During a recent interview with CLICKON Sports, ROH star Christopher Daniels spoke about several topics related to his iconic career. The veteran continues to re-invent himself and despite being in his mid-40s, he only seems to be getting better with age.
On wrestling being an art form:
“I absolutely think wrestling is an art form. There’s an aspect of storytelling in professional wrestling that maybe not everyone gets, especially casual fans or just people who look at it on the surface or from afar. You have to sort of watch it over a period of time to understand what’s going on.
Yeah, every match tells a story in itself, but the longer archs of how wrestlers progress from the bottom of the card to the top, from villain to hero, that sort of stuff is a long term form of storytelling that I think fans understand and enjoy.”
On remaining relevant as a veteran:
“I sort of force myself to stick with it. I recognise what worked for me five years ago may not work for me now, and I try not to become so deeply entrenched in my habits. I try to recognise when things are getting stale, and try to change direction when I can.
I think Chris Jericho is a perfect example of someone who enjoys success but also challenges himself to do something different and find different things for people to latch onto. That’s something I’ve tried to incorporate aswell, because I don’t want to stay stagnant for too long.”
On The Young Bucks:
“I feel like the Young Bucks are sort of ahead of the curb in terms of reaching their audience without any filters in between. They go directly to their audience, and of course, being a part of ROH and New Japan, you can certainly catch them on those events – but if you’re a fan then all you really need to do is go on YouTube to see their latest exploits.
Them, going to the fans first, it helps build up a fanbase for those companies and also solidifies their own brand. The Young Bucks understand that social media is a finger on the pulse of where fans are at.”
On ROH & NJPW’s partnership:
“I’ve worked for both companies [ROH and NJPW] and knowing they were coming together to trade talent, I felt like it was going to bring a new facet of fresh match-ups to both side. That’s an interesting aspect for fans in the US to see these Japanese wrestlers, and throwing them in the mix with the Ring of Honor roster is bringing a level of interest to ROH as a whole.”
On what he’d change about the wrestling business:
“I would love to see more stringent vetting processes for promoters that are coming up. I feel like a lot of wrestlers now are earning their living on the independent scene, and whilst you have to go through training to become a professional wrestler, anybody with money can become a promoter. Sometimes it’s hard to know which promotions are legitimate, and which are just money grabs.”
