Danhausen's First RAW Appearance Was A Great Reminder Of What WWE Has Been Missing

Elimination Chamber is over, which means we're one step closer to WrestleMania 42. With just weeks to go before the big show, there's a lot of conversation about the things the WWE is doing right, and a lot more about what it's doing wrong. To touch on something about the former, I feel like they ultimately righted the ship with Danhausen.

Admittedly, scheduling his debut during the PLE might've been a misstep, but after just one Monday Night Raw, I can tell I'm going to enjoy seeing Danhausen throughout the rest of the 2026 TV schedule. In the wake of criticism about all the things the wrestling company is doing wrong, here's why scouting people like Danhausen is the right call.

The WWE Needs More Wrestlers Like Danhausen Who Can Get Over Without Championships

The WWE currently has the most talented main roster it's had in decades. From heavyweight to luchadors, the men's and women's division is chock full of technical wrestlers ready to prove they can be the top stars for the company. As such, I feel like everyone has a persona where they want to be seen as a future champion, which creates (for lack of a better term) very generic characters.

Name a WWE wrestler who would best be described as a bad ass who never gives up and will do whatever it takes to win, and you could probably attribute that to 90% of the roster. I don't necessarily blame talent for being "vanilla" with their characters, either, as who wouldn't after hearing what Michael Hayes said about Chelsea Green on WWE: Unreal?

In front of cameras on a show the world would see with their Netflix subscription, the creative figurehead said Green's character is entertaining, but not necessarily built to be a top WWE performer. Hayes later tried to walk it back, but it's clear enough by looking at who is at the top that the WWE wants its top competitors to look and act a certain way.

As such, a guy like Danhausen is not going to be in the WWE's main event. The good thing is, it seems like he's fine with that, and is content to use his gimmick to sell merchandise, do comedy bits, have feuds, and maybe once in a blue moon get a title. To me, his value to WWE right now eclipses other mid-carders looking for that chance to push to the next level, and helps him stand out in a way that, frankly, many recent returners to the brand haven't.

Danhausen Also Fills The WWE's Need For Wrestlers With Interesting Gimmicks

Remember when Kit Wilson got hot seemingly out of nowhere recently? People were pissed he wasn't in the Royal Rumble, when the guy hasn't stood out as a singles performer since Pretty Deadly joined the main roster in 2023. It wasn't because he suddenly upped his game and became a better performer than he was already; it was because he got a great theme song and a fun new gimmick.

The same is true with Danhausen, who already seems to be doing well with merchandise numbers, according to NoDQ. I believe the WWE audience is dying for more creativity when it comes to characters, and need something more than "tough wrestler who never gives up challenges other tough wrestler who also never gives up."

The fact of the matter is, the WWE needs more Danhausens than it does Cody Rhodeses at the moment. There's only so much room at the top, but there's plenty of room elsewhere for wrestlers to get over if they make the effort. Great character work and winning over the crowd is a necessary step, and he's already off to a great start.

I can't wait to see more of Danhausen in the WWE and see where his run goes. As someone who loved what I saw of him in AEW, I'm expecting his upcoming appearances to be "very evil" and "very nice."