Christopher Daniels 2014 Shoot Interview
RF VIDEO is happy to bring you the brand new 2014 Christopher Daniels shoot interview that was conducted right after his release from TNA and Chris sat down for his first interview about his entire time in TNA and did not sugar coat anything. Along with AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels was one of the few original TNA wrestlers that put the company on the map. He has been there since day one and has worked with every wrestler that stepped inside the TNA rings and has put up with all of the politics that go along with working in TNA wether it be working with talent, bookers, writers, agents or who ever was running the company besides Dixie Carter…Chris has worked with everyone from Jerry and Jeff Jarrett, Vince Russo, Bruce Prichard,Dusty Rhodes, Eric Bischoff, Terry Taylor, Big John and who ever else was on the corporate ladder that always seemed to change. Chris recaps his entire career in TNA with RFVIDEO as we talk about it all!!! Not only working with all the major TNA talent but what it was like to work with everyone that was running the show too!!! As you will hear it was not always the greatest times because there were always changes being made behind the scenes in the company. Chris also discusses his entire time working in ROH and we talk to him about all of his major programs in ROH even leading up to his most recent return to the company. You will hear stories about working with the Prophecy, Steve Corino, CM Punk, Low Ki, Joe, Red, Paul London, American Dragon and anyone who stepped into the ring with him during his time in one of the most honorable rings in North America. We talk about his time in PWG and the new ROH and what it was like to work with Kevin Steen, El Geneirco,Roderick Strong, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards and all the top indy talent in both companies. The stories on this DVD are endless as you could imagine Chris shares so many stories with us that have never been talked about before including his issues with Vince Russo which Chris responds to what Vince had talked about him during a recent interview where he buried Chris as a talent. You will hear first hand why Chris was so frustrated with his time in the end in TNA and what lead to his time coming to an end after he created his new tag team with Frankie Kazarian that is tearing up the wrestling world right now. From working with AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Low Ki, Jeff Jarrett, Americas Most Wanted, Chris Sabin, Elix Skipper, Chris has been in the ring with all the greats of TNA. We talk about so many of the major stories that has happened behind the scenes in TNA like the time Dusty Rhodes booked for the company, Ric Flairs time in TNA with Fortune, what it was like during the Hogan era in TNA, Chris Candido’s tragic passing, Kevin Nash time in TNA, Kurt Angles rise in TNA, working as Suicide, Monday night war with WWE, Hogan run in TNA, Awesome Kong and Bubba Love Sponge incident, thoughts on Nigel McGuinees career getting cut short, WWE talent coming into TNA for easy money, ECW invasion, Bully Ray and dealing with Dixie Carter during his run in TNA and so much more!!!! As you all know Chris is one of the most entertaining workers out there. He has worked for every major company and you will see why during this interview. He is so entertaining during this one on one exclusive RF VIDEO shoot interview and trust me when I tell you this, everyone will be talking about this interview for years to come!!! If your a huge fan of TNA and ROH this is a DVD you have to own!!! Plus enjoy an additional hour of footage of Christopher Daniels and his tag-team partner Frankie Kazarian as they discuss their time as Bad Influence!! As the 2000s started, you were working a pretty busy schedule on the independents. ROH and TNA hadn’t started yet so were you making enough on the indies to consider yourself a successful pro wrestler at that point? When WCW closed, what was the outlook for pro wrestlers like yourself to get a job and make a niche for themselves on the national level during that time period? Was it harder to get work with so many former WWF, WCW, ECW names now on the indy scene at the same time? Memories of working for Jim Kettner and the ECWA during that time period? Your first memories of working with Low Ki and Bryan Danielson in ECWA? How did you first hear about ROH and what did you think of the initial concepts of the promotion? Early memories of Gabe Sapolsky as a booker? What were Gabe’s strengths and weaknesses as a booker? Are you surprised he’s never been given the opportunity to work with TNA or WWE? Have you ever suggested Gabe as a creative person to TNA? Memories of the vibe backstage at the first show? The Murphy Rec Center was a special building when ROH ran there. Favorite memories of the facility? You wrestled Low Ki and Bryan Danielson in the main event. Memories of the match and the angle at the end where you refused to shake hands. That move was a simple angle yet the audience really responded to it. Why do you think in an audience of hardcore fans, it worked so well? ROH was designed to be a promotion where each tape was a chapter in the story. How did that help or hurt your creativity? Was it harder to tell stories month to month or did it make it easier to get your stories across? Donovan Morgan came in for a number of early shows and you became the first ROH Tag Team champions. Are you surprised he didn’t make a bigger splash in the States? Memories of the first ROH title match – the 60 minute bout with Low Ki, Brian Kendrick, Doug Williams and Low Ki, especially going 60 in the extreme heat of the Murphy Rec Center? What do you remember the backstage scene was like after that match? Low Ki was crowned the first champion. How do you think Low Ki has changed over the years and why do you think he’s been unable to stay in a national promotion for long periods of time? Were you surprised his WWE run was so short? Memories of Xavier’s run in ROH and in the Prophecy? Why do you think he never made it to the next level? Was it just a case of not being in the right place at the right time or was he missing something? Samoa Joe came into ROH against Low Ki at the first Glory by Honor. You obviously knew Joe from UPW and other California indies. What are your first memories of Joe? How has he changed as he matured over the years? AJ Styles came into ROH during the summer of 2002. You and Styles are obviously close as you’ve named children after each other, so what are your earliest memories of AJ? How has he changed over the years? Obviously you’ve had a lot of great matches with Styles over the years, so I wanted to get your take on Styles leaving TNA? A lot of people have said that was a sign that things are really wrong with the company since he’s been a flagbearer from day one. What’s your take on TNA letting Styles go? Memories of Paul London and Amazing Red during the early days of ROH? Where did the idea of putting Alison Danger with you come from? How important was Danger to getting over the Fallen Angel and The Prophecy in ROH? Was there ever any talk of trying to get her into TNA to recreate that chemistry? Memories of The Prophecy vs. Steve Corino’s group in ROH? There were times the Japanese commitments for CW Anderson and Steve Corino forced them to miss ROH dates, which Gabe Sapolsky was always angry about because it messed up storylines and plans. Was it fair for Sapolsky to expect talents to keep to ROH dates when Japan was offering more money and more dates at the time? Sapolsky was infamous among the boys for throwing fits when the slightest thing went wrong back in the day. What’s your favorite Gabe fit story? When did you first hear about TNA being put together and who was the first person to contact you about coming? What were your hopes coming into TNA and compare them to how you saw ROH the first time you were booked there? Did you just see them indy shots or as something that could grow? First impressions of Jeff and Jerry Jarrett? What was the atmosphere like in the Nashville Fairgrounds (TNA Asylum) during the early era? In ROH, the locker room bonded pretty quickly. Was TNA that way as well or did it feel like it was more cliques in the back? Did it remind you of WCW behind the scenes? You were a big part of the X-Division in the early days of TNA. Did TNA seem like they had a plan for the division or did they just want you to go out and do crazy matches with big spots to pop the crowd? They put you, Low Ki and Elix Skipper tonight as SEX. Memories of that run and first impressions of Vince Russo? Russo recently buried you as a talent in an interview. Where was that heat from? What were the strengths and weaknesses of Russo as a writer in TNA? Did you think he ever really “got” wrestling, even though he had worked in it for so long? Some people have said that Russo was frustrated he couldn’t get beyond the wrestling business and looked down on the wrestling audience. Do you think any of that is fair? Memories of working with Elix Skipper? Why do you think he disappeared off the scene? Memories of the feud with America’s Most Wanted? How has James Storm changed and grown over the years? Why did he succeed when Chris Harris didn’t? When Skipped pitched the spot where he walked the cage and hit the rana off the top of the cage, what was your first reaction? You had a chance to work with Jerry Lynn in TNA during that time period. Lynn retired last year. Do you think he ever got the respect and stature he deserved from the business? Why or why not? As 2002 went on, the Jarretts sold TNA to Panda Energy and Dixie Carter became President. Obviously there was a power struggle later between Dixie and Jeff but what were Dixie’s introduction to the boys like? Could you tell there was heat between the two sides at first or was that something that developed over time? You had a chance to work with Jeff in TNA in the ring. How do you rate him as a worker? What was your reaction when Jarrett announced that he had quit the company? Did anyone that you know of see it coming? Are you excited that he’s developing a new promotion? Even in the early days of TNA, they seemed to rely on surprises and bringing in former WWE, WCW, ECW names. Do you think the company would be stronger today if they spent more time focusing on building people like you, Joe, AJ – from the inside up? Jarrett would tell people that TNA needed time for names like yourself to be on TV for several years before fans would take to you as stars, which is why they needed established, older names around. Did you agree with that philosophy at the time? You ended up working with some of the former ECW guys like New Jack and Sandman in TNA. They do a completely different style than you would usually work. Did you look at working with them as a challenge to be better at being a worker by carrying them or was it a frustration to go outside the box? Memories of AJ Styles and D’Lo Brown as a tag team? Were you surprised when TNA hit a year? Back in ROH, you began a feud with CM Punk. Dan Maff and BJ Whitmer had joined the Prophecy and the storyline was that you ordered Whitmer to attack Punk’s girlfriend Daffney. You and Punk were the central figures in the Prophecy vs. Second City Saints feud. What were your first impressions of Punk the performer and Punk backstage? Could you see how driven he was to succeed in the business from day one? Was he hard to work with when it came to laying out matches in the ring? Thoughts on Dan Maff during that era? Did you think it was the right call to turn him into a singles talent? Do you think the night Low Ki knocked him out in CT hurt his momentum as a talent? Favorite memories of working with BJ Whitmer? Why do you think he never made it to a larger role in the business? Thoughts on Colt Cabana and his success over the years in the business? The feud with Punk ended after you were put through a table and you were gone as TNA pulled talents from being able to work for ROH. Did you think it was fair for TNA to pull you since you had been working for ROH before TNA even existed? Is it true that you, Punk and AJ Styles initially were going to tell TNA that you refused to leave ROH? Why did you eventually agree to TNA’s wishes? Why did Joe Legend’s run with TNA end so quickly? How was he to tag with? Early memories of working against Michael Shane in TNA? Are you surprised he disappeared from the business? Kid Kash came into TNA around the same time. Was he really as hard to work with as his reputation suggests? First impressions of Chris Sabin when he came into TNA? Did you ever think he would be TNA champion one day? Are you surprised he left TNA? Memories of working The Naturals? You and Low Ki went to the finals of the NWA Tag title tournament against Kid Kash and Dallas – at this point they were bouncing you between the X-Division and the Tag divisions. Did you feel they had a plan for you at this point? Compare creative in TNA to ROH at the time? You worked the second ever Ultimate X match against Low Ki, Chris Sabin and Michael Shane. What was your reaction to the original match concept when you heard about it and then when the match took place? Did you feel it was too dangerous? What were your expectations before you worked your first UX match and then your reflections after? Was it harder than you expected? What did you think of the World X Cup concept? Did TNA ever really nail that correctly? In June 2004, TNA left Nashville for Universal Studios in Florida. What were the expectations of the workers for the move? What was the difference in the atmosphere between Nashville and the tapings in Orlando? Was it hard to get the fans to react in Orlando, especially once the tapings had been in Orlando for some time? Memories of the AMW vs. Skipper & Daniels Best of Three series? Why do you think Dusty Rhodes didn’t work out as a TNA booker? Was he out of touch? It’s pretty much said that the best time period for the company in terms of wrestling on PPVs was the booking committee with Jeremy Borash, Scott D’Amore, Mike Tenay and Jeff Jarrett? Would you agree? What was the reaction when that group was removed from power? Do you think TNA ever had a creative era that was as good since? What’s the most frustrating part of working with creative writers as opposed to a booker like Gabe? Thoughts on Kevin Nash and his time in TNA. Did TNA ever really get anything for their money? 2005 opened with you doing an angle where you claimed AJ Styles wouldn’t face you and Styles came out for a showdown. Memories of that feud? Why was Styles such a great opponent for you? Memories of your Iron Man Match with AJ at Against All Odds 2005 – is it harder to put together a Iron Man match as opposed to just working a longer traditional match? Thoughts on the Lockdown PPV concept? Was it hard to go into cage matches where there was no real issue beyond just doing the stipulation? Thoughts on the passing of Chris Candido and his short run in TNA before he passed on? TNA began building you vs. Joe vs. AJ as we got to the fall of 2005. Were you excited about that feud and do you think that may have been the best TNA feud ever? When Joe came in, he was still working ROH regularly for most of his early run. Do you think that was fair given that you were asked to give ROH up and you did? Would you agree the three way at the Unbreakable PPV was the best match in TNA history? If that’s the case, why do you think TNA failed to capitalize on it? What would you have done differently? What did you think of the angle where Joe carried the towel stained with your blood? You had the chance to work a lot of the early PWG events. Thoughts on that promotion and why it’s had such staying power? Why have they succeeded in making a following where so many others have not? In the summer of 2005, you are announced to return to ROH and do a surprise return for the angle where Punk wins the ROH title, turns heel and bolts out the front door. Memories of that angle and Gabe trying to sell it as a shoot? Thoughts on your one hour match with Punk in Philly? Was it refreshing to go back to ROH after all that time in TNA? Would it be frustrating to go back to TNA creative or was it just a different style since one was on TV and the other wasn’t? Are you surprised Punk never tried to come back to ROH? Do you think he’s retired for good? Thoughts on teaming with Matt Sydal? In TNA, you, Joe and AJ did an Ultimate X match. Was it hard trying to live up to the magic of the first match? Was putting Joe into a UX match a mistake? Why did that match not click the way the first three way did? TNA turned you face and teamed you with AJ Styles. Memories of that team and the matches against LAX? What did you think of LAX as a team? Why do you think TNA never truly, really got behind them when it was obviously a great gimmick? When TNA was moved to primetime on Spike from a late night timeslot, did you think this was going to finally get things going? You took time off then returned with some tribal-style ankhs as facepaint and worked Sting but the feud ended before it began. What happened there? Memories of working Sting? Is it true there were times Vince Russo said he didn’t know what to do with your character? When you hear that, how does that make you feel? Russo booked a XXX reunion with Low Ki and Elix. Were you happy to do this team again or did you feel it was a retread? Thoughts on the Feast or Fired gimmick with the briefcases. Did you think it was too convoluted? You ended up “fired” and played Suicide and Curry Man in TNA. Did you like doing those gimmicks in TNA? Memories of the Fish Market Street Fight with Shark Boy vs. Team 3D? Memories of The Prince Justice Brotherhood super-hero group with Eric Young and Shark Boy? What are your thoughts on Young being moved into a TNA championship position? Do you think he’s the right guy to have at the top of the card? Do you think history has shown that Young is doomed to fail since no one ever really becomes a true top guy there before sliding back into the mid-card? When Kurt Angle came in, did you think that was going to be a huge boost for TNA? Thoughts on Angle as a worker and as a person? There was a lot of talk that he was dealing with a lot of personal problems when he came in. Was it irresponsible to TNA to have him in the ring at the time? Would you have booked Joe to beat Angle in Angle’s first match instead of Joe tapping out? Did you like the angle where you were accused of being Suicide and then you showed up to help him? Did TNA ever get the most out of the character? Did they ruin it by having too many different people portraying the character? Thoughts on TNA’s Steel Asylum match and how dangerous it was to climb out of that structure? What were your thoughts when it was announced Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were coming into the company? Did you think they could help TNA? Thoughts on the Monday Night War with TNA vs. WWE? What mistakes did Bischoff and Hogan make? Do you feel they should have just focused on the TNA stars as opposed to Hogan, The Nasty Boys, Val Venis, etc.? Thoughts on Amazing Kong beating up Bubba the Love Sponge? Did Bubba ever try to endear himself to the boys? Were you mad about being asked to put Val Venis over? What was the reaction backstage when fans rejected the changes Hogan and Bischoff were making? Did you agree TNA should have ditched the six sided ring? TNA put you back in the X-Division with the idea you were bringing it back to prominence. Why didn’t TNA actually make that happen? Can it ever happen or is it over because that was a different time with special, unique talents? We want to back up a bit now. In 2010, you returned to ROH at the Big Bang as a surprise challenging Davey Richards. What reasoning did TNA give for releasing you at the time and how were you able to keep it quiet until you made your ROH return? Your first match back you worked Kevin Steen. What are your thoughts on him as a worker? You had a chance to work against both Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards in ROH – what are your thoughts on them as workers and as a team? Why do you think TNA has failed to showcase them properly so far? You signed with ROH in November 2010. Did you ever expect to go back to TNA at that point? You began doing agenting work for ROH. Talk about the role of an agent and what makes a good one? You had the chance to challenge Roderick Strong when Strong was the ROH champion. Thoughts on Strong as a worker? Do you think he’ll ever end up on the TNA/WWE level? You turned heel in ROH, attacking El Generico. Thoughts on him as a worker and how he’s done in WWE as Sami Zayn? Thoughts on your ROH TV title run. What made you return to TNA and is it true you were only allowed to work TNA under a mask while you were under contract in ROH? There was a rumor you returned as Daniels in TNA before you cleared it with ROH – is that true and if so, why did you do it? You returned saving Fortune from Immortal. What was your thoughts on the Fortune group? Did you think TNA had a chance to build a Four Horsemen like group? If so, why didn’t it really pan out? What are your thoughts on the way Nigel McGuinness’ career ended? Do you think TNA did right by him? What do you think of Bully Ray’s work and how he’s reinvented himself? Thoughts on TNA replacing Vince Russo with Bruce Prichard as head of creative? Why didn’t Prichard work out? Thoughts on TNA doing a ECW style PPV with Hardcore Justice- did you think it was disrespectful to the TNA talents to do that? Thoughts on the ECW guys vs. Fortune feud? Did you think any of the ECW guys should have been kept as regulars on the roster? Fortune.[101] On the May 26 Impact Wrestling, Daniels and Styles defeated Bully Ray and his new partner, Tommy Dreamer, in a No Disqualification Street Fight.[102] Daniels making his entrance at Bound for Glory. Did Rob Van Dam work hard in TNA? You were put back in a feud with AJ Styles and also feuded with RVD out of that. Did you feel like creative had the right idea of what they should do with you at this point? Were you surprised when Eric Bischoff was removed from power in TNA? Why did he fail? Has TNA ever gotten the Bound for Glory series right? Do you think they should scratch the concept? How has Dixie Carter changed now that she’s on camera? We’ve heard she isn’t as approachable as she used to be to the wrestlers? How did the company change once John Gaburick came in? It’s been reported Vince Russo is consulting and has some say in what’s being written – how do you feel about TNA turning back to him again if that is so? If it was up to you, who should be booking TNA today? Would you want to work as a booker down the line? What advice would Christopher Daniels in 2014 give the Daniels of the early 2000s? What’s the state of the indies compared to the early 2000s? Any final words you’d like to say to fans who have supported you over the years? BONUS! Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian together talking about Bad Influence: In 2003, you had your first match against each other in TNA on a PPV in Nashville. What are your memories of the match? Where did the idea for you teaming together in TNA come from? How easy was it to put together your team in terms of putting matches and signature spots together? What’s the best and worst thing about working with each other? Chris, compare Frankie to Elix, AJ and Low Ki as a tag team partner? Frankie, compare Chris to Michael Shane and Nova as a tag team partner? The initial angle appeared to be Daniels was forcing Kazarian to go against his friend AJ Styles. Why was that dropped? Who came up with the storyline where you insinuated AJ Styles and Dixie Carter had an affair? Did you know it was going to turn into the Claire Lynch angle? If not, when did you find out? What was your take on the angle as it was pitched to you? Do you think it ever really took off? What did you think of the woman paid to play Claire Lynch? Is it true fans were harassing her online and that’s why she quit? Did you think it was fair for her to just walk out on the storyline? Do you think that storyline being killed off so quickly hurt the team? Where did the Bad Influence name come from? Where did you come up with the Appletini gimmick? When did you realize that things had changed within TNA and they weren’t looking to focus on the team? Is it true you had heat for wearing comic book t-shirts after being told not to? What’s your side of the story? Who do you blame when TNA stops using veterans like yourself? Should guys who worked hard for TNA have to suffer for bad business decisions when the company is hurting or is it the responsibility of veterans like yourself to take one for the team when things are bad? How often was your pay behind in the last few years? Is it true TNA didn’t tell you they weren’t renewing your contract until it was just about expired? What do you think that says about their respect for the body of work you gave them over the run there? What do you think the future holds for TNA? Do you respect Dixie Carter? Did you believe the letter where Janice Carter said the company was never for sale? You and Kazarian are going back to ROH as a team – are you excited about working there again? How do you feel it’s changed since the last time you were there? How did you feel about your experiences working the House of Hardcore events? Is going back to Japan something you are looking into? What’s your favorite experience on the road together? Any final words for fans of the team?
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