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“You. Are. Cursed.”
It’s the spark that has plagued WWE superstars Stephen A. Smith and sports teams alike. Danhausen, the “very nice, very evil” pro wrestling personality who has cursed The Miz, Kit Wilson and the ESPN pundit, did something that was more the former than the latter. He “freed the curse” from the New York Knicks.
The Knicks and Knicks fans have been mired in a pit of basketball despair for roughly 27 years. Since being swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the 1999 NBA Finals, the joy of watching the Knicks has come in waves.
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Danhausen enters the ring during WWE Backlash at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida on May 9, 2026. (Michael Owens/WWE)
The arrivals of Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony helped put the spark back in his eyes. Jeremy Lin and “Linsanity” gave them hope and even Phil Jackson taking over as team president for three years in the mid-2010s was a moment that would have stuck in fans’ heads for quite some time if it had led to any kind of success.
But this year’s version of the Knicks, led by Jalen Brunson, has so far erased all stories of tragedy and small triumphs that never came to fruition. The Knicks advanced to the NBA Finals on Monday night with a sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Danhausen cursed the Cavaliers, much to the chagrin of Cleveland sports fan The Miz. He even showed up at Madison Square Garden and received a t-shirt while WWE released a collaboration t-shirt with the Knicks. The shirt said, “You are not cursed.”
Miz speaks with Danhausen during SmackDown at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma on May 1, 2026. (Meg Oliphant/WWE)
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Danhausen took a victory lap Tuesday and appeared in a video breaking a broom to signal the sweep.
“UNCURSED,” he added in a separate post on X.
The moment underscores a perfect crossover moment between professional wrestling and mainstream sports. Brunson himself is a huge WWE fan and became involved in an angle last year with Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.
Brunson has avoided commenting on Danhausen’s antics, but said he and the training staff “recognize” world heavyweight champion Roman Reigns before every match.
“Look, these are the questions I want to be asked!… I have a handshake with one of our coaches and we acknowledge it before every game,” he said on April 30 after Reigns won the title at WrestleMania 42.
Whether it’s voodoo, magic or whatever you want to call it, the Knicks have returned to the hearts and minds of basketball fans and become one of the feel-good stories of the year.
Across town in Queens, the New York Mets are still hoping for a “no curses.” But Danhausen made it clear to Pak Gazette Digital during WrestleMania week in April that the team was not completely removed from its curse.
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks reacts after scoring during the second half of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers in New York, New York, on May 19, 2026. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)
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“I took the curse off the Mets. But it didn’t work because I think it was Brian Gewirtz who didn’t pay Danhausen. He didn’t send me my money, so it didn’t take full effect,” he said. “Once I have the money, maybe it will really work because right now it’s probably half of a no-swearing situation. It’s like a backup situation.”
