Scrapped Plans for Danhausen’s AEW Debut Revealed

Danhausen made his AEW debut on the January 26, 2022 episode of Dynamite, appearing during a match between Adam Cole and Orange Cassidy. However, it seems that AEW originally had different plans for his debut but ultimately decided to scrap them.

While speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Danhausen revealed scrapped plans for his AEW debut, explaining that he was signed while recovering from a broken leg. He had been talking to AEW a couple of weeks before but wasn’t officially involved yet. Since he was nearby, he messaged Brody King to ask if he could stop by and say hello. Brody said yes.

“I was signed with a broken leg. I had been talking to them a little bit, maybe a week or two before. Then I showed up because I messaged Brody, ‘Hey, I’m kinda close, I’m sitting at home with a broken leg. Can I just come and say hi to people?’ He said, ‘Yeah, it’s fine.'”

While Danhausen was there, Cody Rhodes asked if he had any plans for the night. At the time, Danhausen wasn’t in his usual character. He always carried his gear just in case, but since he had a broken leg and wasn’t part of AEW yet, he wasn’t expecting to do anything. Cody Rhodes told him they might be able to find something for him to do and would let him know.

“So I was there, and I think that was the day Cody asked, ‘Hey, are you doing something tonight?’ I’m not dressed as Danhausen at this point. I mean, I always have my stuff just in case, but I’ve got a broken leg and I don’t work here. So I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ He goes, ‘Alright, let me know, we’ll get you something.'”

The original idea was to include Danhausen in Cody’s TNT Title match against Sammy Guevara, possibly in a ladder spot. However, when the segment with Orange Cassidy and Adam Cole was confirmed, those plans changed. Instead, Danhausen ended up being part of that moment, which still gave him a similar way to debut in AEW.

“I think Cody was going to do something with the Sammy Guevara match for the TNT Title. I think they were going to hold me out on a ladder if the thing with Orange Cassidy and Adam Cole didn’t happen. He was just going to find a way to get me into his match to get me on the show, so I thought, ‘Oh, that’s awesome.’ But we ended up doing the Adam Cole and Orange Cassidy spot, which turned out to be pretty similar.”

Danhausen’s AEW debut was a big moment on Dynamite. Even though AEW changed their original plans, his debut still suited his quirky and fun personality. Many fans think putting him in Adam Cole vs. Orange Cassidy was a great choice since it matched his mix of comedy and spooky style, but some fans do wonder how differently Danhausen’s debut would have turned out if he worked with Cody Rhodes.

Looking back, do you think AEW made the right decision with Danhausen’s debut? Would you have preferred to see him involved in the Cody Rhodes and Sammy Guevara match? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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