Vince McMahon was not impressed by Christopher Daniels.
Had things been different in the late 90s then The Fallen Angel may not have had the memorable runs in Ring of Honor and TNA that fans know him for today.
Before being one of the standout stars of the early 2000s, Daniels was signed to WWE on a developmental contract. The future ROH World Champion would have multiple dark matches and appear on Sunday Night Heat, but never made it onto either of the main shows.
The reasons why McMahon chose to pass on Daniels have been revealed by Jim Ross on the Grilling JR podcast. Ross stated that if the final call was down to him, Daniels would have got a full-time deal:
Just Vince didn’t see it. He didn’t feel it. You know, Chris is not the biggest dude in the fight, but he’s a tremendous talent. Very skilled. It’s just that one guy. And I also don’t know, I don’t know what Russo thought of Christopher Daniels. If it had been brought to me, and they said, We want you to hire Christopher Daniels because we have an idea created for him, I’d have no problem with that because he’s a good guy.
He’s a soldier, and he’s a good worker who could work a lot of different styles. But that never came across my purview. I know we brought him in for a tryout and I don’t recall it being bad. He’s kind of a who’s known as kind of a high spot guy. But he could work as well. So just didn’t work out for him. I guess there’s all I can say there. If it had come across my desk and hey, JR get a hold of Christopher Daniels we want you to sign him, I would have done it in a heartbeat.
What Attributes Does Vince McMahon Want In A WWE Superstar?
Multiple people have stated that McMahon likes to use “the airport test” when analysing a wrestler’s appearance, especially in the 80s and 90s. If someone has the size or physique to make people stop and turn their heads in an airport, the WWE Chairman would be more interested. A classic example of this is Brock Lesnar, who one former wrestler described as a Vince McMahon wet dream.
Christopher Daniels currently serves as Head of Talent Relations in AEW. Despite this, Daniels was reportedly refused entry into a recent taping of Collision.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Grilling JR and leave a h/t to Inside The Ropes.