"Only a handful of people are actually doing that"- AEW's Danhausen breaks character to address fan criticisms
Danhausen was one of the stars fans hoped to see AEW sign, and he has been featured on AEW TV throughout his time with the promotion. However, since his debut, he's been heavily criticized online by fans and veterans alike. He recently broke character to address the backlash as himself.
The star made his wrestling debut back in 2013, and he eventually made his way to Ring of Honor. During his run with the promotion, he made his Danhausen character even more popular, growing it into the very nice, very evil gimmick people love today.
During a rare out-of-character interview with HardLore, Danhausen addressed the online criticism that both he and Orange Cassidy often fall victim to, given their unusual gimmicks.
"Me and Orange Cassidy are the 'go to' people for people to complain about. 'Oh, this is too goofy for wrestling.' Also, we're the two people I always hear, 'Oh, my friends don't like wrestling, but they love you two,' and now they watch, or 'I wasn't really watching, but I saw you two, so I started.' We're creating new fans, which is what you should be doing as a wrestler," he said.
CM Punk takes Danhausen comic book shopping 🥴
#AEW #CMPunk https://t.co/lZTwXOqeG0
The star continued, noting that his character creates new fans who end up being exposed to the likes of Bryan Danielson and Jade Cargill.
"I'm creating new fans who haven't watched people like Dante Martin, who is a tremendous athlete. Now they're watching him like, 'Oh, this weird guy got me into this and now I can see Bryan Danielson, Dante Martin, Jade Cargill." (H/T: Fightful)
The face-painted performer rarely breaks character, making this interview all the more interesting and possibly important. Fans are always allowed to voice their opinions, but it's often difficult to remember that wrestlers are still human beings underneath their characters.
Missed the latest AEW Dynamite? Catch up on the show results via this link.
WCW veteran Konnan believes that AEW has already buried Danhausen
Due to his injury, the star was unfortunately sidelined until March, two months after his debut in January 2022, when he'd first take on Tony Nese. Danhausen has only wrestled on five occasions with a scheduled sixth bout this Friday.
While speaking on an episode of Keepin' It 100, Konnan addressed the very nice, very evil star's portrayal within AEW.
"I thought that, as over is he is with the fans, as much as time as they give him, they give him a lot of TV time. They buried him real quick and which probably for the best because as I said, I've never seen Danhausen in a good match," Konnan said. (2:26 onward)
After their devastating Dumpster Match loss, #GunnClub’s @theaustingunn & @coltengunn will look to redeem themselves TOMORROW on #AEWRampage #QuakeByTheLake at 10pm ET/9pm CT & 10pm PT on TNT, when they face #Beardhausen, the dynamic duo of @DanhausenAD & @ErickRedBeard! https://t.co/nWSqpC93jC
So far, the star hasn't had much success in-ring during his time with the promotion. However, he's currently set to team up with former WWE Superstar Erick Redbeard on AEW Rampage. Could his new partner help him gain more legitimacy in the squared circle? Time will tell.