10 Things You Notice Rewatching Beyond The Mat

3. Was... Was That Christopher Daniels?

Beyond the Mat Christopher Daniels
Imagine Entertainment/Lionsgate Entertainment/IMPACT Wrestling

As Mike Modest and Tony Jones take part in their WWF tryout, Beyond the Mat cuts between the in-ring action and backstage reaction to this bout.

While Roland Alexander nervously watches on to see whether his boys are impressing WWF brass, we see Jim Ross, Jim Cornette, and even Vince McMahon himself keeping a watchful eye on the match and giving words of wisdom. But who's that poking his head through in the background? Why yes, it is indeed Christopher Daniels.

Beyond the Mat was largely filmed between 1997 and 1999, with a theatrical release coming in 2000. Where Daniels comes into this, is that he had signed a developmental deal with WWF in 1998.

During this tenure with the World Wrestling Federation, the future Fallen Angel competed on several of the company's B-shows, worked dark matches, and also appeared on Raw as one half of The Conquistadors.

At separate points in time not long after the filming of Beyond the Mat, Daniels was due to have huge roles on both WWF and WCW TV - as WWF's Higher Power of The Corporate Ministry and as WCW's Syndicate, the leader of Vampiro - but both of these plans were ultimately scrapped.

Still, Christopher Daniels has gone on to have a fantastic career in the likes of ROH, IMPACT, and currently in AEW.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.