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WWE star Matt Cardona tried to get Danhausen to “curse” him last week on “Friday Night SmackDown” when he entered the wrestler’s lab.
Instead, Cardona was shocked when he touched one of Danhausen’s tools. He seemed to revert to his Zack Ryder persona for a split second. The Miz and Kit Wilson experienced similar fates on the show over the past month.
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Matt Cardona enters the arena before competing against Trick Williams during “SmackDown” at the SAP Center in San Jose, California on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
“You know what, ever since he got shocked in Danhausen’s lab, things have been weird,” Cardona told Pakinomist Digital. “My fist has been twitching. I live in Florida now, but I’ve had this urge to move back to Long Island. I’ve been yelling ‘Woo!’ I don’t know what’s going on.”
Danhausen has emerged as one of WWE’s biggest stars since debuting at Elimination Chamber in February. His products fly off the shelves and he “curses” teams to help them win championships – see the New York Knicks and Carolina Hurricanes.
Cardona said he had a feeling Danhausen’s popularity would take off once he joined WWE.
“I knew he wanted to be in WWE. I followed Danhausen’s independent career. I wrestled him on the independents,” he said. “This guy is a self-made superstar like myself and I knew if he ever had the opportunity in WWE he would excel. I didn’t expect it to be at this level. He’s mainstream. I’m absolutely thrilled for him.”
Danhausen brings a vaudevillian-style character to the ring. He describes himself as “very sweet, very evil.” And if you do him wrong, “you’re damned.”
Danhausen celebrates during “Monday Night Raw” at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California on April 13, 2026. (Rich Freeda/WWE)
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Cardona told Pakinomist Digital that his character exemplifies the “E” in WWE.
“Because at the end of the day, this is entertainment — World Wrestling Entertainment — and Danhausen is entertaining,” Cardona said. “He’s entertaining to people of all ages — kids, adults. He can do it all. And he’s not just, you know, comedy. He also wrestles. He really does it all.”
Cardona hasn’t had too many wins under his belt since returning to WWE earlier this year. That’s why he wanted to go to Danhausen in the first place.
Still, he said, his focus remains on getting back into the WWE title picture.
“I’ll be honest. I haven’t done that well,” he said. “Check my win/loss record. It hasn’t been the best. That’s why I asked Danhausen to ‘uncurse’ me. It worked for the New York Knicks. How about another New Yorker? I’m grateful to be back.
Matt Cardona watches during “SmackDown” at KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Ky., on February 27, 2026. (Mike Marques/WWE)
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“When I was on the independents, it was the best time of my career up to that point, but at the end of the day the goal was to become the WWE Champion, and you can’t become the WWE Champion unless you’re in the WWE. So that’s why I had to come back.
