Tonight, Ring of Honor returns to the United Kingdom for it’s Honor Re-United Tour, kicking festivities off in Edinburgh, Scotland. The stakes within this tour are considerable, as eight participants will be competing in the inaugural RoH International Cup Tournament. The winner of the tournament will become the No. 1 Contender for the RoH World Championship.
One of those competitors is Christopher Daniels, one of Ring of Honor’s most decorated competitors – having held every active championship in the promotion’s storied history. Daniels’s first opponent in the International Cup is Jimmy Havoc; a man known for his violent matches and ultra malevolent streak.
Christopher Daniels took the time to talk to us about the International Cup, his opponents, and some future prospects.
Featured image: RING OF HONOR/Johnny Bradford
Taking on Jimmy Havoc in the first round:
“I know Jimmy Havoc is very talented, very unorthodox. Not really my strong suit, the sorta hard core stuff that he’s somewhat infamous for. So I mean it’s definitely gonna be a test to see if I can go in there and sorta steer Jimmy towards my style match rather than sorta fall into the traps and letting him sorta dictate the carnage that can happen in a Jimmy Havoc match.”
“I’ve seen some of the stuff that he’s done and it’s just mind boggling the amount of punishment he’s willing to take to win a match. So, that definitely weighs on my mind. I certainly wasn’t closed off to the idea of having a match with Jimmy and I think his reputation is one of the reasons that he was invited to participate in the International Cup in the first place. Fans that might not be familiar with Jimmy Havoc and what he brings to the table, I think are going to be pretty impressed.”
On Flip Gordon:
“He’s definitely on a roll, man. He’s one of those top new guys that Ring of Honor has signed. He’s a young guy, but he’s certainly got a lot of talent and definitely somebody to look at, as far as one of the future stars ROH has got going on.”
On Kip Sabian:
“Kip Sabian is sorta new to me, man. I’ve only ever seen him one time. I saw him wrestle in the U.K. in February this year and the reaction that the crowd had to him was electric. I think this guy’s got a lot of charisma, he’s got a lot of talent and I’m glad that ROH took a chance to bring him in. I know that he’s probably not as well known as the other U.K. guys in the tournament, but he’s certainly someone to watch and definitely could be a dark horse in the tournament.”
On Adam Page:
“Man, just someone who’s improved by leaps and bounds in the last couple of years. Just on the precipitous of stardom. He’s just become so good and so strong. A young guy with just so much going for him right now and, yep, future World Champion probably.”
On Joe Hendry:
“Joe Hendry’s a great wrestler, man. I’ve had the opportunity to see him a couple times, he actually came and did a camp for Ring of Honor back in the day. Just someone that’s having a lot of success now, in the past couple months. I’m glad to see, finally, that more people are learning about the guy that Joe Hendry, the type of wrestler, that he is.”
On Mark Haskins:
“I actually had a match against Mark in February this year and just he’s just double-tough and outstanding. Outstanding British-style wrestler. He’s got great joint manipulation and knows how to work those holds and has a bit of a mean streak in him too. I think he impressed Ring of Honor on the last tour. He definitely brought his A game when he tagged with Nick Aldis against the Young Bucks. That’s probably the reason that he got invited to this tournament and I’ll be interested to see how far he goes in it.”
On Jonathan Gresham:
“Gresham’s had a couple breakout performances in the last couple months at Ring of Honor. You know, I think people are starting to realize that Jonathan – he’s very unlike the rest of the crew. He’s probably one of the top pound-for-pound, one of the best pure wrestlers in the company. When the guy takes it to the mat, he’s a magician. I think this is his first time in the U.K. for us. I think U.K. fans are going to be pretty impressed with what Jonathan can do.”
Should Christopher Daniels defeat Jimmy Havoc, he will take on the likes of Mark Haskins or Jonathan Gresham on 18 August in Doncaster, UK.
When Daniels returns to the United States, he’ll have to take on actor Stephen Amell at the sold-out indie event of the year at All In in Chicago, IL, emanating from the Sears Center on 1 September.
On working with Stephen Amell:
“I gotta be honest, man. I feel like it’s sorta a lay in for me. As athletic as Stephen is, and as tough as he is, he’s just not a professional wrestler. He’s decided to dive into the deep end. I want him to wrestle me in a singles match, and I give him credit. He could have easily tried to be a part of the tag match and sorta camouflage his weaknesses with being with his partners. But for him to step up and challenge me, one-on-one, that shows me a lot of intensity and a lot of guts. I’m not gonna take him lightly, though. No matter what – I’m the wrestler of the two of us. When he steps through those ropes, he’s stepping into my world. I didn’t go to “Arrow” with a script and try to be the villain from season seven. He challenged me to a wrestling match. I don’t think it’s going to go the way he wants it to go.”
Tickets to RoH’s Honor Re-United Tour can be found at rohwrestling.com. All In will also be available to order through RoH’s Honor Club at discounted prices.