Christopher Daniels Praises Young AEW Stars

As AEW's Head of Talent Relations and an on-screen manager, Christopher Daniels has naturally familiarized himself with the company's roster of stars, which ranges from in-ring veterans to up-and-coming names. Among those on the rise, Daniels noted that a few have particularly impressed him as of late.

"Right now, I feel like Kevin Knight is doing great work as the TNT Champion," Daniels said during a virtual signing with K&S WrestleFest. "I feel like Thekla as the AEW Women's Champion is an outstanding signing for AEW. She's doing great work. She's had some great matches in the last year. I'm a big fan of The Rascalz, all three of them. I think they've fit in very well. I'm glad that they're getting an opportunity to show their best work, whether it's singles, tags, or six-man matches. I'm a big fan of all three of those guys. They all do awesome stuff."

Kevin Knight and Thekla both officially joined AEW in 2025, with the former now carrying the TNT Championship, while the latter has kept a firm grip on the AEW Women's Championship since February. Most recently, Knight bested his former tag team partner "Speedball" Mike Bailey to retain his respective title on "AEW Dynamite." Meanwhile, "The Toxic Spider" recently conquered three others in a women's title match at AEW Double or Nothing.

The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz, and Myron Reed) marked their AEW arrivals in early 2026. As Daniels alluded to, they've each received opportunities to shine in a variety of in-ring competition since then.

"I think [Konosuke] Takeshita is one of the best wrestlers in the world right now," Daniels added, referring to the brand-new AEW International Champion. "I was very fortunate to get an opportunity to wrestle him a couple times. I'm very happy that I got that opportunity to work with him."

Among the roster of AEW's sister brand, Ring of Honor, Daniels pointed to the high-flying Action Andretti and "The Real Deal" Zayda Steel as other stars to watch. The latter has worked under the tutelage of Daniels for several months now.

"I think Action Andretti is outstanding," Daniels said. "I feel like he had an opportunity on TV when he first came to AEW and since that time, he's showed up and showed out in Ring of Honor in these last couple of weeks. I think he's got a bright future ahead of him. Zayda Steel, my protege in the Sky Flight group. Zayda is amazing. I think she's got a long career ahead of her. I think she's done a lot of great stuff in the short time that she's been in Ring of Honor, AEW."

On the heels of her WWE ID program exit, Steel signed to the AEW-ROH family in late 2025. Since then, she's steadily built a name for herself in the women's divisions, while also representing the Sky Flight group, managed by Daniels. Most recently, Steel partnered with Viva Van in an AEW Women's Tag Team Championship eliminator match at AEW Double or Nothing. The pair fell just seconds short of surviving the time limit against the reigning champions, Megan Bayne and Lena Kross.

"From day one, I think they've been outstanding athletes, outstanding wrestlers," Daniels said of Darius and Dante Martin, two of Sky Flight's other members. "Just a matter of putting it all together, getting opportunities, and breaking through to that next level. But I think Top Flight can do it."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit K&S WrestleFest with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.