The WWE debut of Danhausen proved to be one of mixed reactions as many fans in Chicago's United Center booed his presentation at Elimination Chamber, while others rejoiced in cheers. In the case of industry veteran Tommy, he remains a big fan of the former AEW star. After seeing Danhausen emerge from a crate alongside a series of dancers, though, Dreamer understands why some may feel the opposite way."I like Danhausen, I really do. I like him as a character," Dreamer said on "Busted Open After Dark." "Totally different vibe from the indies. The AEW real audience really did know Danhausen when he debuted there. He was there for four years, wasn't on their television show a lot. Before AEW, from the indies, from his own YouTube, he made a name for himself. He sells a lot of merchandise. He's got a lot of friends in the industry."I was working this weekend and all the wrestlers were talking about how that debut wasn't the best," he continued. "If you understand Danhausen's character, you get it, but to the masses of the WWE audience, they did not. It was Gobbledy Gooker-esque in his debut into the WWE, but even the little puff of the pyro, that is part of the Danhausen character. You have to understand the character before you really get into it."Heading into WWE Elimination Chamber, much of the speculation surrounding the crate's contents pointed to former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, who has been rumored for a WWE return for several months. With that in mind, Dreamer believes that many fans set high expectations for the crate's reveal, and when Jericho didn't appear, they likely felt an added layer of disappointment. Fortunately for Danhausen, he seems to have impressed some of those initial critics through his follow-up appearance on "WWE Raw."
Following his outing at Elimination Chamber, the "very nice, very evil" star returned to the WWE screen for "Raw," equipped with a list of demands for the red brand's General Manager Adam Pearce. Among them were requests for a blimp, his own WWE Hall of Fame induction, and his face being plastered across the WWE production trucks.Evidently uncomfortable with the toilet-sogged list, Pearce then directed Danhausen to meet The Judgment Day's Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh, and Finn Balor, the former of whom later found himself "cursed" by the new WWE talent. According to Tommy Dreamer, this sequence of events showed a promising entertainment value."[Danhausen] has his little list of demands with Adam Pearce. I thought it was frigging great," Dreamer said. "He also kind of wink-wink talked about his debut not being the best. Even how Adam Pearce put it over, like 'Um, I don't believe that happened.' His facials, all his list of demands, a lot of stuff like that was great. Then, of course, Adam Pearce bails. We meet the Judgment Day. He introduced himself. He's a creepy, weird little person. Then he puts a curse on Dom Mysterio and they're like, 'Are you kidding me?' And then he disappears. Stuff like this with his character work and stuff like that, he will entertain and win us over."Danhausen's curse on Mysterio ultimately succeeded as the Judgment Day member lost the WWE Intercontinental Championship to Penta just mere minutes later. Whether the curse's effect will remain the way on future programming has yet to be seen.If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open After Dark" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
