Christopher Daniels is known as both The Fallen Angel and Curry Man. Daniels’ in-ring style is smooth and has the power to quickly convert you. He can finish an opponent mercifully fast with his Last Rights or Angel’s Wings, or he can burn his opponents down with the Spicy Drop or his huge moonsault press variations. Christopher recently sat down to give us a few answers, both spicy and sacred, about his wrestling career in the US and in Japan. We appreciate Chris taking time out of his very busy schedule to do this interview and wish him continued success in WCW and around the world. We encourage everyone to visit Chris' great web site www.christopherdaniels.com as well.

Who are your inspirations and influences in wrestling (when you were growing up and now)?

I grew up watching NWA and Mid-Atlantic, and my first favorite was Magnum T.A. After his accident, I took a liking to Sting when he first debuted for UWF and then NWA/WCW. Later on, I became a big fan of the work of Shawn Michaels and Sean Waltman. And, of course, throughout I have been a big fan of Rick Steamboat's.

In the US, who do you enjoy watching wrestle currently?

I like to watch the Hardys and Lita, Shane Helms and Shannon Moore, Lance Storm, Crowbar, and Steve Corino.

In the US, who have been some of your favorite people to work with?

I had a lot of fun working with Kurt Angle when he did the UPW show in Sept. last year. I like working with Donovan Morgan, Vic Capri, Jayson Reign, and I just had my first match with Rob Van Dam that went very well in my opinion.

How did you end up working in Japan and for M Pro?

I hooked up with Michinoku Pro through Victor Quinones and Taka Michinoku.

Who was responsible for bringing the Curry Man character to the wrestling ring?

The idea for the character came from Jinsei Shinzaki, and the decision for me to do it came from Ted Tanabe, the head referee for MPro.

Did you, on your own, develop the character further once it took off in the Masked League (the dance, expressions, writing on your arms kind of things)?

Yes, after the first tour, I decided to kind of have fun with the character and really do some outlandish things, like writing "Eat Me!!" in Japanese on my arm, and coming out to the Rage Against the Machine song "Guerilla Radio" dancing like a nitwit. People over there really ate it up.

In Japan, who have been some of the people you best jelled with?

I had great matches with Minoru Fujita, Jinsei Shinzaki, Great Sasuke, and Tiger Mask. I also had one match with Minoru Tanaka that I especially liked.

Have you ever met Dick Togo? Would you like to work with him?

I actually met Dick Togo when he was doing the Kai En Tai gimmick in the WWF, and Steve Boz and I tagged against him and Funaki on Shotgun Sat. Night.

What do you feel were your best matches in Japan?

Probably my singles matches with Minoru Fujita. I also was very proud of the six-man match (Curry Man, CIMA, and SuperBoy vs. Minoru Fujita, Shiryu, and Jody Flash) from Korakuen Hall on 12/21/99.

Were you unhappy about leaving the J-Cup early to come home to "work" for WCW? Were you pleased that the second best MPro moonsault artist, Super Boy, filled your slot in the 10 man tag?

I wasn't disappointed to leave, but I'm glad SuperBoy went and worked the second night.

Who do you feel has been your greatest in ring rival to this point in your career - US and/or Japan?

Because of my traveling about, I don't feel I've built up any one rivalry bigger than any other. But I think people always look forward to my matches with Mike Modest and Reckless Youth.

Talk a bit about your relationship with Steve Corino and Devin Storm? What are your thouhgts about their work?

Devon, Steve, and I met in 1998 when we were invited to the WWF Funkin' Dojo under Dory Funk Jr. It was basically a week long tryout for the WWF, and during that time we became very close and we've been big supporters of each other since that time. I'm very proud of the accomplishments they've had in the past two years, and I'm sure more is to come.

Would you like to return to Japan?

Certainly. I think the level of competition over there helped me improve my skills tremendously, and if I were to have the opportunity, I'd love to go be Curry Man again.

What were your thoughts on your recent UPW match with Rob Van Damn?

Regarding the match with RVD, I was very happy with the match. Both Rob and Fonzie were great to work with, and if their paths were ever to cross mine again, it would be a pleasure to do it again.

Interview by KDB

Photos courtesy of www.christopherdaniels.com