Daniel Garcia explains the origins of his “Red Death” nickname.
Professional wrestlers' nicknames are a huge part of their character and often become just as well-known, if not more so, than the wrestler's actual name. Nicknames like “The Game”, “The Texas Rattlesnake”, and “Hitman” are as synonymous with the wrestlers they are associated with as many accolades in their resume or maneuver in their repertoire.
Daniel Garcia, one of the newest signees to AEW, has the nickname "Red Death." For a wrestler that is building a reputation upon his technical prowess, the nickname is made to instill fear while also being a diversionary tactic used in spite of Garcia's unassuming appearance.
Speaking on AEW Unrestricted, Garcia credits The Butcher, Andy Williams, with coming up with the nickname for him. Garcia would go on to say that he likes the flair that it adds to his persona and considering the people like it, he is happy with it as the fan opinion is what really counts in professional wrestling.
"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. I hated the nickname for a while. When I was injured, I wanted to get rid of it and just come back as Daniel Garcia, but, I don't want this to sound braggadocious, but it was too over to get rid of. I feel like too many people knew me as Red Death even more than Daniel Garcia. I was like, 'If I get rid of this, it's going to be a handicap to my career.' Even if I don't like it that much, the crowd likes it and that's what really matters."
Elsewhere in the interview, Garcia credits The Blade, Andy Williams’ tag team partner, with helping him get his foot in the door at AEW. Read his comments here.
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