weeks of Daniels asking for a rematch, Styles finally granted him one on the September 1 ''Impact Wrestling'', which Daniels won. After the match, Daniels refused to shake hands with Styles. On the September 22 episode, Daniels refused to return the favor and give Styles a rematch, which led to them brawling. When they were separated by Kazarian, Daniels kicked Styles in the groin, completing his heel turn and signifying his departure from Fortune. At Daniels' request, he faced Styles at Bound for Glory on October 16 in an "I Quit" match; Daniels lost the match after being threatened with a screwdriver, but continued the feud by attacking Styles after the match. On the October 27 ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels lost to
Rob Van Dam Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movemen ...
by disqualification after hitting him with a toolbox. On the November 10 ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels was defeated by A.J. Styles, after Van Dam prevented Daniels from using a screwdriver. On November 13 at
Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Am ...
, Daniels lost to Van Dam in a No Disqualification match. In retaliation, Daniels interfered and cost Van Dam his match for the
TNA Television Championship The TNA Television Championship was a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship, championship owned by the professional wrestling promotion, promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, later Impact Wrestling, now TNA). It was ...
on the December 1 ''Impact Wrestling''. This led to a singles match on December 11 at
Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling TNA+ event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to ...
on December 11, where Van Dam was victorious.


Bad Influence (2012–2014)

Daniels then returned to his rivalry with A.J. Styles, managing to convince Kazarian to turn on him on the January 5, 2012 ''Impact Wrestling''. On the February 9 ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels defeated Styles in a singles match with help from Kazarian, who was now showing signs that Daniels was holding something over his head and had forced him to turn on Styles against his will. On March 18 at Victory Road, Daniels and Kazarian were defeated in a tag team match by Styles and Mr. Anderson. The rivalry continued on April 15 at
Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
, where the two duos were on opposing teams in the annual Lethal Lockdown match. Styles' and Anderson's team, led by
Garett Bischoff Garett Bischoff (born April 20, 1984) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and is the son of pro-wrestling executive and personality Eric Bischoff. Early life Bischoff was bo ...
, ended up defeating Daniels' and Kazarian's team, led by
Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Booker, professional wrestling booker, promoter, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Sen ...
. During Styles' absence from ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels and Kazarian set their sights on the
TNA World Tag Team Championship The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling #World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship (professional wrestling), championship which is owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) professional wrestlin ...
, attacking champions
Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...
and Samoa Joe on the April 26 episode. On the May 10 ''Impact Wrestling'', Kazarian revealed that he originally aligned himself with Daniels to keep him from revealing Styles' secret, but changed his mind after learning what the secret was. Daniels then revealed the secret, a series of photographs insinuating a relationship between Styles and TNA president
Dixie Carter Dixie Virginia Carter (May 25, 1939 – April 10, 2010) was an American actress. She starred as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom ''Designing Women'' (1986–1993) and as Randi King on the drama series ''Family Law (American TV series), Family La ...
. Three days later at
Sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...
, Daniels and Kazarian defeated Magnus and Samoa Joe to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship for the first time. Later in the event, Daniels and Kazarian cost A.J. Styles his match with Kurt Angle, who afterwards turned on the two, saving Styles from a beatdown. On May 31, Daniels main evented a live episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', losing to A.J. Styles in a singles grudge match. After the match, Daniels and Kazarian attacked both Styles and Angle, who attempted to make the save, before rolling an audio of a phone conversation to prove an affair between Styles and Carter. The tape was abruptly cut short by Carter ending the show. On June 10 at
Slammiversary Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event produced by the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. It is one of TNA's “Big Four” PPV events (along with TNA Hard To Kill, Hard ...
, Daniels and Kazarian lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship to Styles and Angle. On the next ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels entered the
2012 Bound for Glory Series The Bound for Glory Series is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by Impact Wrestling in which 12 wrestlers compete in a series of matches over the course of several months (throughout the summer specifically) to determine who receives ...
, taking part in the opening
gauntlet match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
, from which he eliminated both Styles and Angle, before being eliminated himself by James Storm. On the June 21 ''Impact Wrestling'', Styles and Carter proved that Daniels and Kazarian had been lying about their relationship by producing a pregnant woman named Claire, whom they had been helping overcome her addictions. The following week, Kazarian teased dissension with Daniels, claiming that he had been lied to. However, in the main event of the evening, Kazarian revealed that he was still on Daniels' side, when the two defeated Styles and Angle, after Kazarian hit Styles with a steel chair, to regain the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Following the win, Daniels admitted that Styles and Carter had told the truth about Claire, but claimed that they had left out the part about Styles being the father of her unborn baby. On July 8 at
Destination X Destination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event held by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion TNA Wrestling. The event primarily revolved around the X-Division, the 2005 ...
, Daniels was defeated by Styles in a
Last Man Standing match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
. On the August 8 ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels and Kazarian, billing themselves as " The World Tag Team Champions of the World", made their first televised defense of the TNA World Tag Team Championship, defeating
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
and Garett Bischoff. Daniels' participation in the 2012 Bound for Glory Series ended on the following ''Impact Wrestling'' with a loss against A.J. Styles, leaving him outside a spot in the semifinals. As a result of the win, Styles also earned a paternity test, which revealed that Claire was not pregnant at all. The storyline ended with Claire, through her attorney, revealing Daniels' and Kazarian's plot to blackmail Styles with her fake pregnancy. On September 6 as part of the first "Championship Thursday", Daniels and Kazarian successfully defended the TNA World Tag Team Championship against
Chavo Guerrero Jr. Salvador Guerrero IV (born October 20, 1970) better known by his ring names Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero Jr., is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Fe ...
and Hernandez. Three days later at No Surrender, Daniels and Kazarian made another successful title defense against previous champions, A.J. Styles and Kurt Angle. On October 14 at Bound for Glory, Daniels and Kazarian lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship to Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Hernandez in a three-way match, which also included A.J. Styles and Kurt Angle. Daniels and Kazarian received their rematch on November 11 at
Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Am ...
, but were again defeated by Guerrero and Hernandez. On December 9 at
Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling TNA+ event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to ...
, Daniels defeated A.J. Styles in what was billed as their "final match", after hitting Styles with his own
Styles Clash A facebuster, also known as a faceplant, is a Professional wrestling throws, takedown move in professional wrestling in which an attacking wrestler forces their opponent down to the mat face-first without involving a headlock or Professional wrest ...
finisher. Following this, Daniels and Kazarian dubbed their tag team Bad Influence, and Daniels tweaked his "Fallen Angel" character into that of a
vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...
-ridden heel to fit his new "Ring General" nickname for the team's new name. Bad Influence then began a rivalry with James Storm after he defeated Kazarian at Final Resolution, and again on the January 3, 2013 ''Impact Wrestling''. On January 13 at
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
, Daniels defeated Storm in a number one contenders match for the
TNA World Heavyweight Championship The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won ...
. Daniels received his title shot on the January 24 ''Impact Wrestling'', but was defeated by defending champion
Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and also appears on partner promotion WWE on its NXT (WWE brand), NXT brand. He is re ...
. On March 10 at
Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
, Bad Influence unsuccessfully challenged Austin Aries and Bobby Roode for the TNA World Tag Team Championship in a three-way match, also involving Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Hernandez. In April, Daniels and Kazarian began teasing a Fortune reunion to battle the
Aces & Eights Aces & Eights were a Heel (professional wrestling), villainous Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable in the American Professional wrestling promotion, promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, later Impact Wrestling), initi ...
stable, however, this plan was foiled by A.J. Styles and Bobby Roode both turning down offers to join them. Bad Influence faced Austin Aries and Bobby Roode in a number one contenders match on the May 9 ''Impact Wrestling'', however, the match ended in a no contest after special guest referee James Storm superkicked Daniels and Aries and walked out on the match. On June 2 at
Slammiversary XI Slammiversary XI was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion, which took place on June 2, 2013 at the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts. It was the 11th anniversary cele ...
, Bad Influence failed to capture the TNA World Tag Team Championship from Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Hernandez in a fatal four-way elimination match, which also included Austin Aries and Bobby Roode and was won by Gunner and James Storm. On the June 13 ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels and Kazarian defeated Gunner and Storm in a non-title match to qualify for the 2013 Bound for Glory Series. The following week, Daniels defeated Hernandez in his first BFG series match via pinfall to earn seven points in the tournament. On the August 8 ''Impact Wrestling'', Daniels and Kazarian faced off in a BFG series match. Despite teasing tension earlier in the night, they both intentionally got counted out to gain two points each. Afterward, they allied with Bobby Roode, in hopes it would help one of them win the tournament. At Bound for Glory, Bad Influence were defeated by Eric Young and Joseph Park in a Gauntlet match. After being eliminated, both attacked Park and made him bleed. The same night, Abyss appeared and attacked Bad Influence. On December 12, 2013, Bad Influence were defeated by Parks and Eric Young when Young made Park bleed. On December 26, 2013, Bad Influence were defeated again by Park in a Monster's Ball match. On March 2, 2014, Bad Influence were part of a group of TNA wrestlers that took part in
Wrestle-1 was a Japanese ''puroresu'' or professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion, founded in July 2013 by Keiji Mutoh following his resignation from All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The core of the promotion's roster was formed b ...
's Kaisen: Outbreak event in
Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, defeating Junior Stars (
Koji Kanemoto is a Japanese professional wrestler of Zainichi Korean descent. He has previously worked with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling. He is currently a freelancer. Professional wrestling career Kanemoto practiced Judo during his hig ...
and Minoru Tanaka) in a tag team match. On April 23, 2014, Daniels announced his departure from TNA.


Return to the independent circuit (2013–2019)

While Bad Influence were in TNA, they appeared in other promotions. On January 24, 2014, Bad Influences appeared at Big Time Wrestling's Battle Royal, where they defeated The Ballard Brothers (Shane & Shannon). On April 5, Bad Influences appeared in two events. First, they defeated
The Bravado Brothers The Bravado Brothers were an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of real-life brothers Andre Chase, Harlem Bravado (born Chance Barrow on April 22, 1989) and Lancelot Bravado (born Houston Barrow on September 16, 1985). The duo hav ...
(Harlem Bravado & Lancelot Bravado) at
Dragon Gate USA Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA) is an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2009 as an international expansion of the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. Gabe Sapolsky, former head booker of Ring of Honor, served as the promotion's Vice Presi ...
's Mercury Rising. After, they defeated
The Irish Airborne The Crist Brothers were an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers David Crist Jr. and John Crist, who are best known by their ring names Dave Crist and Jake Crist. They are best known for their time with Impact Wrestlin ...
(Dave Crist & Jake Crist) at WrestleCon. On June 6, 2014, Bad Influence made their debuts in Tommy Dreamer's
House of Hardcore House of Hardcore (HOH) was an American wrestling promotion founded by Professional wrestling, professional wrestler Tommy Dreamer. Its slogan is "No Politics, No BS, Just Wrestling." In its history, HOH has run events in twelve states and thre ...
, defeating Outlaw Inc. (Eddie Kingston and Homicide). On June 7, 2014, Bad Influence returned to House of Hardcore at HOH 5, defeating
Petey Williams Peter Williams III (born August 26, 1981) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a backstage producer. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling, where he is a two-time X Division Champion. He is also known for hi ...
and
Tony Nese Anthony Nese (born August 6, 1985) is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He also appears for AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor, where he is a member of The Premier Athletes stable. He is best known for his ...
. on July 4, 2014, at a WrestleCentre Voltage TV taping, Daniels defeated Titus to win the Vacant IFWA Heavyweight Championship. Daniels went on to hold the title for over a year, defeating Lance Storm, AJ Styles, JP Simms, Riddick Stone, and Samoa Joe. He would lose the IFWA Title on July 3, 2015, to Simms, who was a replacement for an injured Julien Young. In November and December 2015, The Addiction took part in
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...
's 2015 World Tag League, where they finished with a record of three wins and three losses, failing to advance from their block. On March 20, 2017, at WCPW Bulletproof: Championship Showdown Daniels successfully defended the ROH Championship against
Adam Cole Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989), known by the ring name Adam Cole, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of The Paragon (professional wrestling), ...
and
Zack Sabre Jr. Lucas James Uggles Eatwell (born 24 July 1987), known by his ring name and its abbreviated form ZSJ, is an English-born professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is the second and current leader of the ...
in a triple threat match. On March 21, 2017, at WCPW Pro Wrestling World Cup Daniels successfully defended the ROH Championship against
El Ligero Simon Musk (born 1 July 1985) is an English professional wrestler better known under his in-ring persona of masked Mexican luchador, El Ligero (or simply Ligero). He is most known for his time in the British independent circuit and in WWE, on ...
in a singles match.


Third return to ROH (2014–2019)

On May 17, 2014, Daniels made an appearance at
War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and '' Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel wa ...
, announcing his return to ROH at
Best in the World 2014 Best in the World 2014 was the fifth Best in the World professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on June 22, 2014 at the Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. This show mar ...
on June 22. Frankie Kazarian subsequently joined the company as well, with the duo continuing to team under the name of The Addiction. At
Supercard of Honor IX Supercard of Honor IX was the 9th Supercard of Honor professional wrestling live event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH), which took place on March 27, 2015 at The Sports House in Redwood City, California. Storylines This professional wrestling eve ...
Daniels was defeated by
Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his ring name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Paragon stable and is a former one-time AEW I ...
. On April 4, 2015, during the ''
Ring of Honor Wrestling ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'' (also known as ''ROH Honor Club TV'', and often shortened as ''ROH Wrestling TV'', ''ROH TV'', ''ROH TV on HonorClub'', or ''ROH on HonorClub'') is an American professional wrestling television series produced by Rin ...
'' tapings, Daniels and Kazarian defeated
reDRagon reDRagon was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly, formed in 2012, and lasting until September 1, 2022 when Fish quietly left All Elite Wrestling (AEW). They are also known for their work in Ring of Honor ...
(
Kyle O'Reilly Kyle Richard Thomas Greenwood (born March 1, 1987), better known by his ring name Kyle O'Reilly, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Paragon (professio ...
and
Bobby Fish Robert Anthony Fish (born October 27, 1976) is an American professional wrestler performing for Major League Wrestling (MLW). He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand and was a member of The Undisputed Era. ...
) to become
ROH World Tag Team Champions The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion; it is contested for in their tag team division. The championship was created and debuted on September 21, 2 ...
. It was also revealed that fellow TNA alum
Chris Sabin Joshua Harter (born February 4, 1982), better known by the ring name Chris Sabin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 f ...
had joined Daniels and Kazarian to form a new stable called KRD. Daniels and Kazarian held the ROH Tag Team Championships until
All Star Extravaganza VII All Star Extravaganza VII was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on September 18, 2015 at San Antonio Shrine Auditorium in San Antonio, Texas. It was the seventh event under the All Star Extra ...
on September 18, 2015, when they were defeated by The Kingdom in a match also involving
The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...
. At Field of Honor Daniels was defeated by
Adam Cole Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989), known by the ring name Adam Cole, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of The Paragon (professional wrestling), ...
. At
Survival of the Fittest "Survival of the fittest" is a phrase that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection. The biological concept of fitness is defined as reproductive success. In Darwinian terms, th ...
Daniels defeated
Mark Briscoe Mark Pugh (born January 18, 1985) is an American professional wrestler best known as Mark Briscoe. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH), where he made a name teaming with his brother Jay as the Briscoe Brothers. ...
,
Hanson Hanson or Hansson may refer to: People * Hanson (surname) * Hansson (surname) * Hanson (wrestler) or Ivar (born 1984), American professional wrestler Musical groups * Hanson (band), an American pop rock band * Hanson (UK band), an English ...
and Kenny King in a Survival of the Fittest tournament match. The next night Daniels was involved in the Survival of the Fittest tournament final where the winner faces the
ROH World Championship The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The cu ...
where he eliminated A. C. H. after Daniels was eliminated by
Jay Briscoe Jamin Dale Pugh (January 25, 1984 – January 17, 2023), known by his ring name Jay Briscoe, was an American professional wrestler. He was known for his time with his brother Mark Briscoe as the Briscoe Brothers in Ring of Honor, where he was ...
. At ROH 14th Anniversary Show Daniels was defeated by
Alex Shelley Patrick Kenneth Martin (born May 23, 1983), better known by the ring name Alex Shelley, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is widely known for his tenure ...
. On May 9, 2016, at
War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and '' Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel wa ...
, The Addiction defeated
War Machine War Machine (Col. James Rupert "Rhodey" Rhodes) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by David Michelinie, John Byrne, and Bob Layton as a supporting character for Iron Man, he first appeared i ...
to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the second time. On September 30 at All Star Extravaganza VIII, The Addiction lost the ROH World Tag Team Championship to The Young Bucks in a three-way ladder match, which also included The Motor City Machine Guns. In early 2017, Daniels began feuding with
Bullet Club , stylized as BULLET CLUB and sometimes shortened to BC, is a professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#stable, stable primarily appearing in the Japanese Professional wrestling promotion, promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling ...
, turning face in the process. On January 14, 2017, Daniels defeated
Jay Briscoe Jamin Dale Pugh (January 25, 1984 – January 17, 2023), known by his ring name Jay Briscoe, was an American professional wrestler. He was known for his time with his brother Mark Briscoe as the Briscoe Brothers in Ring of Honor, where he was ...
in the finals of the Decade of Excellence tournament to become the number one contender for the ROH World Championship at the 15th Anniversary Show. On February 11, Kazarian turned on Daniels, joined Bullet Club and disbanded The Addiction. On March 10 at ROH's 15th Anniversary Show, Daniels defeated Adam Cole with help from Frankie Kazarian, whose heel turn was actually a ruse to dupe Cole, to become ROH World Champion for the first time. The victory made Daniels the fourth Triple Crown Champion in ROH. On April 1, at
Supercard of Honor XI Supercard of Honor XI was the 11th Supercard of Honor professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place Saturday, April 1, 2017, at the Lakeland Center (Jenkins Arena) in Lakeland, Florid ...
Daniels defeated
Dalton Castle Dalton Castle may refer to: * Dalton Castle, Cumbria * Dalton Castle (wrestler) {{disambiguation ...
for the
ROH World Championship The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The cu ...
, after the match Daniels was attacked by Cody. On May 10 at ROH/NJPW War of the Worlds Daniels retained the ROH World Championship against Jay Lethal and Cody. On June 23 at Best in the World, he lost the title to Cody. On March 9, 2018, at the
ROH 16th Anniversary Show ROH 16th Anniversary was a two-night professional wrestling event produced by American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), which took place Friday, March 9 and Saturday March 10, 2018, at the Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall in the Las Vegas suburb o ...
, SoCal Uncensored defeated
The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...
to win the
ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship The ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion. It is defended by three-man tag teams, also referred to as trios. The current champions are The Sons o ...
. As a result of the win, Daniels became the first ROH Grand Slam champion in company history. At War of the Worlds: Lowell, they lost the Six-Man Tag Team Title to The Kingdom. The day after Final Batte, SoCal Uncensored left ROH. On the first
Ring of Honor Wrestling ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'' (also known as ''ROH Honor Club TV'', and often shortened as ''ROH Wrestling TV'', ''ROH TV'', ''ROH TV on HonorClub'', or ''ROH on HonorClub'') is an American professional wrestling television series produced by Rin ...
episode of 2019, Daniels was shown being offered a new contract with ROH before being attacked by Shane Taylor, who ultimately ripped up the contract.


All Elite Wrestling (2019–present)

In January 2019 it was revealed that Daniels, alongside Sky and Kazarian, would be one of the first signees to
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...
(AEW), a new wrestling promotion started by wrestlers
Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (born June 30, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. As of April 2022, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is also known for co-fou ...
and
The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...
. It was later revealed on
Being the Elite The Elite is a villainous professional wrestling stable appearing in the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The group consists of co-leaders The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson), Kazuchika Okad ...
that Daniels would also serve as head of Talent Relations for AEW. At AEW's inaugural pay-per-view event
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
on May 25, SoCal Uncensored defeated Strong Hearts (
Cima Cima may refer to: Acronyms *The Center for International Media Assistance, a media development organization in Washington, DC * Center for Italian Modern Art * Centre International de la Mécanique d'Art (International centre for Art Mechanics), ...
,
T-Hawk The Honeywell RQ-16A T-Hawk (for "Tarantula hawk", a wasp species) is a ducted fan VTOL miniature UAV. Developed by Honeywell, it is suitable for backpack deployment and single-person operation. Development The Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) program ...
, and
El Lindaman , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently working for Gleat, where he was the inaugural G-Rex Champion. He also makes appearances for American Promotions All Elite Wrestling, DEFY Wrestling and Japanes ...
). The following month at Fyter Fest, Daniels faced Cima in a losing effort. SoCal Uncensored then went onto defeat the
Jurassic Express Jurassic Express was a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus. The team performed in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where they are former one-time AEW World Tag Team Champions. History Prior to signing with AEW ...
( Jungle Boy,
Luchasaurus Austin Matelson (born March 10, 1985), better known by his ring name Luchasaurus, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Killswitch. He is a member of The Patriarch ...
and
Marko Stunt Noah Nelms (born July 30, 1996), better known under the ring name Marko Stunt, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Game Changer Wrestling, Black Label Pro, DEFY Wrestling and ...
) at All Out on August 31. In October, Daniels suffered a
pinched nerve Radiculopathy (; ), also commonly referred to as pinched nerve, refers to a set of conditions in which one or more nerves are affected and do not work properly (a neuropathy). Radiculopathy can result in pain ( radicular pain), weakness, altered s ...
, injuring him for a short time. He returned at the Full Gear pay-per-view on November 9, assisting Kazarian and Sky from an attack by the
Lucha Brothers The Lucha Brothers were a Mexican professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Pentagón Jr., Penta and Rey Fénix. They are signed to WWE, where Penta performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand while Fénix performs on the SmackDown br ...
( Pentagón Jr. and
Rey Fénix Rey Fénix (born December 30, 1990) is a Mexican '' luchador enmascarado'' (masked professional wrestler). He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. He is also known for his tenure in Mexican promotions Lucha Libre AAA , ...
). In January 2020, SCU began a rivalry with
The Dark Order The Dark Order is a professional wrestling stable signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The stable consists of Evil Uno, John Silver (wrestler), John Silver, Alex Reynolds, and Brodie Lee Jr., Brodie Lee Jr. The stable previously utilized masked h ...
(
Evil Uno Nicolas Dansereau (born July 20, 1987), better known by the ring name Evil Uno, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is the co-founder of Mystery Wrestling. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member ...
,
Stu Grayson Marc Dionne (born January 25, 1989), better known by the ring name Stu Grayson, is a Canadian professional wrestler. Formerly known as Stupefied or Player Dos, he regularly teamed with Player Uno as the Super Smash Brothers for various indepen ...
, Alex Reynolds and John Silver) when the latter group tried to recruit Daniels. SCU and
Colt Cabana Scott Colton (born May 6, 1980), better known by the ring name Colt Cabana, is an American professional wrestler, color commentator, and podcaster. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and as a coach, and he performs the same ...
defeated The Dark Order on the March 4 episode of ''
Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...
''. On May 14, 2021, Daniels and his longtime partner
Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. He is also known for his wo ...
were forced to split up from SCU following their defeat to
The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...
on episode 84 of ''
AEW Dynamite ''AEW Dynamite'', also known as ''Wednesday Night Dynamite'' or simply ''Dynamite'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American Professional wrestling promotion, promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It air ...
''. Daniels was rumoured to be briefly suspended by AEW in September 2022 following his alleged presence at a fight between
CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...
and
Ace Steel Christopher Guy (born January 25, 1973) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ace Steel. , he is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a Producer (wrestling), producer. He is perhaps be ...
on one side and
Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name , is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW International Champion in his first reign. He also works as an ...
and
The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...
on the other. The fight was reportedly triggered by disparaging remarks Punk made during the media scrum that followed All Out. The suspension was reportedly lifted when an independent investigation commissioned by AEW concluded that Daniels was trying to break up the fight. On the May 15 episode of ''Dynamite'', Daniels teamed with Matt Sydal against The Young Bucks, in a losing effort. After the match. Daniels was (
kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe (pronounced ) is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants. The term has evolved to become a code word ...
) fired by The Young Bucks. On the May 29 episode of ''Dynamite'', Daniels returned and announced that he had been promoted to become the new interim executive vice president by AEW president
Tony Khan Antony Rafiq Khan (born October 10, 1982) is an American businessman, sports executive, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the founder, co-owner, president, CEO, executive producer, and head booker of All Elite Wrestling ...
. On December 28 at Worlds End, Daniels announced that he was no longer an executive vice president before introducing a returning
Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name , is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW International Champion in his first reign. He also works as an ...
. In late 2024, Daniels began a feud with "Hangman" Adam Page, the feud culminated in a Texas Death match on the January 18, 2025 (taped January 16) AEW Maximum Carnage, Maximum Carnage special episode of ''AEW Collision, Collision,'' which Page won. After the match, Daniels announced his retirement as an in-ring performer but will continue his role in AEW as Head of Talent Relations.


Second return to Impact Wrestling (2021)

On the September 23, 2021, episode of ''Impact! (TV series), Impact'', Daniels made his return to TNA, now known as Impact Wrestling, saving Christian Cage and Josh Alexander (wrestler), Josh Alexander from an attack by Ace Austin and Madman Fulton. The following week on ''Impact!'', Daniels defeated Fulton in his return match.


Return to NJPW (2021–2022)

In December 2021, Daniels made his return to
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...
, for the first time in 5 years, on the NJPW Strong special episode List of NJPW Strong special episodes#Nemesis, Nemesis, unsuccessfully challenging Jay White, Jay White's "U-S-of-Jay" open challenge. In February 2022, List of NJPW Strong special episodes#Rivals, Rivals, Daniels defeated Karl Fredericks. In June, Daniels was set to team with Fredericks in the Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship tournament, but Fredericks was replaced by Yuya Uemura. In the tournament, the team defeated Aaron Solo and Nick Comoroto in the first round and The Mighty Don't Kneel, TMDK in the semi-finals. In the finals, Daniels and Uemura were defeated by Aussie Open (professional wrestling), Aussie Open. At List of NJPW Strong special episodes#Fighting Spirit Unleashed (2022), Fighting Spirit Unleashed Daniels and Uemura lost to TMDK. After the match, Daniels attacked Uemura, turing heel and breaking up the team. At Autumn Action in September, Uemura defeated Daniels, in a grudge match.


Fourth return to ROH (2022–2024)

In 2022 he was a judge at Supercard of Honor XV for ROH Pure Championship. On December 10, 2022, he returned as a judge during the ROH Pure Championship match at Final Battle (2022), Final Battle. Daniels reformed his tag team with Matt Sydal, defeating The Outrunners (Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd) on the February 26, 2023, episode of Ring of Honor.


Other media

He appeared in the video game ''TNA Impact! (video game), TNA Impact!'' as Christopher Daniels and Curry Man as a Downloadable content, downloadable character. Covell appeared in two episodes of ''Distraction (game show), Distraction'' as Curry Man, with fellow wrestlers Frankie Kazarian and Samoa Joe. He made a Chef Boyardee commercial with Hardy Boyz, Jeff and Matt Hardy and a guest appearance on ''Numb3rs'' with mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist Tito Ortiz. He competed on the January 18, 2008, episode of ''Merv Griffin's Crosswords'', coming in at the beginning of the second round as a "Spoiler". He made it to the front row once, temporarily winning a trip to Reno, Nevada, but ended the show back as a Spoiler, therefore leaving with only the prize, consolation prize. In April 1999, he appeared on the NBC late night talk show ''Later (talk show), Later'' in the episode with Bret Hart. He would be introduced as "Fallen Angel", to help Hart demonstrate wrestling moves, including taking a clothesline from host Rita Sever. He appears uncredited in the 1999 documentary film, ''Beyond the Mat''. Christopher Daniels was credited as the masked wrestler "Slither" in Exposed! Pro Wrestling's Greatest Secrets, a 1998 documentary about professional wrestling. It was first aired on NBC television on November 1, 1998, and released on VHS on September 22, 1999. However, Christopher Daniels denied that he played this role in an October 2022 edition of Hey! (EW) on YouTube. He appeared wearing part of his Curryman outfit in episode 5 Debbie Does Something of the Netflix original series ''GLOW (TV series), GLOW'' with fellow wrestler
Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. He is also known for his wo ...
. He also appeared uncredited in the 2013 parody film, ''30 Nights of Paranormal Activity with the Devil Inside the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' as Bane (comics), Bane. Covell appeared in the episode "Deadpool Vs. The Punisher" of the stop-motion animated web series ''Marvel Superheroes: What the--?!'' as the Punisher. In 2017 Covell worked as a stunt performer for Universal Studios Hollywood. In the Water World Stuntacular show, he played the Deacon while away from Ring of Honor, a live-action show based on the film Water World in an arena in a 1.4 million gallon pool with pyrotechnics and live motor stunts.


Personal life

Covell married his college sweetheart, a substitute teacher named Lisa, in June 1993. They have two children. Covell earned a degree in theater from Methodist College in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and initially planned to become an actor. Covell is a comic book fan, having read Marvel Comics since he was a child, and his favorite character is Wolverine (character), Wolverine. He trades comics with other wrestlers, including
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...
,
Alex Shelley Patrick Kenneth Martin (born May 23, 1983), better known by the ring name Alex Shelley, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is widely known for his tenure ...
, and
Homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...
. Covell has also co-written a comic book based on his wrestling persona which was published by Aw Yeah Comics on April 23, 2014. Covell's best friend and fellow professional wrestler
AJ Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (or A.J. Styles), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, ...
' first son's middle name was taken after him, that being Ajay Covell Jones (with Styles' real name being Allen Jones).


Championships and accomplishments

*All Action Wrestling **AAW Championship (1 time) *All Pro Wrestling **
APW Worldwide Internet Championship The APW Worldwide Internet Championship was a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the independent professional wrestling promotion All Pro Wrestling. Title history As of , , there have been 53 reigns between 39 champion ...
(APW Worldwide Internet Championship#Title history, 1 time) **All Pro Wrestling tournaments#King of the Indies Tournament, King of the Indies (All Pro Wrestling tournaments#King of the Indies Tournament, 2000) *Ballpark Brawl **Natural Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Bar Wrestling **Trios Tournament (2019) – with
Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. He is also known for his wo ...
and Scorpio Sky *Canadian Wrestling Federation **CWF Tag Team Championship (4 times)– with Kevin Quinn (2), Big Cliff (1), and Big Kahuna (1) *Cauliflower Alley Club **Men's Wrestling Award (2015) *DDT Pro-Wrestling **Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship (List of Ironman Heavymetalweight Champions (2010–2019)#Title history, 1 time) – with
Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. He is also known for his wo ...
*DEFY Wrestling **DEFY Interim World Championship (1 time) **DEFY Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Swerve Strickland *East Coast Wrestling Association **ECWA Heavyweight Championship (ECWA Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 2 times) **ECWA Super 8 Tournament, Super 8 Tournament (ECWA Super 8 Tournament#2000, 2000, ECWA Super 8 Tournament#2004, 2004) **East Coast Wrestling Association#ECWA Hall of Fame, ECWA Hall of Fame (East Coast Wrestling Association#ECWA Hall of Fame, Class of 2001) *Empire Wrestling Federation **
EWF Heavyweight Championship The EWF Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling title in the Southern California-based Empire Wrestling Federation independent promotion. It was established in 1996, with Bobby Bradley as the first champion, who defeated Zuma t ...
(EWF Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) *
Frontier Wrestling Alliance Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) was a professional wrestling promotion in Britain. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted ...
**British Heavyweight Championship (XWA), FWA British Heavyweight Championship (British Heavyweight Championship (XWA)#Title history, 1 time) *German Stampede Wrestling **Battlefield (2008) *Impact Championship Wrestling **ICW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Xavier **Impact Cup (2010) – with Xavier * Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame ** Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame#Class of 2023, Class of 2023 *
Michinoku Pro Wrestling (originally known as North Eastern Wrestling) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded by The Great Sasuke on October 1, 1992. It was the first independent wrestling promotion in Japan to not base its operations in Tokyo, but rathe ...
**
British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship The British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship that although being created in England, was most notorious in Japan. History Not long after its creation in 1995, the title made its way to Michin ...
(British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship#Title History, 1 time) **Futaritabi Tag Team League (2002) – with Super Rice Boy *Midwest Championship Wrestling **MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Reign *
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...
**IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (List of IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, 1 time) – with Bryan Danielson, American Dragon *Championship Wrestling from Florida, NWA Florida **NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) *National Wrestling Alliance, NWA Midwest **NWA Midwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kevin Quinn *New Age Wrestling Federation **CT Cup (1 time)Daniels held the title jointly with John Brooks. *Premier Wrestling Federation **PWF United States Championship (1 time) **2nd Shinya Hashimoto Legacy Cup (2002) **Most Popular Wrestler of the Year Award (2003) *Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling **Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling#3PW World Heavyweight Championship, 3PW World Heavyweight Championship (Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling#3PW World Heavyweight Championship, 1 time) *Pro Wrestling Illustrated **PWI Tag Team of the Year (2006) with A.J. Styles **List of Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards#Inspirational Wrestler of the Year, PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2017) **Ranked No. 15 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500, PWI 500 in 2006 *Pro Wrestling Zero1, Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max **Zero-One United States Heavyweight Championship, Zero1-Max United States Openweight Championship (Zero-One United States Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) *Remix Pro Wrestling **Remix Pro Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *
Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...
**
ROH World Championship The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The cu ...
(List of ROH World Champions, 1 time) **ROH World Television Championship (List of ROH World Television Champions, 1 time) **ROH World Tag Team Championship (List of ROH World Tag Team Champions, 4 times, inaugural) – with
Donovan Morgan Andrew Vassos (born January 10, 1976) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Donovan Morgan. Best known for his near five-year run as a Pro Wrestling NOAH mainstay in Japan and Ring of Honor in the United S ...
(1), Matt Sydal (1), and
Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. He is also known for his wo ...
(2) **
ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship The ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion. It is defended by three-man tag teams, also referred to as trios. The current champions are The Sons o ...
(ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) – with Scorpio Sky and
Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. He is also known for his wo ...
**List of Ring of Honor tournaments#ROH Decade of Excellence Tournament (2016/17), ROH Decade of Excellence Tournament (2017) **Ring of Honor tournaments#ROH Tag Team Championship Tournament (2002), ROH Tag Team Championship Tournament (2002) – with Donovan Morgan **ROH Round Robin Challenge II **Triple Crown (professional wrestling)#List of ROH Triple Crown winners, Fourth Triple Crown (professional wrestling), Triple Crown Champion **Grand Slam (professional wrestling)#Ring of Honor (2018), First Grand Slam (professional wrestling), Grand Slam Champion *SoCal Uncensored **Match of the Year (2000) vs.
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
, September 13, 2000, Ultimate Pro Wrestling
**Wrestler of the Year (2000) *Southern California Pro-Wrestling Hall of Fame **Inducted 2020 *Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, NWA: Total Nonstop Action/Total Nonstop Action Wrestling **Impact X Division Championship, TNA X Division Championship (List of TNA X Division Champions, 3 times) **Impact World Tag Team Championship, TNA World Tag Team Championship (List of TNA World Tag Team Champions, 2 times) – with Frankie Kazarian, Kazarian **
NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...
(List of NWA World Tag Team Champions, 6 times) – with
Low Ki Brandon Silvestry (born September 6, 1979) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Low Ki. He is known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Major ...
and
Elix Skipper Elix Skipper (born December 15, 1967) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, where he was a one-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time WCW Cruiserweight Tag ...
as Triple X (professional wrestling), Triple X (3),
James Storm James Allen Cox (born June 1, 1977) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name James Storm. He currently competes on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He sta ...
(1) and A.J. Styles (2) **Impact Wrestling tournaments, NWA World Tag Team Championship Tournament (2003) -with Low Ki **Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments#Feast or Fired, Feast or Fired (Turning Point (2007 wrestling), 2007 – Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments#Feast or Fired#Results, Pink Slip)on the December 6, 2007 ''Impact!'', Daniels defeated Senshi with Elix Skipper as Referee (professional wrestling)#Special referees, Special Guest Referee to win his briefcase **Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments#Feast or Fired, Feast or Fired (Final Resolution (December 2008), 2008 – Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments#Feast or Fired#Results, Pink Slip) **Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments#One Night Only, TNA World Cup of Wrestling (2013) – with James Storm, Kazarian, Kenny King and Mickie James **TNA X Cup Tournaments, World X Cup (TNA 2004 World X Cup Tournament, 2004) – with
Jerry Lynn Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach. Lynn has worked for professional wrestling promotion, promotions ...
,
Chris Sabin Joshua Harter (born February 4, 1982), better known by the ring name Chris Sabin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 f ...
, and Elix Skipper **Impact Year End Awards, TNA Year End Awards (4 times) ***Feud of the Year (Impact Year End Awards#2005 TNA Year End Awards, 2005) vs. A.J. Styles ***Match of the Year (Impact Year End Awards#2004 TNA Year End Awards, 2004) with Elix Skipper vs.
America's Most Wanted ''America's Most Wanted'' (often abbreviated as ''AMW'') is an American television program whose first run was produced by 20th Television, and second run is under the Fox Entertainment#Fox Alternative Entertainment, Fox Alternative Entertain ...
(
Chris Harris Chris Harris may refer to: Sportspeople * Chris Harris (basketball) (1933–2022), English basketballer * Chris Harris (cricketer) (born 1969), New Zealand cricketer * Chris Harris (darts player) (born 1977), Welsh darts player * Chris Harris (rowe ...
and James Storm) at
Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Am ...
, December 5, 2004
***Match of the Year (Impact Year End Awards#2006 TNA Year End Awards, 2006) with A.J. Styles vs.
Homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...
and Hernandez at No Surrender
***Tag Team of the Year (2006) with A.J. Styles *Ultimate Pro Wrestling **UPW Heavyweight Championship (2 times) *
Windy City Pro Wrestling Windy City Pro Wrestling is an American regional professional wrestling promotion originally based in Chicago, Illinois. Established as Windy City Wrestling by retired wrestler Sam DeCero in 1988, the promotion was one of several major regional ...
**WCPW League Championship (WCPW League Championship#Title history, 1 time) **WCPW Lightweight Championship (WCPW Lightweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) **WCPW Middleweight Championship (WCPW Middleweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) **WCPW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Kevin Quinn (1), Mike Anthony (1) *World Power Wrestling **WPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *
World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC; Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha") is a professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón, Victor Jovica, and Goril ...
**WWC Television Championship (WWC Television Championship#Title history, 1 time) **
WWC World Tag Team Championship The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council. History Abroad (2017) On February 11, 2017, Thunder and Lightning defended t ...
(WWC World Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) – with Kevin Quinn *WrestleCentre **IFWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * WrestleCrap ** WrestleCrap#Gooker Award, Gooker Award (2012) – *List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards, Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards **List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Tag Team of the Year, Tag Team of the Year (2012) with Kazarian **List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Worst Worked Match of the Year, Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) Fight for the Right Tournament, TNA Reverse Battle Royal on
TNA Impact! ''TNA Impact!'' (stylized as ''TNA iMPACT!'') is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) that debuted on June 4, 2004. It also features wrestlers from WWE's ...


Notes


References


External links


Ring of Honor profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Daniels, Christopher 1970 births 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century American professional wrestlers 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers American expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan All Elite Wrestling personnel American male professional wrestlers Living people Masked wrestlers Faux Japanese professional wrestlers Methodist University alumni People from Palmdale, California Professional wrestlers from Michigan Professional wrestling authority figures ROH World Champions ROH World Television Champions Sportspeople from Kalamazoo, Michigan TNA/Impact World Tag Team Champions ROH World Tag Team Champions TNA/Impact X Division Champions ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Champions Ironman Heavymetalweight Champions WWC Television Champions NWA World Tag Team Champions NWA Florida Heavyweight Champions WWC World Tag Team Champions