Leading up to last Saturday night's 2026 WWE Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event (PLE), a mysterious crate became a major talking point. The crate first appeared on WWE TV a couple of weeks ago during an episode of Monday Night RAW and was later featured on that week's Friday Night SmackDown. The message on the crate instructed the RAW and SmackDown General Managers not to open it until the Elimination Chamber PLE.
The crate was eventually opened by Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis during Saturday night’s show in Chicago, Illinois, revealing Danhausen as the person inside. The former AEW star made his entrance with a group of dancers, who also emerged from a coffin inside the crate. He then presented a cup of teeth to Michael Cole at the commentary table before exiting the ring. Danhausen’s WWE debut initially received a positive reaction from the crowd as he emerged, but the enthusiasm faded as he and his dancers made their way to the ring.
On the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed Danhausen's signing with WWE. Meltzer mentioned that while some individuals pushed for Danhausen's inclusion, the decision was not unanimous, as there were others in the company who were not in favor of it.
Alvarez added that Danhausen has "gotten himself very over with almost zero national television exposure" and speculated that the former AEW wrestler might be used in a WWE ambassador-style role to boost his visibility. It’s important to note that Alvarez was expressing his opinion rather than reporting this as a fact.
As previously reported, Danhausen has signed a multi-year deal with WWE and is expected to appear on tonight's episode of RAW, which will take place at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, and will air live on Netflix.
