Danhausen To Host Halloween-Themed SmackDown With Title Matches

WWE has billed next week’s SmackDown as Danhausen’s “Very Nice, Very Evil” edition, turning the Halloween-adjacent show over to the bizarre, lovable antagonist as part of his ongoing feud with Gunther. The episode, set for Friday, October 30, will feature two title matches: Chelsea Green defending the WWE Women’s Championship against Nikki Bella, and Sami Zayn putting the Undisputed WWE Championship on the line against Trick Williams.

Danhausen’s role as host comes directly out of his recent issues with Gunther, who has been steamrolling opponents on SmackDown for months. The pair collided in a match that went about as well for Danhausen as anyone would expect against a man who has retired Goldberg, John Cena and AJ Styles — Gunther dismantled him until Finn Balor ran in for the save. That rescue has only deepened the animosity between Gunther and Finn, who have also been circling each other as contenders for the WWE Championship.

Given the holiday timing and Finn Balor’s history, there’s been plenty of speculation about whether this is the night the Demon makes his return. Balor hasn’t painted up since his WrestleMania 42 match with Dominik Mysterio, and before that the character had gone dormant for three years following his WrestleMania 39 bout with Edge. The gimmick had lost some shine by the end of its last run, with defeats to Roman Reigns and Edge chipping away at the aura that once made the Demon feel like a genuine supernatural threat. A lengthy absence, paired with a Halloween broadcast and a hot angle with Gunther, would be about as logical a setup as WWE could ask for if they’re looking to bring the persona back with impact intact.

It’s worth stressing that WWE has not confirmed any Demon appearance — this is a reasonable read of the pieces WWE has put in play, not an announced segment. But the storytelling logic lines up: Danhausen, as sympathetic underdog and de facto victim of Gunther’s dominance, is a fitting character to help usher in a monster who could actually match Gunther’s intensity in a way Danhausen’s comedic presentation never could. If WWE wants to make the Austrian’s win streak feel threatened again, reintroducing Finn as the Demon on the one night built for it would be a sharp way to do it.

Danhausen’s Halloween workload doesn’t stop with SmackDown. He’s also been tapped to host NXT Halloween Havoc, which falls on Saturday, October 31, meaning wrestling fans will see plenty of him across back-to-back nights of programming. Whether or not the Demon shows up, WWE has clearly decided Danhausen is the right personality to carry its Halloween branding across two shows in one week.

With the Women’s Championship and Undisputed WWE Championship both being defended on the same card, there’s legitimate business happening underneath the spooky theming. But it’s the Gunther situation — and whether Finn Balor reaches back for his old alter ego — that will have the most eyes on it when the show airs.