Danhausen has quickly become one of WWE’s breakout stars since making his surprise debut at Elimination Chamber 2026, but not everyone was immediately sold on the signing.
After arriving in WWE, Danhausen rapidly became one of the company’s most popular Superstars, emerging as a strong merchandise seller before scoring a victory at SummerSlam just months into his run. While fans have largely embraced him, his initial debut reportedly drew mixed reactions from both the audience and those behind the scenes.
Speaking on Busted Open (full episode below), Kit Wilson admitted he never expected Danhausen’s rise to happen so quickly and recalled the divided response when the former AEW star first appeared.
“Absolutely not,” Wilson responded when asked about if he ever expected Danhausen’s quick rise in WWE. “I was there in Chicago for his debut, and I think that gave us a lot of question marks. It was a lot of people that enjoyed it. There was a lot of people that didn’t. Again, that’s the beautiful thing about this company, about this program is that we all get to have our own opinion. Danhausen came in and there was a lot of us backstage that didn’t feel too fond about him coming in on a pay-per-view, on a P.L.E… maybe taking our spots.”
Wilson went on to lean into the rivalry, joking that he deserves some of the credit for Danhausen’s success after being his first WWE opponent.
“So of course, I wanted to be the guy to take on Danhausen. Who had his debut match? Me. Who put him on the map? Me, and now Danhausen is popular than ever. So, I guess you’re welcome?”
