That Time Christopher Daniels Was Nearly The Higher Power
Russo didn't want McMahon to be the 'Higher Power'. No, he had someone else in mind for the role.
On an early episode of his entertaining and insightful 'Something To Wrestle With' podcast, ex-WWE creative team member, producer and McMahon confidante Bruce Prichard squashed rumours that both 'Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase and Jake 'The Snake' Roberts were considered for the part. Neither legend was in the running, but a younger star with his own penchant for overt religious imagery was.
According to Prichard, Russo wanted Christopher Daniels to fill the spot of this 'Higher Power'. He adored Daniels' exaggerated 'Fallen Angel' gimmick and thought he'd be a quite excellent addition to the WWF ranks generally. For his part, the boss quickly and ruthlessly disagreed with his writer's assessment of the future ROH, TNA and (latterly) AEW standout.
To Vinnie Mac, the physically small Daniels lacked the kind of presence he wanted from a commanding ruler who could force The Undertaker to do his bidding. There was no way to build an argument that'd convince McMahon or sell him on this 'Fallen Angel' and his viability for the slot.
This is particularly weird, because Daniels was signed to a WWF developmental deal at the time and made several appearances on 'B' level programming like Heat and Shotgun. Therefore, it's easy to understand why Russo planned to use him. The guy was already under contract!
Once the gaffer had made up his mind however, there was no changing it, and his decision-making happened within the span of around two seconds. Prichard claims Vince clapped eyes on footage of Chris working, rolled them and then definitively proclaimed, "Absolutely not". Right there and then, Russo's big plan was dead in the water.
This, as abandoned story ideas often are, is a case of what might've been rather than what was. It's not the fact that Vince himself was later installed as the curious 'Higher Power' that's interesting here though. Instead, it's the idea that Christopher Daniels' entire career could've been so, so different had he been called up from development and snagged the gig.
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