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AEW rising star Daniel Garcia is one of the best young technical wrestlers in the company today. He's poised to become a breakout star now that he is aligned with Chris Jericho's latest faction, the Jericho Appreciation Society.
The 23-year-old has been with the company full-time since late 2021 but he has also had a lot of success across several different promotions despite his relatively young age. His AEW run has seen him put in standout performances against the likes of CM Punk, Darby Allin and Lee Moriarty.
In fact, Garcia has received praise from none other than the Straight Edge Superstar himself. During an interview with Sports Illustrated, Punk spoke highly of his opponent, both as a competitor and as a person.
"Daniel Garcia is light-years beyond his age,” Punk said. “He’s just shy of half my age, and I can only compare him to when I was that young. He’s in a better spot than when I was that age. Everything builds off a great foundation, and he’s very fundamentally sound."
"He’s trained by Pepper Parks [AEW wrestler The Blade], who is an excellent f------ wrestler," Punk continued. "He’s respectful, he listens, and he’s not corny and doesn’t kiss a--. He’s everything I possibly want in a wrestler on a television show."
The man known as "Red Death" on the American independent circuit could follow in the footsteps of other younger wrestlers in All Elite Wrestling who have become recognizable stars such as MJF, Sammy Guevara and Jungle Boy, just to name a few.
In the meantime, here are five things you need to know about the JAS member.
#5. How Daniel Garcia got his "Red Death" nickname
Daniel Garcia goes by the moniker of "Red Death" in the ring. It is a nickname that he has carried with him since his independent wrestling days and best describes the youngster's technical prowess and ominous appearance.
Speaking on AEW Unrestricted, Garcia revealed that it was fellow AEW wrestler The Butcher (real name Andy Williams) who bestowed the name upon him:
"Andy Williams actually came up with it. The Butcher. I started wearing this red gear, I think I was missing a little steez to my character, and one day, he was like, 'You know what you need? You need a nickname.' These Japanese wrestlers always have random nicknames, like two random words put together. [Tomohiro] Ishii is the Stoned Pitbull. What does that nickname mean? Nobody knows. It doesn't make sense, but it's cool and it gets over. The American Dragon. Just random things thrown together. It was kind of ironic because at the time, I was even skinnier than I am now, I had moppy hair and was super pale."
"I was like, 'it would be kind of cool if the audience heard the name Red Death and all of a sudden I come up' and then I wrestle super intensity and wrestle like a 90s All Japan wrestler, but I look like a 12-year-old. It would be a cool bait and switch for the audience. I used it a couple of times and it ended up getting over. It's really easy for the crowd to chant and I think it's a really easy nickname to market."
It is, admittedly, a pretty cool nickname that somehow fits his wrestling persona and feels like a superhero label straight out of a comic book. It will be interesting to see how Garcia fleshes out the gimmick and expands it in All Elite Wrestling.
#4. Daniel Garcia nearly lost his life in a car accident
AEW's up-and-coming star Daniel Garcia's career could have been cut short before it even began. He suffered a life-threatening accident back in January 2021.
Garcia and his four friends were traveling back to New York after a show in Montreal when their car slid on black ice and ended up smashing into a guardrail which caused the vehicle to split into two parts. In the same AEW Unrestricted interview, Garcia revealed:
“If we hit a few inches over the rail, it would’ve went through the car and hit me directly. That was only a couple inches away from the end for me,” said Daniel Garcia.
Garcia miraculously survived, but he ended up suffering a number of serious injuries that caused him to put a pause on his wrestling career. He broke his ankle, right femur, fibula, and tibia in his left shin. Moreover, his lower half was left with multiple scars. Fortunately, the wrestler made a relatively quick recovery and was back in the ring just six months after the car crash.
#3. Daniel Garcia won the 2022 PWG Battle of Los Angeles tournament
While wrestling full-time for All Elite Wrestling, Daniel Garcia still took a few independent bookings concurrently. In January 2022, he would win the prestigious "Battle of Los Angeles" tournament for Californian promotion PWG.
This yearly tournament on the West Coast has been won by many top stars in the business who have gone on to become big names in the industry. These include current WWE Intercontinental Champion Ricochet, AEW roster members Kenny Omega, Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly.
In the final of the tournament, Garcia defeated former ROH wrestler Speedball Mike Bailey to add the prestigious accolade to his list of accomplishments.
#2. Daniel Garcia wants a dream match with Hook in AEW
While Daniel Garcia has faced several top stars in AEW, his dream bout appears to be a rather unexpected one. The wrestler has gone on record to say that he wants a match with fellow youngster Hook, the son of ECW legend Taz.
The All Elite Wrestling on TNT Twitter account recently asked fans and wrestlers alike to name a dream match we haven't seen in AEW yet. Daniel Garcia responded by naming the potential matchup between Hook and Red Death himself.
They are two young stars who have garnered a following in the company. Putting the duo together in a match could offer a glimpse of the promotion's bright future.
#1. Why Daniel Garcia joined the Jericho Appreciation Society over Bryan Danielson's Blackpool Combat Club
When Daniel Garcia accepted the offer to join Chris Jericho to become a Sports Entertainer in the Jericho Appreciation Society, most fans were rather confused and bemused.
Given his technical abilities and no-nonsense attitude, he felt like he would be a much better fit to join up with Bryan Danielson and the Blackpool Combat Club instead. The American Dragon has even stated in numerous interviews that he would like to work with Garcia at some point.
It seems like Red Death preferred to sit under the Jericho learning tree in AEW instead, explaining in an interview with wrestling YouTuber Simon Miller that he already considers himself to be a great technical wrestler and therefore, doesn't need guidance in this regard.
The AEW youngster wants to showcase his charisma and prove to the fans that he can be entertaining as well and therefore Le Champion was more suitable for him as a mentor. It remains to be seen if this career move will pay off for Garcia in the long-term, but the early signs are promising.
