WWE vs. TNA 1.21.07: Edge vs. Christopher Daniels

The Pre-Match Warm-up:

Category 1: Strengths

Edge: Edge is one of THE most versatile wrestlers in WWE today. He can be a heel or a face. He can wrestle in a ladder match or Last Man Standing. He is as good at aerial moves as he is at mat based. He puts on a great promo, but still has what it takes inside the ring. Edge was by far my RAW MVP last year, not only for putting on great matches, but for getting fans to cheer for Cena. He won the WWE Championship twice, has held the IC title 5 times, and is the record holder for number of tag title reigns at 12. Let’s look at a few things that helped make Edge what he is today. First, he was a very patient person. He waited about 9 years to finally make it big, and boy did he ever. He won the Money in the Bank match, and cashed it in at last year’s New Years Revolution, marking his first WWE Championship victory. He also beat John Cena and RVD in a Triple Threat match on RAW to win his second title. Not only is Edge patient, he is charismatic. He puts on great promos, and always plays up to the crowd in one way or another. Now onto the wrestling aspect of Edge. He has clearly matured as a wrestler over his years. He is a daredevil, as evident in every TLC/Cage/Hardcore match he has been a part of. He has no problem putting his body on the line to do what it takes to entertain the fans and win the match. On move he is know for is his Diving Spear, used often in Ladder matches. While the opponent is hanging from the belt or standing on the ladder, Edge will leap off of the top turnbuckle and Spear his opponent to the ground. Also in this style of match, Edge can display his creativity. Aside from the Diving Spear, he has also done reverse DDT’s off the ladder, Flipping Powerbombs, and super Edge-O-Matic, among other things. Not only that, but he can carry an intense WRESTLING~! match with the likes of Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, and Chris Benoit. It’s no surprise that Edge was trained by Stu Hart, as is evident in his wrestling style. He can mat wrestle, apply painful submission maneuvers, including the Edgecator, and basically wrestle smart. If these guys were to mix it up, look for Edge to use his heel-like tactics to take advantage, and then finish him off with a vicious Spear.

Christopher Daniels: Similar to Edge, “The Fallen Angel” is a very multitalented performer. He is known for his high flying performances in the X-Division, but there is more than that. He can wrestle technically as well. Daniels is one of the “Founding Fathers” of ROH, and has also been a major player in TNA. Along with his vast list of indie title wins, he is also a 2-time ROH Tag Champ, 6-time TNA Tag Champ, and 3-time X-Division Champion. He was TNA’s Tag Team of the Year with AJ, and has been known for putting on a great show for his fans. Daniels trained at the Windy City Wrestling School, and has wrestled in several indie promotions. His alter-ego, Curry Man, is the gimmick he uses primarily in Japan. Alright, let’s get down to the brass tacks of Daniel’s strengths. Since he has become so well known in the X-Division, we’ll start with that first. He displays the essential arsenal of the X-Division, which is high-flying, fast-paced, athletic action. He can take his opponents down with moves such as springboard plancha, Enzuigiri, the Arabian Press, and of course the Best Moonsault Ever. He has used this style to his advantage, including the multiple Ultimate-X matches he has been in, and also some of the Six Sides of Steel matches. Aside from this, however, another one of Daniels strengths is mat-based/technical. Apart from the high-flying, he also uses some submission maneuvers to wear his opponents out, such as the Koji Clutch. He also has a great knowledge of how to use his surroundings. For example, who didn’t freak out when they saw Daniels LEAP from the top of the Ultimate X structure ONTO the wires? Or anything from the legendary Six Sides of Steel with AMW. Needless to say, he can use his surroundings to help him gain the upper hand in many of his matches. Christopher Daniels clearly has many strengths in wrestling, but that’s not all. He can deliver a great promo, and is one of TNA’s most beloved performers. If Christopher Daniels was to wrestle with Edge, he should use his expertise in the signature style of the X-Division to take Edge down. While Edge is no stranger to this, I think it is Daniels’ primary strength, and he should use it to gain the advantage over Edge.

Category 2: Fighting Styles

Christopher Daniels: Like I mentioned before, “The Fallen Angel’s” main fighting style is the high flying, fast paced action that is the X-Division. Not to say that he’s not good at anything else, but he is and expert at using his body as a weapon. He is often seen flying over the top turnbuckle, or leaping off the top rope onto unsuspecting opponents. When he delivers such moves as the BME (Best Moonsault Ever), he leaves the fans in awe while his opponent is left in pain. He uses such innovative maneuvers as the Fall from Grace, Arabian Press, and of course the Angel’s Wings to exasperate his opponents. Some of his aerobatic moves can be credited to his time in Japan, where he frequently wrestled as Curry Man. As Curry Man, he used such moves as the Spicy Drop, which is where Curry Man has his opponent in a torture rack, and then he flips him into a facebuster. He also uses the springboard elbow and slingshot elbow drop. Needless to say, Daniels is a creative, athletic superstar, but that’s not all. He can wrestle with the best of then. If you doubt this, look no further than his encounters with Samoa Joe. He can go hold for hold with the big man, and is no stranger to mat work. He is actually able to combine these two styles to unleash a fury of fast-action assault moves upon his unsuspecting opponents. As previously stated, Daniels would be best suited to take Edge to the limits with his high-flying moves, and then once he takes him off guard, slow down the pace and work over Edge, the follow it up with a high impact finisher, which I‘ll get into later.

Edge: It’s difficult to classify Edge under one specific fighting style. He can use the high-flying style similar to Daniels. He flies off the top rope on numerous occasions, and also flies through/over the ropes. He also brings his opponents down with such moves as the hurricanrana and the Enziguri, along with a beautiful dropkick and spinning wheel kick. He uses ladders and/or cages to get extra height while taking on his opponents. Speaking of ladders and/or cages, Edge is known for taking it to the limit while in a “Hardcore” environment. He is an intense competitor to say the least, but when he gets put in an environment where he has no boundaries, then you know there’s gonna be some violence. He obliterates his opponents with the Conchairto, which is where he places his opponents’ head on a chair and slams another chair onto their head. Apart from that, he uses tables, ladders, or any other weapon he can get his hands on to take control of the match. If you doubt his Harcoreness, look no further than my match of the year The Hardcore Match from WM 22. This shows how brutal Edge can be when given the opportunity. It’s obvious that Edge is a great athletic wrestler, but can also be downright violent. Once again, Edge would probably win in a heel-like fashion, by using a weapon of some sorts, then following up with his finisher.

Category 3: Finishers

Edge: Edge’s primary finisher over the years has been the Spear, but he has also adopted other moves along the way. Some to be noted are the Downward Spiral, Edgecution, and Edgucator. The Spear is a standard wrestling move in which said wrestler runs full force at the opponent and tackles then to the mat. As I said before, it is a standard wrestling move but Edge has been able to make it his own. The Downward Spiral is a reverse STO, which Edge used in the late 90’s. Edge also used this move of the ladder on occasions. The Edgecution is when Edge grabs his opponent and looks as if he’s going to do a DDT, but lifts then up and slams them down in a facebuster. The Edgucator is a modified Sharpshooter, where Edge kneels to apply it. All of these moves have been used by Edge at one point or another, and they all are painful when well EDGEcuted. Har.

Christopher Daniels: Christopher Daniels has three main finishers: The Last Rites, The Best Moonsault Ever, and The Angel’s Wings. The last rights is a standard Roll of The Dice move, which is when Daniels has his opponent in a reverse headlock, the spins into a cutter. The Best Moonsault Ever is when Daniels runs towards the corner, jumps onto the second rope, then up to the third and pushes off into a beautiful Moonsault. His primary finisher, however, is The Angel’s Wings. This move is actually similar to the Edgecution, but instead of a headlock, Daniels grabs his opponents in a double Underhook, then lifts them off the mat and slams them onto their face. Here is a link to an awesome tribute video. A few of the signature moves that you see in the video are the Koji Clutch, Angel’s Wings (multiple times), Last Rites, BME, DVD, and others.

The Final Result:

I really am drawn between these two guys. I enjoy watching then both very much, so it is hard to decide. I think I will just leave it up to you guys. BTW, it would be in a cage match. Yes!

That is it for me folks. Make sure to check out all of the columns, and send me what you think, and possible match results. Peace out.