The Boz Report
Dave's Evolution
by Jim Boz
Dave Daniels was, at one point in his career, a happy-go-lucky rookie with a firm fan base that admired his gutsy displays against larger opponents. However, during the main event of the Revolution pay-per-view, creative control did to Dave what Eric Bischoff did to WCW Nitro in April 2000 � blow it up and start all over. Daniels, then wrestling under the name of X-Pac, lost the love of �the fans� that night after he came to the aid of his former enemy, Apocalypse Al Smith. Hence, as Revolution drew to its dramatic close, for the first time in Dave�s career he began to hear the boos of �the fans� aimed firmly at him.
Upon hearing this, a transformation took place in Daniels, as he went from a fair and trustworthy competitor, to a conniving man with motives and desires. When Dave turned heel at that pay-per-view event, he was already the Intercontinental Champion. His immediate goal was to retain that title at any cost, thus giving Dave the opportunity to rub his success in the faces of �the fans� who, in his eyes, had turned their backs on him. To help himself keep hold of his most prized possession, Daniels did something that he would never have previously done, he allied himself with a group of mercenaries who would watch his back and make sure that his success continued.
Sid Justice, Apocalypse and Mr. Smith were not the kind of people Dave would previously have associated himself with: Daniels seemingly had no conscience or morals anymore. After briefly loosing his I.C. title during Volume Four, Dave was soon to regain his championship at the Double Jeopardy pay-per-view and consequently embark on yet another sizeable Intercontinental run. Daniels� place in St. LCW history was now assured as arguably the greatest I.C. champion of all time. Nevertheless, Dave did eventually drop his beloved gold to a man who was, at the time, like Daniels himself used to be: a rookie sensation with a mass of fan support, Se7en defeated Dave on the first taping of Volume Six with a little help from Miss. Rebecca.
By this time however, a new twist had been added to Daniels� character as Mai Hem was brought into St. LCW as his bodyguard. Following on from this, Dave�s antics over the next few Volumes no longer centred solely around titles, but rather personal issues: Daniels spent almost the entirety of Volume Seven working in World Title matches against the then champion Boden (though it could be argued that these contests were less about title success and more about personal rivalry between these two bitter enemies). The depths to which Dave�s character had sunk became even clearer during Volume Eight when it emerged that Daniels had plotted to keep his own father out of that Volume�s Royal Rumble, this resulted in a two-on-one handicap match at Hell Freezes Over 2002 between Dave and his female bodyguard against Jack Daniels.
Frustrated at his loss to his father and the loss of Mai Hem during a loser leaves St. LCW match, Daniels once again turned his attentions to his old enemy � Boden. Their feud culminated with a victory for Boden in the main event of the Breach of Conduct pay-per-view. After this set back, Dave went back to what he knew best � the quest for gold: capturing the European Title from Mimmick Master on the first taping of Volume Eleven. Although Daniels is no longer the Euro champ, it is still obvious that from what he was before, to what he is now, Dave�s character has been completely revamped. But, in my opinion, Dave Daniels� evolution has not finished yet; he still has even more steps to take on his incredible journey. |
