New Details Emerge On Danhausen’s AEW Departure Before WWE Debut

Some new details have come to light regarding Danhausen’s long goodbye from AEW before he turned up in WWE.

Danhausen has arrived in WWE, with a debut that might well be memorable for all the wrong reasons. For weeks, Raw and SmackDown General Managers Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis had been left wondering what was in a mystery crate that was only to be opened at the Elimination Chamber.

It was left to them to open the crate, where they found a closed coffin. Neither man hung around to find out what was then in that. When it did open, a throng of face-painted women emerged before Danhausen officially arrived in WWE.

He made his way to the ring, gave Michael Cole a jar of teeth, and posed as the Chicago crowd instantly turned on him, showering the arrival with boos. Given how his debut played out, many were quick to compare it to another infamous debut in WWE history.

When Did Danhausen’s AEW Deal End?

Fightful Select has now reported that Danhausen’s AEW deal officially expired on February 28th. He had requested that AEW not add injury time or exercise the option of extending his contract, but they did so, despite not using him.

Given that his contract expired on the same night the Elimination Chamber took place, many had wondered how he was able to negotiate with WWE, especially as the crate had been seen on WWE TV before he was out of his AEW deal.

The report noted that Danhausen was always the plan for the crate, and there were no issues with him negotiating a WWE deal before his AEW exit. There are said to be provisions in contracts that limit what can and can’t be negotiated while under a deal, but sides tend to look the other way when it seems that the obvious is about to happen.

WWE sources indicated that it was generally always planned that Danhausen would keep his name and gimmick in the company.