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WWE star Matt Cardona tried to get Danhausen to “release him” last week on “Friday Night SmackDown” when he walked into the wrestler’s lab.
Instead, Cardona was surprised when he touched one of Danhausen’s tools. He seemed to return to his Zack Ryder character for a split second. The Miz and Kit Wilson experienced similar fates on the show over the past month.
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Matt Cardona enters the arena before competing against Trick Williams during “SmackDown” at the SAP Center in San Jose, California on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
“You know what, ever since he got shocked in the Danhausen lab, things have been weird,” Cardona told Pak Gazette Digital. “My fist has been shaking. I live in Florida now, but I’ve had the urge to go back to Long Island. I’ve been screaming, ‘Woo!’ “I don’t know what’s going on.”
Danhausen has become one of WWE’s biggest stars since making his debut at Elimination Chamber in February. His products are flying off the shelves and he is “not cursing” teams to help them win championships (see New York Knicks and Carolina Hurricanes).
Cardona said he had a feeling Danhausen’s popularity would take off once he arrived in WWE.
“I knew I would be in WWE. I followed Danhausen’s independent career. I wrestled with him on the independents,” he said. “This guy is a self-made superstar, like me, and I knew that if he ever got the opportunity in WWE, he would excel. I didn’t anticipate it would be at this level. He’s a mainstream character. I’m absolutely thrilled for him.”
Danhausen brings a vaudeville-style character to the ring. He describes himself as “very nice, very evil.” And, if you hurt him, “you are cursed.”
Danhausen celebrates during “Monday Night Raw” at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California on April 13, 2026. (Rich Freeda/WWE)
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Cardona told Pak Gazette Digital that his character exemplifies the “E” in WWE.
“Because, at the end of the day, this is entertainment – World Wrestling Entertainment – and Danhausen is entertaining,” Cardona said. “He’s entertaining for people of all ages: kids, adults. He can do it all. And he’s not just, you know, a comedy act. He also wrestles. He really can do it all.”
Cardona hasn’t had too many wins since returning to WWE earlier this year. That’s why he wanted to go to Danhausen in the first place.
Still, he said, his focus remains on returning to the WWE title scene.
“I’ll be honest. I haven’t been doing very well,” he said. “Check my win-loss record. It hasn’t been the best. That’s why I asked Danhausen to ‘undo the curse’ on me. It worked for the New York Knicks. How about another New Yorker? I’m grateful to be back.
Matt Cardona looks on during “SmackDown” on KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, on February 27, 2026. (Mike Marqués/WWE)
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“When I was on the independents, it was the best moment of my career up to that point, but at the end of the day, the goal was to be the WWE champion, and you can’t be the WWE champion unless you’re in WWE. That’s why I had to come back.
