WWE's AJ Styles Responds To Retirement Of Former TNA Rival, AEW's Christopher Daniels

By Sam Palmer
AJ Styles cuts a promo on WWE SmackDown Wwe/Getty Images

"The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels has wrestled his final match, as it has been confirmed he has officially retired from in-ring action after a 32-year career. Daniels had a host of legendary rivalries during his career, but there might not be anyone who had more iconic wars with him than "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles. The former WWE Champion took to X to congratulate Daniels on his career, calling him a "100% Legend" in response to "The Fallen Angel"s family surprising him with a retirement gift.

Daniels and Styles shared the ring over 200 times during their careers, both as rivals and tag team partners. The two men first crossed paths in 2001, during which they met at the NWA's 53rd Anniversary show, two XWF tapings, and the fondly remembered King of Indies tournament for APC. They were both part of ROH's first roster in 2002, but it was in TNA where they found their biggest success, and their careers would be forever linked. Their 2005 feud over the X-Division Championship that led to Samoa Joe's debut for the company is widely regarded as one of the best in TNA history, with the peak of the rivalry being their three-way match at the 2005 Unbreakable pay-per-view.

Given their impeccable chemistry as opponents, Styles and Daniels would partner up in 2006, winning the NWA Worlds Tag Team Championship from America's Most Wanted, before having another legendary feud with LAX. In the years that followed, the pair would become staples of TNA's main event scene, with both leaving the company in 2014. Their final match came in October 2015, which saw Styles defeat Daniels in a two-out-of-three falls match at a European Pro Wrestling event in Frosinone, Italy.

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