Danhausen, the Gobbledy Gooker, and the risk of a mystery reveal | Column
Danhausen’s WWE debut at Elimination Chamber on Saturday has drawn comparisons to a time when a giant egg hatched at Survivor Series.
The 35-year-old former AEW and ROH wrestler was revealed to be inside the mystery crate opened on the PLE. The crowd reacted negatively to the segment.
“It was the Gobbledy Gooker. That’s what it was. They finally managed to do another Gobbledy Gooker,” Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio about Danhausen’s debut.
As a hyped debut built around a reveal from inside a box or egg that the crowd rejected, yes, it was exactly that. But Danhausen’s chances of success in WWE feel much higher than Gooker’s did.
For those fortunate enough to be unaware or to have forgotten, the Gobbledy Gooker debuted at Survivor Series 1990. WWE had spent weeks promoting that a giant egg would hatch at the pay-per-view. When it finally did, an anthropomorphized turkey portrayed by Hector Guerrero emerged. Fans weren’t impressed.
After hatching, the Gooker danced with Gene Okerlund, worked a handful of house show matches, won the 1990 Worst Gimmick award and quietly disappeared.
At the time, theories about who might be inside the egg included Ric Flair, who would debut the following year. The expectations of fans that night may have played a role in the negative reaction Gooker received. Although another credible-sounding theory suggests the crowd reacted negatively because he was, in fact, a man dressed as a turkey.
Perhaps Chicago fans expecting a bigger surprise played a role in how they responded to Danhausen.
Hot take on Danhausen’s debut
I thought it was great. I’ve always had a higher tolerance for wrestling’s more ridiculous acts, however. I understand why others feel differently.
Danhausen’s act requires a significant suspension of disbelief, something Observer subscribers often have less patience for than other wrestling fans. He is going to be polarizing for that reason alone. But there is a campy, Rocky Horror Picture Show-style energy to him that connects with a segment of the audience.
Danhausen has a lot of fans and they will purchase his merchandise. The Gooker was not breaking records on Pro Wrestling Tees before his debut, at least not to my knowledge, anyway. Whether Danhausen can translate his appeal into WWE success remains to be seen, but I like his chances better than The Gooker’s.
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.