Iconic wrestler ‘forced to retire on doctor’s orders’ after 32-year run

Wrestling fable Christopher Daniels has officially ended his in-ring vocation aft much than 3 decades.

The 54-year-old star, who has wrestled for everyone from WWE and TNA Wrestling to New Japan Pro Wrestling and astir precocious All Elite Wrestling, confirmed helium is hanging up his boots during an affectional infinitesimal connected AEW Dynamite.

The Fallen Angel lost to ‘Hangman’ Adam Page successful a brutal Texas Death Match during Saturday’s AEW Collision: Maximum Carnage show.

After being deed with a tombstone piledriver, Dead Eye and Buckshot Lariat earlier losing the bout, helium was adjacent deed with his ain Angel’s Wings move.

On Wednesday night, Daniels told Hangman: ‘After that Texas Death Match, that past Buckshot Lariat added to each the harm I’ve done to my cervix implicit the years.

‘My doctors person advised maine to ne'er wrestle again. So I’m here, look to face, to archer you – you win.

‘You’ve won the past lucifer that I’ll ever wrestle. So this is goodbye. I’m sorry, and I anticipation you tin beryllium happier.’

Although his comments connected surface – which near Hangman visibly affectional – blurred the lines betwixt storyline and reality, helium appears to person genuinely hung up his boots.

In a station connected X, helium added: ‘I’m bittersweet that it’s over. But truthful precise blessed that it happened. Thank you all!’

Daniels erstwhile teammate and longtime person Frankie Kazarian paid tribute to his pal aft the announcement.

‘There’s nary mode to articulate what @facdaniels means to me. As an opponent, a tag squad partner, oregon astir importantly arsenic a champion person and brother,’ helium wrote connected X. ‘His contributions to our athletics volition ne'er beryllium realized. I emotion you CD. Bad Influence, The Addiction oregon SCU. I loved each azygous minute.’

Kaz antecedently opened up astir however helium and others similar Daniels were ‘vocal’ down the scenes successful TNA, successful an effort to assistance the institution ‘be better’ – adjacent if it led to the erstwhile being suspended.

‘Chris got akin occupation due to the fact that helium was vocal. But it wasn’t conscionable to beryllium – we weren’t being vocal for the involvement of being vocal, we were doing it due to the fact that we wanted things to beryllium better,’ helium told Metro.

‘That was taking arsenic america complaining oregon b****ing. I was a younger antheral backmost past and I astir apt didn’t spell astir it arsenic diplomatically arsenic I could person oregon arsenic I would person now.’

Daniels started wrestling successful 1993, rising to salient with Ring of Honor and TNA, portion besides moving aboriginal matches for WWE and WCW.

Alongside the likes of AJ Styles, the Motor City Machine Guns, Kazarian and Samoa Joe, helium helped pioneer the X-Division, which successful crook influenced the modern benignant of wrestling.

He joined AEW erstwhile WWE’s rival institution launched successful 2019, appearing arsenic an on-screen wrestler, and moving successful Talent Relations down the scenes.

Elsewhere connected this week’s Dynamite, determination was a large rubric alteration arsenic the Hurt Syndicate – known successful WWE arsenic the Hurt Business – seizure the AEW World Tag Team Championships.

Wrestling veterans Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin bushed Private Party connected Wednesday nighttime to triumph the gold.

Although Benjamin has held tag golden before, astir famously with Charlie Haas, this reign marks the archetypal clip the All Mighty has won arsenic a duo.

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