What a wild week this has been. There has been a lot of great news and still plenty of horrible news. Luckily, wrestling was able to add a bit of light to these dark times the world seems to be in, especially with some unexpected debuts and signings. Things went from being “very nice” to “very evil” real quick. It’s the perfect time to rant, so let’s go.
Danhausen’s WWE Debut
The “very nice, very evil” Danhausen made his WWE debut at the Elimination Chamber PLE after being a free agent for only a very short time. Obviously, the two parties had prior talks about him joining, as the storyline for his debut started a few weeks back.
Almost instantly, fans speculated it would be either Danhausen or Chris Jericho, though the latter doesn’t need a “who is in the crate” story for a WWE return. I, for one, love Danhausen and I loved his debut. I thought the presentation was spot-on for his character and fit the whole “crate ordeal” quite nicely. The burlesque-type dancers, the coffin, his theme—the complete package was perfect.
The Chicago crowd gave him a solid ovation and seemed to know who he was. I know the opposite is being said online, but unless my hearing is off, I heard a pretty solid pop. The Internet Wrestling Community (IWC) also pointed out how it ended with a loud chorus of boos. I did hear that, but I didn’t label it as the WWE fans disliking Danhausen already. I took it as the audience being “cheesed” that his segment just abruptly ended. No promo, nothing but a Danhausen pose.
“Oh, he’s been buried right out of the gate,” “He is a terrible signing,” “CM Punk has too much pull,” etc. I heard it all, and quite frankly, it is all wrong. Bully Ray came to his defense and was spot-on with his comment: “WWE DID NOT set ANY expectations for the fans… let alone high expectations. Fan and IWC dirt sheet speculation set high expectations!!” Truth at its finest. Well said, Bully Ray.
Danhausen is a perfect fit for WWE. The company is extremely character-oriented, and Danhausen is arguably one of the greatest characters in wrestling today. We like to talk about demographics; he literally appeals to all of them. Once the entire WWE audience understands how he works, he will be a marketing dream for the company.
He has been a huge merch seller for the past few years, even while “riding the bench” for AEW. He sells because the audience buys into the Danhausen character. Yes, it is tacky; yes, it is cartoonish; yes, the character looks like a Temu horror villain—but guess what? It works, and it is perfect.
WWE doesn’t have to do a damn thing to the Danhausen character, as it’s been built to utter perfection and handed to them on a silver platter. The only difference now is the larger platform. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that AEW chose not to do anything with him. Even if they had him regularly on Collision or Ring of Honor—anything other than sitting at home. It was a huge monetary waste, which seems to be a recurring theme with that company.
Donovan Danhausen is one smart cookie and understands how business works. He trademarked his character name, his face paint design, and his catchphrases. It is all his. WWE can’t take ownership of it if he ends up departing the company down the road. He owns the character, and rightfully so. He put in serious work to create a persona that not only stands out but gets over. While Matt Cardona gets credit for reinventing how independent wrestlers operate, Danhausen became one of the best characters out there. His character doesn’t need to wrestle to be effective because he got the entire persona over. Whether it is a match or a promo, fans are invested. Like I said previously, he moves merchandise like a main attraction. It is quite remarkable.
I am curious to see where this goes and hoping they lock him in for a match at the upcoming WrestleMania 42, especially with slow-moving ticket sales. Adding a little Danhausen to the mix might create more buzz since the event seems a little flat right now.
Update: The difference of just two appearances for Danhausen was all he needed. This past Monday Night Raw, he had a perfect backstage segment with Raw GM Adam Pearce, which morphed into what I hope will be his first storyline. His segment was interrupted by The Judgment Day, and Danhausen—being Danhausen—put a “curse” on Dominik Mysterio. Later that night, Dom lost his Intercontinental Championship to Penta.
The whole ordeal was spot-on, and those few minutes gave the WWE audience a sneak peek of the character and its comedic abilities. The IWC went from hating on Danhausen to instantly loving him. Plus, Danhausen surprised WWE management with his first shirt instantly becoming the number-one seller. Fans were too quick to judge without understanding the character. Triple H, great hire—now don’t drop the ball.
AJ Styles Officially Retired
As soon as AJ Styles tapped out at the Royal Rumble, officially putting an end to his wrestling career, fans got hyped up thinking Styles would venture over to AEW for some dream matches before hanging up his boots. “AE-Dub” fans were convinced he was coming, and it was wild to see.
AJ has been pretty open about his love for WWE and how, after he is done wrestling, he will work for the company in a backstage role. I guess fans must have forgotten that part, because I knew he wouldn’t go back on his word. While he made AJ Styles one of the greatest ever, WWE took care of him financially, and I think he felt indebted to the company that set his family up for life. While I am sure Tony Khan offered him even more than WWE would, he knew he belonged to the WWE family.
He has said he wants to train the next generation of wrestlers, and WWE has the greatest facility there is: the Performance Center. “Uncle Allen” is a perfect fit for that team. It was evident in his WWE YouTube story on his retirement, where many talents were worried they would lose his guidance and wisdom. Charlotte, with tears rolling down her face, asked him, “Who am I gonna text for my matches?” While hugging her, he replied, “Me. I am not going anywhere.”
That entire video showed just how impactful he was to so many WWE talents. AJ’s body of work is the reason why so many people are in that company today. Because of AJ’s popularity, he put eyes on promotions and brought attention to many who would go on to sign with WWE. Then, on top of it, his WWE run was truly phenomenal.
Styles is a rare, once-in-a-lifetime wrestler. In a business where size matters, AJ defied all of that using sheer skill and talent. He was the biggest person in the room because of how he carried himself and how the audience viewed him. You watched one sequence in an AJ Styles match and you were hooked. Almost 20 years ago, I had to watch him every Saturday morning on a French channel; since I don’t speak French, I watched with the volume down and he still had me hooked. That was before I could find anywhere to watch TNA, and I lived in the Canadian Arctic, so it wasn’t like I could just hop on the internet.
WWE’s Raw tribute to him was so much fun to watch. The Good Brothers were there, which was great to see. TNA talent was there as well. Seeing him with Frankie Kazarian was great, and seeing “The Monster” Abyss making his first-ever WWE appearance was a long time coming. The tribute, no doubt, was everything he could have ever wanted. The icing on the cake was having his family by his side, as they were the inspiration who pushed him to be one of the greatest of all time.
While AJ retiring makes me realize I am also getting old, I am glad I watched him go from an independent wrestler to Ring of Honor, TNA, New Japan, and finally WWE. For a longtime fan, it was a perfect ending to that chapter of his life. I am excited to see him shine in whatever new role he takes on in the Performance Center.
Will AJ cut those luscious locks now that he is no longer an active wrestler?
The Dogs are All Elite
It was obvious both Gabe Kidd and Clark Connors would sign with All Elite Wrestling due to their current storyline, but truthfully, I didn’t see David Finlay signing as a possibility. While I shouldn’t be shocked—business is business—I was 100% sure he was WWE-bound. Not only because his father and brother are there, but because AEW has signed just about every well-known wrestler who has become a free agent over the past two months.
While The Dogs are back together and involved in a program, I hope the trio’s talents don’t end up wasted once this feud is over. With AEW and NJPW working together, I am unsure if AEW would send them there to work instead of having them sit at home collecting a paycheck. I love these guys and their potential to become household names. While Kidd and Connors have been featured lately, David is more of a fresh face which adds another element to the story—especially the backstory of The Dogs.
All three would have been great additions to the WWE roster, but I think Gabe Kidd’s character fits the AEW mold better than WWE’s. I’m not saying he wouldn’t excel, I just think he would end up with more restraints (think Jon Moxley vs. Dean Ambrose). David Finlay, however, has more of a WWE vibe. His look, his carriage, and his work are more “WWE-ish.” While signing with the competition was his choice, I would love to know the reasoning behind it. Maybe it was financial; maybe it was an NXT thing, which some see as a downgrade. Or maybe he just wanted to continue causing havoc with his boys.
Update: Numerous online articles have stated that WWE wanted David Finlay to lead the “Birthright” stable. While I am sure they will run with Lexis King as the leader, Finlay would have brought international experience and made that group a big deal immediately. He could have elevated the others and taken the group to the main roster as “big dogs.”
WrestleMania 42 Card Thus Far
…Sucks. I have zero interest so far in the Road to WrestleMania. I find it very boring and very “safe.” WrestleMania should never be boring. The Paul Levesque of today is not the Paul Levesque who ran NXT, and I can’t figure out what got lost along the way. NXT Takeovers had five matches, and those matches were always exceptional. Every match and storyline had 100% of the audience’s investment. Today, they are struggling to get 50%. Sad.
With over a month to go, we only have five matches announced for the two-night extravaganza. WWE doesn’t seem to be in any rush to solidify the cards. It feels like either nothing is concrete or they prefer to hold off rather than build excitement.
Here’s what we have so far:
- CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns (World Heavyweight Championship): This is a marquee match, but Reigns winning the Rumble for this opportunity wasn’t needed. WrestleMania should be when the company straps the rocket to newer talent. I’m looking forward to this, but I’m on the “blah” side of excitement. If Punk is indeed hurt, I would have Bron Breakker appear at the end of the match for a staredown to start the new season on a high.
- Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton (Undisputed WWE Championship): This does nothing for me. Randy didn’t need to win the Elimination Chamber. He is fully established and doesn’t need the belt at this point in his career. Rumors say this could become a multi-person match with Cody Rhodes and Jacob Fatu. If Fatu is added, my excitement level changes completely. WWE should go all-in on Fatu, put the title on him, and build toward Trick Williams for a marquee SummerSlam match.
- Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan (Women’s World Championship): This is going to be a banger. I love both superstars and they both belong on the card. If given enough time, this could be one of the best matches on the show.
- Jade Cargill vs. Rhea Ripley (WWE Women’s Championship): Again, this doesn’t do much for me. I think this was strategically done to allow Ripley to carry the match and win the belt before feuding with Jordynne Grace. I think they want Grace to win the title from a marquee talent like Rhea later to solidify her move to the main event scene.
- Brock Lesnar’s Open Challenge: This is an oddball. WWE teased us at the Royal Rumble with Lesnar and Oba Femi. The fans are screaming for this, so if Femi steps up without a build, it’s a letdown. They have a massive attraction here; they need to start the story soon and let it simmer until the roof blows off the arena.
This and That
WWE finally announced one of the most deserving WWF tag teams for the Hall of Fame: Ax and Smash, The Demolition. These two (plus Crush) were everything a WWF wrestler should be. From the face paint to the gear to the red tongues, they had the audience’s attention. Future wrestlers should study their character execution. It should have happened years ago, but I’m looking forward to hearing their stories.
Mance Warner and Steph De Lander shockingly departed TNA. It felt so random, but word is it was due to TNA’s refusal to clear her to wrestle. I see a lot of hate toward TNA online, but if they have health concerns, I don’t blame them—even if outside doctors cleared her. I wouldn’t mess with my neck, either. SDL could have stayed involved alongside Mance without taking bumps, but I respect their decision to leave.
Finally, word is WWE is looking to add more women’s matches to the WrestleMania card. This isn’t a surprise; there are so many talented women worthy of the stage. I often find the WWE women more exciting than the men because they have to go above and beyond for recognition. Giulia, Jordynne Grace, Chelsea Green, Roxanne Perez—they all deserve to shine. Please, HHH, give them the chance.
Well, that’s all for me. Time to log off and head home. I’m excited to see the WrestleMania card unfold and to see if AEW fans grow to love David Finlay. We shall see.
Nick Whitworth
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