Danhausen and the New York Knicks show AEW didn’t capitalize on what they had | Opinion
With the New York Knicks now NBA champions, WWE and Danhausen have an opportunity to make a lot of money.
The Knicks/Danhausen merchandise is already available, and Danhausen has already been promoting Saturday Night’s Main Event at Madison Square Garden next month. Bryan Alvarez reported that TKO is putting together a Danhausen/Knicks deal, with WWE cameras expected at the Knicks championship parade and a likely Knicks/Danhausen documentary for YouTube.
While the situations aren’t exactly the same, a lot of these human monies were on the table for AEW not long ago.
In the seven years since AEW launched, there have been plenty of examples of wrestlers being overlooked or “fumbled” on one side, only to find more success on the other. WWE overlooking Swerve Strickland is perhaps the clearest example of it going in the other direction. And, if you think about it, Cody Rhodes kind of did it to both companies.
But Danhausen’s situation is different enough that it deserves a closer look.
Danhausen’s merch sales did not lead to TV time in AEW
AEW had this ghoulish wrestling character under contract for four years and had years of evidence that his popularity could translate into business. Danhausen was consistently one of Pro Wrestling Tees’ top sellers, even when he was barely on television.
In a January 2025 interview with Chris Van Vliet, Danhausen said he believed that should have translated into television time.
“I would like to be presented on TV, because I think the character is for TV. I think the [merchandise] top-seller list for the last four years or whatever — on TV or not on TV — it’s always top three or top four. I think it’s always top three. Top three this year, for sure. Last year [2023] I think it was CM Punk, MJF, me. And then I think the year before that was — maybe I was number one, I don’t remember. But, regardless, I feel like that should translate into television time just based off of — marketability.”
It seems a little off that AEW, a promotion once dismissively referred to as a “T-shirt company” by its detractors, would not see the potential in someone with such a consistent track record of selling merchandise.
But perhaps there were other reasons he was never used to his full potential in AEW.
Why was Danhausen not used in AEW?
We sometimes don’t know why wrestlers disappear from AEW programming. They are just no longer part of storylines or matches.
There are a few possible explanations for why AEW did not use Danhausen more when they had him:
- AEW did not see value in Danhausen and therefore did not use him.
- AEW saw the value in Danhausen but believed he would leave for WWE when his contract expired.
- AEW was not confident that Danhausen’s merchandise sales would translate to TV ratings, ticket sales, pay-per-view buys, or other forms of revenue.
- AEW felt Danhausen’s in-ring work would limit how he could be used (If Danhausen is capable of five-star classics, he has kept this hidden).
As was the case with wrestlers such as Mariah May/Blake Monroe and Ricky Starks/Ricky Saints, AEW will take someone off TV if they think they are WWE-bound.
Dave Meltzer reported in August 2025 that there were people in WWE who were into Danhausen’s gimmick, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. However, it had already been close to 20 months since Danhausen had wrestled for AEW when that report came out, although it’s not clear when Tony Khan may have suspected Danhausen had WWE interest.
There was also some backstage drama in AEW around 2022 and 2023, as I recall. Who knows how that may have impacted things?
Where does Danhausen go from here?
As for where Danhausen goes from here, I think we can expect that he will be a major part of WWE’s promotional activities, especially in the New York area, moving forward.
TKO is going to try to milk this money machine for every centhausen they can get. Then, when they finally feel like they’ve maximized his worth, they might ask him to take a pay cut.
But for Danhausen, a very significant opportunity now exists. One that goes far beyond wrestling.
As was noted in a previous article, Danhausen now has a lot of fans who are only lightly aware that he comes from the world of wrestling. They will buy his merchandise. They will follow his antics as they cross over into other forms of entertainment.
This is just the beginninghausen.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.