Summary

Booker T believes Danhausen has already silenced a lot of the criticism that followed his WWE debut at Elimination Chamber.

Speaking with Ryan Gaydos, Booker T said he was in the minority when Danhausen first arrived, arguing that wrestling needs larger-than-life characters who bring a different kind of energy to the show. He pointed to Danhausen's popularity and merchandise strength as proof that the gimmick is connecting.

That praise comes as Danhausen continues to build momentum in WWE. He is currently undefeated and recently beat The Miz. It also follows Danhausen joking about what kept him going inside a crate before his WWE debut, another sign that WWE has leaned into the presentation that got him over with fans in the first place.

Quote from Booker T

"When Danhausen came in, everybody crapped on him. Everybody was like, 'Man, what the heck is going on? This is not gonna work.' Everybody except me. I'm literally the minority in this whole thing. I said, look guys, I don't know what everybody is thinking about but when you take wrestlers and characters like Danhausen out of the wrestling business, you lose sight on what the wrestling business truly is."

Booker T later went on to say:

"We need the George 'The Animal' Steeles of this business. We need those characters that's going to come out and bring the levity down and just make you feel a certain way and just fun for you. I said this guy is going to be a merchandising, you know, a marketing machine. He's proved to be everything that I said he was gonna be. So, for me, I love the Danhausen character being a part of WWE. I said, if I never did the spina-rooni, what would my career have been? If The Rock never did the People's Elbow, where would have careers have gone without that? So, for me, I love having Danhausen as a part of WWE."

Danhausen's WWE role is taking shape

Danhausen's undefeated start and reported merchandise success give WWE a clear reason to keep featuring him as more than a one-night curiosity. Booker T's point is simple, characters that stand out can become valuable pieces of the show even when they are doing something different from the rest of the roster.

The other takeaway is that WWE seems to have found the lane fans expected for Danhausen. If the company keeps pairing crowd reactions with wins and merch movement, his act should stay visible on television rather than fading into the background after the debut buzz.

Sources

Booker T while speaking with Ryan Gaydos of Fox News