OneWWESuperstar who never gets associated with TNA isJohn Cena. BeforeWWE started collaborating with TNA, the two companies were in a ratings war. For a wrestler to jump ship and switch sides was seen as a turncoat crossing enemy lines. With Cena being WWE’s franchise player for so long, it was inconceivable to mention him in the same breath as TNA, let alone imagine him in their ring.
Little did viewers know that John Cena, before arriving to WWE, wastrained by TNA alumnus Christopher Daniels. Cena would confirm this to be true in an interview withRicky Stanickyco-star Andrew Santino for the comedian’sWhiskey Gingerpodcast.
Christopher Daniels is a name that has found its way into practically every wrestling company imaginable. He’s a highly respected veteran still in the business today, but he made his mark in TNA, and has the accolade of training, arguably, the GOAT of WWE.
John Cena Was Trained By TNA Legend, Christopher Daniels
The Fallen Angel Was a Household Name For TNA
Before he had the opportunity to show WWE’s John Cena the ropes,Christopher Daniel Covell first started his wrestling career in April 1993, shortly after turning 23 years old. For the better part of a decade, the native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, wrestled on the independent circuit, not only in America but across the world. After nearly a decade of consistency, he had breakout debuts in two companies that were both founded in 2002:Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. While ROH is where Covell would eventually win his first and only World Heavyweight Title, he’d especially leave his mark in TNA.
As “the Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels in TNA, he was widely recognized for his feud withfuture WWE Champion AJ Styles. Styles and Daniels would become two-time Tag Team Champions together, but against each other would have some of TNA’s best matches. Through numerous title wins and classic bouts, The Fallen Angel’s name became revered as a student of the game. Daniels developed an incredible reputation in his career, but few fans know he was the one who actually trained John Cena. As Cena also details in hisWhiskey Gingerappearance, he “started to wrestle by mistake.”
Cena originally planned to join the Marine Corpsbefore a friend recommended that he attend a wrestling training session in Orange County for a weekend before leaving. To Cena’s surprise, he was instantly hooked and decided to commit toUltimate Pro Wrestling’s wrestling school, Ultimate University, in 1999. Ultimate University famously trained future WWE Superstars like The Miz, Samoa Joe, and, of course, John Cena. Training and coaching were overseen by the likes of Tom Howard and Christopher Daniels.Daniels must’ve made a major impression on Cena,since it seems Cena mostly cites Daniels as the person who trains him rather than UPW as a whole.
Why Was Christopher Daniels Never in WWE?
Daniels Actually Joined WWE Briefly in the Late 1990s
For as much as he has accomplished in numerous wrestling promotions, some readers not familiar with his work may be wondering why they’ve never seen Christopher Daniels in a WWE ring despite paving the way for future stars. Believe it or not, Christopher Daniels did make his presence known. In fact,Christopher Daniels signed with WWE one year before training John Cena. In 1998, Daniels was under a developmental contract that afforded him several dark matches and appearances on Heat and Shotgun Saturday Night. Most of these appearances saw him play the role of enhancement talent, then known as “jobber.”
In wrestling terminology, a jobber is someone who has a consistent role on the roster to lose virtually every match they are in, with the goal of making their opponents look good and dominant.
It is also worth noting that during this time, he didonce portray one of Los Conquistadorsin a masked role, allowing him to be featured in a feud between two ofWWE’s best tag teams, Edge and Christian and The Hardy Boyz. He even makes a brief appearance in the Beyond the Mat documentary, in which WWE was profiled while Daniels was still under contract. Unfortunately, unlike the Superstars he surrounded himself with, Daniels wouldn’t achieve the same success as his peers beforehim and the company parted ways.
Where is Christopher Daniels Today in the Wrestling Business?
He is Currently Working for All Elite Wrestling, WWE’s Current Competitor
Despite not making a name for himself in WWE, the vet has found resounding success elsewhere in other companies and continues to find success today. Most recently, he’s been a part ofWWE’s modern rival, All Elite Wrestling, being one of the first wrestlers to sign to its roster in 2019. At the time, he, Frankie Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky were a part of the SoCal Uncensored staple, with the latter two becoming the inaugural AEW Tag Team Champions. In addition, backstage, Covell is legitimately the Head of Talent Relations, while onscreen, he previously served as an authority figure.
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As of this writing,Christopher Daniels has announced his retirementfrom professional wrestling as a result of long-standing injuries aggravated in his final match, a Texas Death Match with “Hangman” Adam Page, on the June 10, 2025, episode ofAEW Collision. It’s unclear yet if this decision will be final. If he’s truly retired, it ends an astonishing 32-year-long wrestling career that most would beg to have. Despite never being a staple of WWE programming, Christopher Daniels has plenty to be proud of in his career, including training a modern legend likeJohn Cena.
