Danhausen’s AEW Contract Expires, Immediately Fueling WWE Debut Speculation

Danhausen’s AEW run has officially come to an end, as a new update confirms that his contract with All Elite Wrestling has expired—making him a free agent at a time when WWE speculation is already running wild.

According to Fightful Select, Danhausen is now fully free following the expiration of his AEW deal, which had previously been extended due to injury time. His contract situation had been complicated by both injuries and long stretches where he was not actively booked on AEW programming.

It was noted that AEW had exercised Danhausen’s option year and later added additional time to his deal because of injuries, which is standard practice in wrestling contracts. However, Danhausen had previously requested that his contract not be extended further so he could avoid having to clear independent bookings and merchandise through AEW.

Despite his contract extensions, his deal has now officially expired, ending what Fightful described as a puzzling tenure with the company.

“Danhausen’s All Elite Wrestling deal officially expired after a totally puzzling run with the company. Danhausen was mired by a couple of injuries, but also not booked while healthy for years at a time.”

It was confirmed that Danhausen would theoretically be available for appearances immediately, including potentially being involved in WWE-related angles, though nothing has been confirmed.

“He would theoretically be available to be ‘in the crate’ tonight, but we haven’t confirmed him to be there.”

Interestingly, the report also indicated that Danhausen has supporters within WWE pushing for him behind the scenes, which could open the door for a future opportunity.

“Danhausen has definitely had people in the company pushing for him.”

Danhausen had not appeared on AEW television throughout 2025, though he remained active on the independent wrestling circuit. His recent cryptic “freedom”-themed social media posts fueled speculation that his AEW contract was coming to an end—and that speculation has now been confirmed.

With Danhausen officially a free agent and WWE currently teasing a mystery reveal tied to Elimination Chamber weekend, attention will now shift to whether he resurfaces in WWE, returns to AEW in the future, or explores other opportunities.

Do you think Danhausen should join WWE now that he’s officially a free agent, or would you prefer to see him return to AEW or another promotion?