Christopher Daniels has officially closed the book on his legendary in-ring career—and he’s now revealed that the final chapter was one he wrote himself.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the AEW and ROH veteran shared that the storyline involving “Hangman” Adam Page ending his career was a pitch he made personally. Daniels said he entered 2024 with a mindset to treat the year as his last, evaluating how he felt while also allowing space for younger talent to shine.
“I said to myself that I’m gonna try to make this a good year for me. I’m gonna wrestle this year like it’s my last and see how I feel,” Daniels said. Rather than chasing matches, he chose to only wrestle when AEW President Tony Khan had a genuine creative need for him.
During Page’s heel run, Daniels saw a creative opportunity and made a bold suggestion.
“I was like, ‘Hey, man, what if you ended my career?’ That would be great heat for a heel,” Daniels recalled. To his surprise, Page pitched the idea to Tony Khan—and it was greenlit.
Daniels specifically requested the match not be advertised as a retirement bout, hoping to shock fans and mirror the unpredictable nature of pro wrestling retirements.
“I don’t want people to know it’s a retirement match. I want people to be shocked,” he said. While the surprise was spoiled by a report from Sean Ross Sapp, Daniels was ultimately satisfied with the way it played out.
Health also played a major factor in his decision. The former ROH World Champion said that in 2023 he began experiencing visible muscle atrophy on his left side, which further convinced him it was time to step away.
“I could tell I was getting weaker… So that put a lot of thought into my head, like, okay, maybe this should be it.”
While he may no longer be competing inside the ring, Christopher Daniels remains an essential part of AEW’s backstage operations in his role as Head of Talent Relations.
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