Eric Bischoff Explains Lukewarm Fan Reaction to Danhausen’s WWE Debut

Eric Bischoff, the former WCW president, attributes the muted response to Danhausen’s WWE debut at Elimination Chamber to fan anticipation for a bigger surprise, potentially Chris Jericho. Bischoff discussed the debut on his “83 Weeks” podcast, suggesting the timing overshadowed the arrival of the AEW newcomer.

Timing and Expectations

Danhausen debuted at WWE’s Elimination Chamber event, emerging from a mystery box that had been hyped for weeks. However, instead of the enthusiastic reception WWE likely hoped for, he received a mixed reaction, including boos from the Chicago crowd. Bischoff believes this stemmed from fans expecting a more established star.

“It’s not so much that their idea was bad, but their timing was,” Bischoff explained. “If you would have had that mystery…if you would have established a box for two, three, four weeks and created the whole mystery around it at a time when there wasn’t a question mark about where Chris Jericho is going to conclude up…The timing of it led people to want to believe it was going to be Chris Jericho, myself included.”

Value in Danhausen

Despite the initial reaction, Bischoff expressed his belief in Danhausen’s potential value to WWE. He acknowledged Danhausen’s appeal and highlighted his merchandising potential.

“But we got Danhausen, which is really unfortunate because like you, I see the value and I’ve met him a few times at conventions and spoke with him. He’s a very, very nice young man and I too see an opportunity from a merchandising point of view and also from a programming perspective,” Bischoff stated.

Merchandising and Future Success

Bischoff emphasized WWE’s strength in merchandising and predicted they would be able to capitalize on Danhausen’s character. He believes that, despite the initial setback, WWE will be able to build on Danhausen’s appeal.

“Danhausen is a good acquisition for WWE because there’s nobody better on planet earth in merchandising a character than WWE. So, it makes sense business-wise. I think the timing, because of the possibility that existed at that time, I think it put a little dent in the character coming out of the shoot, but they’ll make up for it very quickly,” Bischoff added.

Bischoff anticipates fans will eventually overlook the debut’s lukewarm reception and embrace Danhausen as a successful addition to the WWE roster.