Living the dream of a wrestling gamer: The story of Chris Denker

Chris Denker caught my attention when he posted an AEW fantasy wrestling show on WWE 2K called Monday Night Madness on his DenkOps channel. I appreciated his great commentary skills that were energetic and responsive. Over the past year, videos have surfaced of Chris Danger (his ring name) walking towards the DPW ring in wrestling gear. I had to know how a famous YouTube wrestling gamer got in the ring with some of the hottest indie talent. I sent him a ton of questions and he was happy to answer them.

It was Wrestlemania VI that got Chris into wrestling. He saw a poster of Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior and was fascinated by their match. Since then, Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper and Kenny Omega vs. Bryan Danielson have inspired him along the way.

Chris discovered his love for video games through Super Mario 64, WCW/NWO, WWF No Mercy, and WrestleMania 2000, and realized he needed to combine these passions professionally. Chris recalled that he was so passionate about streaming wrestling games that he made a video every day for a year. In his videos, he showed his Chris Danger persona going through career modes in WWE 2K, Wrestling Empire, and AEW: Fight Forever. His reactions to crazy antics in the ring were very well received by wrestling fans, as it only took him 5-6 years to gain 1.6 million subscribers. There’s no doubt that Chris could have had a great career as a YouTube personality, but he felt the urge to take his love for wrestling a step further.

Chris Denker had connections through DPW, an indie promotion founded by Anthony Douglas, James Darnell and Johnny Blud. He said working for them to build their company was a no-brainer. His first role was that of a manager named Chris Danger, a role he loved. He later called Shawn Spears and Tyler Breeze (who ran the Flatbacks Wrestling School in Florida) to train him to be a real wrestler.

The hits and falls he took to become a real wrestler were brutal. He was more exhausted than ever before, and he could understand why most people stop training after the first day. He was discouraged, but he didn’t give up. It was worth it. Now Chris Danger is a real wrestler. His first match with Spears will forever be the most memorable match of his career, even though Shawn beat him up and left him with a hole in his arm. Today, Chris continues to train to become a better wrestler, and he even tries to incorporate the moves from the 2K games. His latest goal is to keep wrestling until he’s on TV.

Chris’ journey has taken him in front of Adam Cole, Shawn Spears, Claudio, Tyler Breeze and Xavier Woods, to name a few. He recently tweeted that he had earned his first in-ring victory. Looking back, Chris owes a huge debt of gratitude to Spears, Breeze and the founders of DPW. Without their support, he would never have made it this far.

Chris Denker is an inspiration to anyone who thinks their dreams are unattainable. He dedicated himself to his two favorite hobbies, gaming and wrestling, and worked to become a successful content creator and indie wrestler. His advice to anyone who wants to follow in his footsteps: “Consistency, period. It won’t be perfect. It won’t happen overnight. But if you put in the work necessary and stick with what you want to achieve, the sky’s the limit.”

Thank you for the inspiration.

If you would like to book Chris Danger for an event, you can email him here: [email protected]