Danhausen and the Knicks: How a WWE Superstar ‘Uncursed’ the New York Team

Very nice. Very evil. Very victorious.

Danhausen | Andrew Timms/WWE via Getty Images

In case you somehow missed it, the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals last week to take home the championship in Game 5, marking the first championship for the NYC squad since 1973. And on Thursday, June 18, the Big Apple came together to celebrate the victory with the traditional parade.

Now, if you’ve been following this incredible comeback story even a little bit, you might’ve caught wind of an unexpected crossover that unfolded in real time during the NBA playoffs. We’re, of course, talking about WWE’s Danhausen, who “uncursed” the team ahead of their historic run and won the hearts of Knicks fans around the country. Since “uncursing” the team, the WWE superstar has attended countless Knicks games and events, and he was even invited to the parade to be part of the celebration.

So, seeing as I (me, the human being writing this article) haven’t missed an episode of Monday Night Raw, SmackDown or NXT in, like, an embarrassing amount of time, allow me to put my wealth of pro wrestling knowledge to work to explain everything that went down for the uninitiated among us.

Who is Danhausen?

A simple, yet complicated question! The short answer: Danhausen is a WWE superstar who appears on both Raw and SmackDown as part of the weekly roster. The longer answer: Danhausen is a delightful ghoul of sorts who specializes in collecting human teeth, terrorizing his fellow superstars and “cursing” his enemies. He made his debut at WWE’s Elimination Chamber event back in February and quickly rose through the ranks to become a fan-favorite, thanks to his weekly shenanigans.

How did Danhausen get involved with the Knicks?

The Danhausen x Knicks saga began in earnest after the WWE superstar appeared on ESPN’s First Take to confront Stephen A. Smith, who had been “rude” to him when the two previously crossed paths. The pair had a back-and-forth, which resulted in Danhausen “cursing” the host and his favorite NBA team, the Knicks, by proxy. Immediately following this interaction, the Knicks lost a game.

From there, a fan reached out to the WWE superstar, politely requesting that he please “uncurse” the Knicks. Proving his catchphrase—“very nice, very evil”—to be true, Danhausen fulfilled the fan’s request and officially “uncursed” the team. After this interaction, Danhausen also “cursed” the Cleveland Cavaliers, who faced off against the NYC squad in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks then went on a 13-game winning streak, landing in the NBA Finals before ultimately winning the championship. You can watch ESPN’s full video recap of the story here.

How do Knicks fans feel about Danhausen?

Throughout the remainder of the season, Danhausen was spotted at multiple Knicks games and events, including their impressive NBA Finals run. The team only lost one game during the NBA Finals, Game 3, to which the WWE Superstar noted in a tweet that “Danhausen isn’t to blame for tonight.”

“Listen, we don’t blame Danhausen for anything in this city. Don’t curse them, and you can do no wrong here,” one Knicks fan responded. And Spurs fans even weighed in, with one user writing, “As a Spurs fan, it isn’t on you.”

Plus, it wasn’t just fans of the teams that supported Danhausen throughout the hilarious unfolding of events, with plenty of celebrities getting in on the fun as well. The WWE superstar took photos with Ben Stiller, Cardi B and more throughout the season, with all happy to applaud the man, the myth, the ‘Hausen.

DANHAUSEN KNEW THEY BELIEVED.

Thank you @jalenbrunson1 @KarlTowns and @FallonTonight for confirming Danhausens cursing and uncursing powers to the world.@WWE @espn pic.twitter.com/YiZsmldEjq

— Danhausen (@DanhausenAD) June 16, 2026

How do the Knicks feell about Danhausen?

It’s fair to say the team has embraced the WWE superstar as part of their comeback story, with the franchise and fandom all being great sports about it. As noted above, Danhausen has been invited to multiple Knicks-related events since this entire saga started, including the team’s celebratory parade in New York City this week. The team was even auctioning off a WWE-style championship, signed by both Danhausen and the Knicks’ own Jalen Brunson.

And, while appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, June 16, Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Brown were asked by the host about the situation. Fallon questioned Brunson directly about Danhausen and the “curse,” given that the NBA star is also a WWE fan, to which he simply responded, “At first, I was a little skeptical, but you have to believe now.”

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