Matt Hardy has weighed in on Danhausen’s start in WWE, praising his presentation while warning against overexposure. Speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Hardy said WWE made the right call presenting Danhausen as a star from the jump.
“He came out of this box, and then inside of that was a casket or a coffin,” Hardy said. “He comes out, he has all the dancers. He has this big performance. It was a big, entertaining introduction.”
Hardy acknowledged that the debut divided opinion, but argued that the follow-up segments were what mattered most. “You’d seen from Dan Housen on AEW television, and he was one of the biggest merch sellers,” Hardy said. “He always did really good with merch numbers there, and I am sure this is going to carry over to WWE.”
Hardy was clear about what kind of role Danhausen should have in WWE. “He is not a guy that you hire to make him the face of your company and make him the champion,” Hardy said. “He is a guy that is a good utility player, super entertaining, who moves merch. He is compelling. People are invested in his comedy and his shtick, because he does do a really good job at it.”
On the question of Danhausen wrestling matches, Hardy said the character should be used sparingly in the ring. “I would have him be an absolute attraction,” Hardy said. “I would have him wrestle a match, but I would be very smart, and I think I would keep his matches pretty rare. I think you need to make him an attraction more than anything else. He is a character more than he is a wrestler, and I would focus on the character part of Dan Housen more than the in-ring wrestling persona.”
Hardy also pointed to the risk of running a character into the ground, referencing a recent example from WWE’s own history. “It does not take long for something good to get watered down,” Hardy said. “I would almost guess they will probably take about the first month, because apparently his merch sales have been doing really good. They will probably try and push him out there, make him be known, but I think they will pretty soon settle into one show, and then his appearances will be a little more strict.”
Hardy added that appearances in other WWE-affiliated promotions could help keep Danhausen fresh. “I think that would be great for him, because he pops up in Triple A. He is tailor-made for that. That is perfect for him, especially with the character he is,” Hardy said. “As long as you do not oversaturate him and you keep him fresh and entertaining, he is going to do well, and he is going to move a lot of merch.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
