The reveal of Danhausen at WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 has reportedly sparked internal debate within the company. While the 35-year-old former AEW star emerged from the “mystery crate” in his hometown of Chicago, the segment’s reception—both in the arena and backstage—has been described as polarizing.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed the fallout of the debut, which saw Danhausen accompanied by a troupe of painted dancers before the lights went out and the group vanished.
“It was the Gobbledygooker. That’s what it was. They finally managed to do another Gobbledygooker,” Meltzer said, referring to the much-maligned 1990 debut of a giant egg-hatching turkey.
Meltzer further revealed that the decision to bring Danhausen into the WWE fold under Triple H’s creative regime was met with resistance from some corners of the office.
“People pushed for him. There were people who didn’t want him. It was not a unanimous decision or anything like that,” Meltzer explained. “I would guess that the people who didn’t want him are thinking like, ‘Hmm, sure didn’t work out so well this time.’ But time will tell. He’ll get another chance.”
Despite the “negative” reaction from the live Chicago crowd, Bryan Alvarez noted that Danhausen’s value might lie outside of traditional in-ring success. Alvarez suggested that WWE may utilize the “Very Nice, Very Evil” star as a specialized brand representative.
“The fact is, he goes to all sorts of events and has gotten himself very over with almost zero national television exposure,” Alvarez said. “So I presume that’s going to be his role. They’ll send him all over the place… like a WWE ambassador going different places.”
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