[Stardust]

LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — When you think of a comic book geek, you probably picture someone who looks like a member of the cast of “The Big Bang Theory.”

Then there’s Christopher Daniels. The TNA superstar stands six foot and weighs 224 pounds. It’s a safe bet not too many people make fun of him when he has the latest issue of “X-Men” in his hands.

“I’ve always been a big Marvel comics guy,” Daniels said. “I love the X-Men. Wolverine had just came out when I starting getting into comics. This was during the time of the Chris Claremont-John Byrne run on X-Men. That was a great run. It was at the same time that Marv Wolfman and George Perez were on DC’s Teen Titans. It’s so hard to find a run like that from artists and writers today.”

Daniels (Daniel Christopher Covell) began his wrestling career during the early 1990s, and has made stops in every major promotion around the world. He was one of the first stars in both Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action, and has held titles everywhere he has wrestled. It’s only fitting that the man who loves the X-Men so much would have great success in TNA’s X-Division.

“I grew up a fan,” Daniels said. “At some point everyone who loved wrestling as a kid has said to themselves, ‘I want to be a wrestler.’ I’m living my childhood dream. I love what I do for a living.”

Just as much as he loves comics. And the two have striking similarities.

Both mediums feature full color, over the top characters, some good, some evil. Both have the never ending battle of good vs. evil.

“I’ve found over the course of my career that there’s a lot of crossover comic book fans and wrestling fans,” Daniel said. Several times he has donned a mask, similar to what a comic book superhero might wear, to become Curry Man, Conquistadore Dos and Suicide. “Wrestling is the closest you’ll get to a real life comic book. Our super powers aren’t flying or heat vision, but we do have super strength and agility. Take someone like A.J. Styles. Gravity doesn’t have a hold on that guy.”

It’s funny that Daniels should mention his real life best friend, as the two are embroiled in a feud right now in TNA. It all started when Daniels lost to Styles at in the main event at Destination X back on July 10.

Daniels repeatedly asked Styles for a rematch, wanting to prove that he is indeed the better wrestler. He got that match on September 1 on an episode of Impact Wrestling, where he did pick up the win, but refused to shake hands with Styles afterwards. He then refused to return the favor and give his best friend a rematch, which led to a brawl between the two, where Daniels kicked Styles in the groin. Since then, Daniels has enlisted the aid of Kazarian in his war with Styles.

“Currently my character is full of himself and wants to be the center of attention,” Daniels said. “You know, all the ratings we get is because of me, everyone comes to see me, I don’t say ‘thank you’ to the fans, I say ‘you’re welcome’ for having the chance to see me perform. I feel like it’s getting a good response from the fans.”

He could be onto something considering at the last pay per view a 12-year-old girl slapped him hard on the back in anger.

“I must be doing something right,” Daniels said.

Over the years he has been both a good guy and a bad guy. Daniels said he loves playing the bad guy because he understands his role better.

“I’ve got no problem being the foil,” Daniels said. “I get enjoyment getting under people’s skin, like when I get on Twitter following a match and see how far I can push it.”

While he loves antagonizing fans, he always loves meeting them, for he knows without fans, he has no job.

“I look forward to meeting the fans,” Daniels said. “TNA is very fan-friendly. Fans are thrilled to see us. We go to a lot of places that the WWE hasn’t gone. We take time to interact with the fans.”

Growing up Daniels was a fan of the old National Wrestling Alliance, especially Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, since he grew up in North Carolina.

“Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Magnum TA, the Russians, the Four Horsemen, all those guys,” Daniels said. “Then when we got cable TV, I was able to watch shows from the AWA, World Class, and the WWF’s Tuesday Night Titans. I got to see all the wrestlers I’d been reading about in Pro Wrestling Illustrated.”

Another one of his favorites was Sting, who he now has the chance to work with in TNA, which for him is a dream come true.

“A couple of years ago Sting and I wrestled at Slammiversary and that’s still one of my favorite matches,” Daniels said. “It’s great just talking to him and getting his feedback. The same with Hulk (Hogan). Who knew I would be getting opinions from him and Sting. I respect those guys and they light a fire under me.”

And he still loves being a fan of wrestling.

“It still excites me when every once and a while something happens I wasn’t expecting,” Daniels said. “I can say, man, after 19 years, you got me.”

For most of his career, he has been known as “The Fallen Angel,” even though he hasn’t been called that in TNA in three years.

“I got the nickname “Fallen Angel” back in 1995,” Daniels said. “I once was good and now I am bad. I had a God complex, thinking everything I did was right and everyone else was wrong. TNA and ROH let me go with it. Religion is a touchy subject. I was trying to be controversial and not offensive. I’ve retired it, but people still know me as “The Fallen Angel.” It means a lot to me that people connect me with that image.”

Daniels isn’t the only wrestler who loves comic books. Frankie Kazarian, Eric Young, Samoa Joe and Alex Shelley also read comics, and Gunner has started reading “The Walking Dead” after watching the television program.

“But I don’t think anybody is as much of a fan as I am,” Daniels said. “Well, maybe Eric Young. But no one’s been collecting as long as I have.” Young once had a wrestling gimmick where he was called “Super Eric.”

Even though he’s living his dream as a wrestler, there’s another dream he would love to fulfill: Writing a comic book.

“I have friends at Marvel and I’ve discussed writing a comic with them,” Daniels said. “I’ve kicked around a few ideas, and hopefully it’s something I’ll get to be able to do in the future. It would be a feather in my cap to say I wrote a comic. I was asked by Michael Kingston, who is writing “Head Lock” to share a story on one of his future books.”

Daniels and the rest of the TNA superstars will be at The Arena in Corbin tonight.

“I would like fans to visit fallenangelchristopherdaniels.com and buy all my merchandise, and check me out on Twitter @facdaniels” Daniels said. “And check out Richard Cheese on iTunes. He’s a musical genius.”

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