Since joining All Elite Wrestling in October of 2021, Daniel Garcia has made a name for himself as one of pro-wrestlings fastest rising stars.
Garcia was pointed to as one of the Independent scene’s best in-ring workers, however to the surprise of many, “Red Death” recently aligned with Chris Jericho as part of the Jericho Appreciation Society, and now refers to himself as a ‘sports entertainer’.
Garcia has often been compared to Bryan Danielson due to the pair’s technical wrestling expertise, with Danielson admitting that Garcia would be high on his list to join him should the American Dragon ever start his own stable.
Since making this remark, Danielson has with William Regal, Jon Moxley, and Wheeler Yuta as the Blackpool Combat Club. Garcia recently spoke with WhatCulture about his decision to side with Jericho rather than Danielson as many had anticipated.
“Every interview I saw of him [Danielson], he talked about how he wanted to be a in group with me, how he wanted to take me under his wing, then the Jericho thing came about and I wanted to learn how to be a sports entertainer. I didn’t want to learn how to be a good wrestler because I’m already a good wrestler. Now, I need to become a great sports entertainer, that’s what Chris Jericho is teaching me. People online, they kept saying, ‘I want to see you team up with the greatest of all time,’ they saw the interviews and saw people saying, ‘Daniel Garcia needs to be in a group with the greatest of all time.’ I did it and I teamed with Chris Jericho.”
-Daniel Garcia
Garcia also commented on his status as a ‘sports entertainer’, and noted how influential Jericho has been in nurturing this side of his character.
“There is a big difference between pro wrestlers and sports entertainers. I fit the mold of sports entertainer perfectly. I am charismatic, I’m pretty handsome, I’m a good looking guy, and I fit the mold of a sports entertainer perfectly. I feel I’m one of the only sports entertainers on the AEW roster. Same with Chris Jericho. He’s really taken me under his wing and is teaching me how to excel and be a sports entertainer because that’s where you make money, where you become rich, where you become one of the greatest of all time. Chris Jericho is teaching me how to do that,”
-Daniel Garcia
Garcia continued, explaining that just because he now sees himself as a ‘sports entertainer’, it doesn’t mean he can’t still be a great professional wrestler. Garcia highlights one particular former WWE Champion besides Chris Jericho as a prime example of this being the case.
“You can be a legit wrestler and still be a sports entertainer. Any style can be sports entertainment. Eddie Guerrero; incredible in-ring wrestler, great sports entertainer. That is the mold that is the blueprint of being what a great professional wrestler is and a great sports entertainer,”
-Daniel Garcia
Garcia is set to face Eddie Kingston on the April 22nd edition of AEW Rampage, with all outside parties banned from interfering. We look forward to seeing how Garcia develops as part of the JAS, although the “Mad King” will certainly be no easy challenge.
H/T to Fightul for the transcription.
