The surprise debut of Danhausen at WWE Elimination Chamber has reportedly created a divide behind the scenes in WWE.

The 35 year old, formerly of AEW, was revealed as the figure inside the long teased mystery crate during the premium live event in Chicago. Accompanied by a group of dancers painted in his likeness, Danhausen made his entrance before the lights suddenly went out. When they returned, both he and the performers had disappeared, leaving the crowd with more questions than answers. The live reaction inside the arena was described as mixed, and discussion backstage has reportedly been just as split.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer compared the segment to one of the most infamous reveals in wrestling history.

“It was the Gobbledygooker. That’s what it was. They finally managed to do another Gobbledygooker,” Meltzer said, referencing the notorious 1990 debut of The Gobbledygooker.

Meltzer added that bringing Danhausen in under Triple H was not a decision everyone supported internally.

“People pushed for him. There were people who didn’t want him. It was not a unanimous decision or anything like that,” Meltzer explained. “I would guess that the people who didn’t want him are thinking like, ‘Hmm, sure didn’t work out so well this time.’ But time will tell. He’ll get another chance.’”

Despite what was described as a negative reaction from the Chicago crowd, Bryan Alvarez suggested the long term vision for Danhausen may not revolve solely around in ring success. Instead, he pointed to the performer’s ability to build a following through conventions, independent appearances and character work with limited national television exposure.

“The fact is, he goes to all sorts of events and has gotten himself very over with almost zero national television exposure,” Alvarez said. “So I presume that’s going to be his role. They’ll send him all over the place… like a WWE ambassador going different places.”

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