Magazine Archive: Danhausen: Who Is He and Why Is He Everywhere? (Patreon)

By Jack Goodwillie Fightful Magazine, Issue 6

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It’s tough to think of a wrestler whose stock has gone up over the last couple years more than that of the man known as Danhausen, and wrestling has very little to do with it.

The Danhausen character isn’t the easiest to describe by way of the spoken word, let alone the written word. Instead, I would usher anybody with a hint of curiosity over what he is about to his Twitter account, which is fast approaching the 100,000 follower mark.

Not bad for a guy who thought about pivoting out of the wrestling business as recently as four years ago.

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The man known as Donovan Danhausen was an independent wrestler from Detroit dating back eight years, and he was not unlike any basic tattooed wrestler you might find at a local independent wrestling show near you. He was having high quality matches with some of the very best independent talent at the time; names such as Ricochetand Johnny Gargano. For some, this would be enough, but Donovan Danhausen lacked the one thing needed for any independent wrestler to catch on with a more mainstream fanbase – identity. By 2017 Danhausen, who had moved to Florida in an attempt to double-down on his pro wrestling career, was thinking about leaving the business altogether – and in a way, he did. He began painting his face with concepts based off some of his favorite band’s albums and some of his favorite horror movies, and thus, he became a horror character, something akin to how the Misfitsare considered to be a horror punk band. From there, he began filming vignettes on his YouTube channel taking inspiration from said horror movies, thus the character that came to be known as Danhausen was born.

Contrary to popular belief, however, Danhausen was not an overnight sensation. Like any independent wrestler, or rather, anybody who has ever tried to sell a product, he took the character to different areas of the country and put himself in front of new audiences to try to get himself over. Slowly but surely, his following on social media began to build, but to give his horror-based character longevity past Halloween, he began to incorporate other elements into the character. According to the man himself, the inspiration for the Danhausen voice comes from various Simpsonscharacters, as well as Conan O’Brien and Mark Hamill’sheralded Jokervoice. Eventually he began to incorporate cult leader elements along with other forms of tomfoolery. Soon, the character began to take on a life of its own, and along the way he patented the catchphrase, “very nice, very evil,” which works extremely well, especially considering how rooted the character is in cult lingo. It’s also why he works as a babyface when it comes to wrestling. Sure, he may be an evil, conniving Cretan of a man, and possibly even a sociopath – but at least he’s honest about it.

In his episode of VH1 Storytellers, John Mayersaid, “my inability to emulate my heroes is what allows me to be myself.” The Danhausen character is no different, and in time, he became something completely original, never seen in the modern pro wrestling landscape – until now.

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Danhausen has admitted himself that one of the goals of the character is to break into the mainstream so that he could best support the independent wrestling community and give back to something that has given him so much joy. While signing with Ring of Honor made him more well known to the average wrestling fan, his popularity and notoriety began to skyrocket after appearing on the podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. Danhausen is an admitted fan of Conan’s work, naturally as O’Brien also had a notable stint writing on The Simpsons, another major influence on the character. While Conan may not have the pull with his base that he had in say, 2010 when he resurfaced on TBS, being acknowledged by anyone in the mainstream is the ticket to becoming mainstream yourself. Not only did Danhausen get to meet a hero of his and fulfill a lifelong dream, but he also took a big step towards getting the character where he believes it can go.

Another arguably more important step towards the mainstream came when Danhausen had social media interaction with The Rock. Danhausen, the character, had sought to gain acknowledgement from The Rock for quite some time, and finally got it when he filmed a video of himself sampling Zoa Energy, the latest business venture The Rock has hitched his wagon to. The video, which took some incredible wit on Danhausen’s part, involves Danhausen sampling the “original” flavor of Zoa, only to have his wad of cash replaced with seven bucks, a homage to “Seven Bucks Productions” and his sweater transformed into one reminiscent of the one The Rock wore in the much meme’d fanny pack photo. “I’ve been transformed into original Rock! Prepare the PT Cruiser, do we have one?” Danhausen exclaimed. The video earned a social media shoutout from The Rock along with his stamp of approval, which considering he is among the most followed celebrities in the world carries a great deal of weight these days.

Those are merely two examples of how Danhausen has dipped his toe into the mainstream, but it doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of where he stands in the current landscape of professional wrestling. The answer may be anywhere, as much as it may be everywhere.

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Danhausen’s popularity within pro wrestling is probably as great as one can expect for someone who wasn’t affiliated with WWE or AEW. His fans are as loyal as any. When Danhausen broke his leg at an independent wrestling show in Tennessee, he started a GoFundMe to help cover his medical bills with an intended goal of $25,000. Not only did the fundraiser crush the intended goal, but it did so at warp speed, as the page had raised more than $2,000 within the first hour of being posted. Additionally, $1,000 came from the owner and promoter of New Generation Wrestling, the promotion where Danhausen’s injury occurred, so it’s eye-opening to see just how revered he is by not only his fans, but his peers.

At virtually the same time, Ring of Honor dropped a bombshell on the wrestling world when Sinclair Broadcasting Group, the parent company, announced it would be “temporarily” halting production at year’s end and letting go of all its contracted talent, Danhausen included. While this may seem like a raw deal for Danhausen, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Ring of Honor, to most fans, was always viewed as a glass half-full, glass half-empty kind of situation for a character like Danhausen. On one hand, with a product rooted so heavily in sport, someone as out in left field as Danhausen would have greater opportunity because he stood out so heavily from the rest of the roster. On the other hand, many speculated whether somewhere like Impact Wrestling would be a better fit for him as far as major companies go, where the writing team is more apt to take risks, no matter how big or small. Either way that debate gets sliced, however, working for Ring of Honor just doesn’t have the exposure or prestige that it used to, so having some time to lay low, heal up, and return to the wrestling ring under a new banner could be just the thing to get Danhausen to the next level.

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Lost in the antics of the character, all of which are rooted in reality, is Danhausen the wrestler. The man’s in-ring skills are not often talked about because of how big his character is, like how The Rock’s in-ring ability was seldom praised because of how big his personality was outside the ropes. The antics may not be for everybody, but there is no denying that Danhausen is as fundamentally sound as any wrestler you will find. I often point people to his match with Brian Johnson in Ring of Honor, which is ironically the first video that pops up on YouTube when searching for “Danhausen Wrestling.” Johnson, who doesn’t get enough credit in his own right, is such a perfect foil for Danhausen. Whereas Danhausen is an all-nonsense babyface, Brian Johnson is a no-nonsense heel, and that dynamic works tremendously in the match. When it’s time for Danhausen to turn up the heat, he can. When it’s time to slow things down and focus more on character work, he does so to perfection, and I think that really helps the match. It was also the first Danhausen match I have seen, and while I’m not the type of fan to watch wrestling for comedy, that match made a lifelong fan out of me, and there is no doubt in my mind he can deliver good quality entertainment with wrestlers of all different shapes, sizes and demeanors elsewhere.

This, to me, makes Danhausen one of the more intriguing free agents pro wrestling has seen in some time. Of course, he’s not the white whale that a CM Punk or Daniel Bryanmight be, but what makes him so intriguing is his ability to carve a niche out for himself on any type of roster. If Danhausen can get over in Ring of Honor, he can get over anywhere, and that’s what I expect him to do. Where that is remains to be seen. Impact would seem to be a fit creatively, and AEW will generally always land the guys they want to land, but should Danhausen eventually find his way to WWE, that would not surprise me. In fact, it might even be the best of the three if we assume he’s not going to end up in Japan or Mexico (which could also be entirely possible).

Believe it or not, Danhausen checks a ton of boxes for WWE, and WWE checks a ton of boxes for Danhausen. According to Wikipedia, Danhausen is listed at “6-foot-4 and at least 300 pounds,” but as someone who has stood next to Brian Johnson in the past, it is unlikely that Danhausen really is 6-foot-4. As meaningless as height has proven to be in a wrestler’s ability to become a star these days, it is still something that clearly matters to WWE. Then, imagine someone showing a Danhausen video to Vince McMahon. If Danhausen can make a fan out of Jim Cornette, he can make a fan out of McMahon, who loves wrestlers who are marketable and can appeal to kids, not to mention, there is a Bray Wyatt-sized hole on the main roster that can be filled. Imagine how thrilled someone like Bruce Prichardwould be to get a wrestler like Danhausen, who is so in touch with his character and can bring different ideas to the table for vignettes. Then, imagine what having even a six-month stint in WWE can do for Danhausen’s mainstream notoriety, an important goal of his. Suddenly, Danhausen-to-WWE doesn’t sound so impractical. Of course, I can just easily see him popping up in AEW down the line. The intrigue lies in the mystery.

Whichever promotion Danhausen decides to call home next, if anywhere at all, they will be lucky to have him. The story of Danhausen is one of a self-starter with a full grasp on the idea that wrestlers need to show they can help themselves before they can be helped by others. Just in his early thirties, Danhausen has the world of pro wrestling at his fingertips, and that’s even with him being confined to his couch at the moment.

Not bad for a guy who thought about walking away.