GUNTHER Targets Danhausen Rematch Ahead Of Halloween

Danhausen picked the wrong seat to sit in on WWE SmackDown this past Friday, October 16, and GUNTHER made sure he knew it. After Danhausen plopped himself into general manager Nick Aldis’ chair, GUNTHER grabbed him by his neck brace and made it clear the Halloween season was about to get a lot less fun for the ‘very nice, very evil’ star. Danhausen begged to be kept alive through Halloween, but GUNTHER promised to make the holiday one to remember — setting the stage for a rematch between the two on SmackDown on October 30.

The animosity dates back to late August, when Danhausen began needling the Ring General at every turn. Things boiled over on the October 9 episode of SmackDown, when GUNTHER flattened Danhausen in their first encounter, only for Finn Balor to run in and make the save before a winner could be decided. That rescue appears to have opened a second front for GUNTHER, who has already dismissed Balor’s best days as being behind him while insisting his own sights remain fixed on world championship gold.

Danhausen’s Halloween plate is unusually full. He’s also been added to NXT’s Halloween Havoc card on October 31, a booking that traces back to NXT general manager Robert Stone receiving a letter warning that Danhausen had to be named host of the show or face a curse. Shawn Michaels later confirmed Danhausen’s involvement in a graphic posted to social media, meaning the SmackDown star will be busy the entire Halloween weekend — first on the main roster against GUNTHER, then presumably in some capacity at NXT’s PLE the following night.

What happens after the GUNTHER rematch is the more interesting question. GUNTHER and Balor last crossed paths on September 25, when neither man qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match that eventually went to CM Punk. A continuation of that rivalry without Danhausen in the mix would let both men work a more serious, hard-hitting program, and there’s a reasonable case for building it toward a Triple Threat with Sami Zayn and the WWE Championship on the line — a match that would lean on Zayn’s underdog fire, Balor’s intensity, and GUNTHER’s brutal efficiency.

As for Danhausen and Balor teaming up beyond the rescue spot, nothing concrete points that way yet, though the pairing has obvious visual appeal given Balor’s Demon persona and his AAA work alongside the puppet Demonito. Balor has previously discussed pitching ideas to The Undertaker, who now oversees creative for AAA, and Danhausen would seem to be a natural fit for that kind of larger-than-life, lucha-adjacent presentation if WWE ever wanted to loan him out.

Since debuting on the main roster at Elimination Chamber in February, Danhausen has steadily won over fans despite a relatively light in-ring schedule, mostly shining in backstage segments and house show appearances rather than regular televised matches. That’s likely to remain the formula even after the GUNTHER rematch plays out — Danhausen is far more valuable as a recurring comedic wrinkle than as a weekly in-ring fixture. For GUNTHER, the feud has served a different purpose, giving the two-time World Champion a chance to show some levity without undercutting the dominant aura he’s built since arriving on the main roster. However the October 30 match ends, don’t expect it to be the last word — for either Danhausen’s Halloween plans or GUNTHER’s next serious challenger.

Hey @MrStoneWWE, let’s get this sorted out… I’m not looking to get cursed! 😳😂 @DanhausenAD at #HalloweenHavoc… what the heck are we getting ourselves into?

Saturday, October 31 at 7 ET/4 PT on @TheCW in the U.S. and @netflix internationally. pic.twitter.com/UoQGgxVgnj

— Shawn Michaels (@ShawnMichaels) October 14, 2026