Danhausen Revives Demon Finn Balor on SmackDown

Danhausen’s mad-scientist act finally paid off in spectacular fashion on SmackDown, which aired Saturday, October 31, under the ‘Very Nice, Very Evil’ banner. After Gunther attacked him, Danhausen revealed his latest experiment had already been set in motion — the return of the Demon Finn Balor, who emerged to blast Gunther with a Coup de Grace through the announce table.

The Demon hadn’t been seen in some time, and bringing him back through Danhausen’s bizarre resurrection gimmick gives the character a fresh wrinkle while also setting up an obvious follow-up program between Balor and Gunther. It’s a clever bit of booking: Danhausen’s backstage vignettes have been built around the idea that he’s quietly reviving dormant gimmicks and personas, and the Demon is easily the biggest name he’s pulled off so far.

That track record raises an obvious question — who’s next? A few names stand out as logical candidates given recent storylines and backstage chatter.

Matt Cardona is one. Before suffering an injury, Cardona had been working backstage segments with Danhausen that seemed to be building toward him reviving his old Zack Ryder persona, even though he returned to WWE at the start of 2026 under his real name. With Cardona currently sidelined, his eventual comeback could be the ideal moment for Danhausen to flip the switch and bring Zack Ryder back into the fold.

Then there’s Alexa Bliss. She and Tatum Paxley lost the Women’s Tag Team Championship to Michin and B-Fab after only a two-week reign, and speculation about Bliss and Charlotte Flair’s alliance fracturing has been building ever since Paxley joined them on the main roster. Notably, when Bliss returned in 2025, there were internal talks about pairing her with the Wyatt Sicks and bringing back her darker ‘Evil’ persona from her Bray Wyatt-era run. If WWE still wants to go down that road, Danhausen reviving that side of Bliss would be a fitting narrative device.

The most intriguing possibility, though, is Sin Cara. Reports have indicated WWE has at least discussed reviving the Sin Cara character, with Myzteziz Jr. floated as a potential successor to the mask. Since neither of the performers who previously held the Sin Cara gimmick is currently under WWE contract, reintroducing it domestically is tricky. Danhausen making an appearance in AAA — a promotion with which WWE maintains a working relationship — could provide a natural, storyline-driven path to relaunch Sin Cara south of the border before bringing the character back to WWE television.

None of this is confirmed, of course, but Danhausen’s gimmick seems built specifically for this kind of speculation. Resurrecting the Demon was a strong proof of concept, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if WWE uses the character as connective tissue for several more returns and reinventions in the months ahead. For now, all eyes turn to what Gunther vs. the Demon means for both men moving forward, and whether Danhausen’s next experiment is already quietly underway.