Paul Levesque wasn’t sold on the idea of Bron Breakker winning the Royal Rumble during Season 3 of WWE: Unreal.
WWE’s head of creative wondered whether Breakker was ready for that kind of push. He also questioned whether fans would accept it, worried that it would make it seem like they were “just shoving him” down fans’ throats.
At the same time, Danhausen is all over Raw and SmackDown, appearing in several segments. The comedy wrestler even makes run-ins during main events at WWE house shows.
Well, there’s a good reason for that.
Reports from PWInsider and WrestleVotes say Danhausen is one of WWE’s top merchandise sellers. His “uncursing” of the New York Knicks, who went on to win an NBA championship, garnered mass coverage, including from ESPN, WWE’s premium live event partner.
As a result, Danhausen is getting a big spotlight heading into this weekend’s SummerSlam. He’s set for a match with Dominik Mysterio, and ESPN also announced that he’ll have his own roaming popsicle truck in Minneapolis, where fans can get frozen treats and enjoy other surprises.
Meanwhile, Breakker, who WWE has touted as a future WrestleMania main-eventer, doesn’t have a match at one of its biggest events of the year.
Perhaps things will change as the novelty of Danhausen wears off. On Monday’s Raw, fans in Los Angeles seemed mostly quiet during his concert segment with Joe Hendry that also featured Dominik Mysterio and welterweight boxing champion Ryan Garcia.
As for Breakker, unless he comes up with a money-drawing gimmick — like Danhausen — WWE will likely keep treating him as a long-term project.
