Danhausen Poses With ‘Widow’s Bay’ Actor Matthew Rhys

AEW’s resident “cursed” attraction Danhausen found an unlikely kindred spirit this week, sharing a photo alongside actor Matthew Rhys, star of the upcoming Apple TV series “Widow’s Bay.” Danhausen posted the picture on social media with the caption “Couple of cursed guys,” playing up his own eccentric on-screen persona alongside the acclaimed actor, best known for roles in “The Americans” and “Perry Mason.”

It’s a small moment, but a fitting one for a performer who has built his entire identity around leaning into the strange and the absurd. Danhausen has never been shy about crossing over into pop culture spaces outside the wrestling ring, and pairing up with a mainstream television star for a lighthearted photo op is very much on brand. These kinds of interactions also serve a practical purpose for AEW and its talent — they widen the audience for a character who thrives on internet virality, even outside of live events or televised segments.

Separately, AEW Dynamite saw MJF address chatter around merchandise bearing his name. MJF used the show to clarify that a shirt design featuring “his” OTC branding currently circulating is not actually his official product — distancing himself publicly from what appears to be an unauthorized or bootleg design. Merchandise authenticity has become an increasingly relevant issue across wrestling as bootleg goods proliferate online, often riding the coattails of a wrestler’s real gimmick or catchphrase without any connection to talent or promotion. For someone like MJF, whose entire persona is built on branding himself as wrestling’s premier heel and businessman, protecting the integrity of that brand — down to the T-shirts fans buy — fits neatly into the character he plays and the real financial stakes he has in his own image.

Neither story moves major storyline needles on its own, but together they’re a reminder of how much of modern wrestling exists outside the ring — in social media crossovers that build a performer’s cultural footprint, and in the increasingly serious business of protecting a wrestler’s name and likeness from imitators. Expect Danhausen to keep collecting odd celebrity photo-ops as his cult following grows, and don’t be surprised if MJF continues to publicly police his own merchandise line as AEW leans further into merchandising as a revenue stream. Small notes like these are often the ones worth watching for what they say about where wrestling and mainstream entertainment continue to intersect.