Danhausen put a curse on the New York Knicks. Then he took it off. Now the Knicks are NBA champions, WWE is treating him like he personally delivered the trophy, and he’s the literal face of the company’s return to Madison Square Garden.
Saturday Night’s Main Event comes back to MSG on July 18 for the first time since 2007, and the official poster for the show doesn’t feature a world champion or a top babyface. It features Danhausen, front and center, under the tagline “Join the Uncursed.” He’s not exaggerating when he calls it a career highlight. “If youuuuuu caaaaaan believe it! Danhausen is the poster boy of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event at The Garden,” he posted after the reveal.
How a Wrestler Ended Up Running Knicks Twitter
The story starts in April, before the playoffs even tipped off. Danhausen appeared on ESPN’s First Take and, through diehard Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith, formally cursed the team. New York responded by dropping back-to-back one-point playoff losses, the first time that’s ever happened in NBA history. Fans noticed the coincidence immediately.
So a wrestling podcaster and lifelong Knicks fan paid for a Cameo. On April 28, Danhausen officially lifted the curse, and redirected it at New York’s next two playoff opponents instead. The Knicks have not lost since. They swept their way to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, then beat the Spurs in five games to win their first championship since 1973.
TKO Leans All the Way In
WWE‘s parent company wasted no time turning a fan joke into an actual business relationship. Cameras were at the Knicks’ championship parade, with a Danhausen/Knicks documentary reportedly in the works for YouTube. WWE also launched a Knicks/Danhausen merch collection on WWEShop, including a one-of-one “Brunsonhausen” championship belt double-signed by Danhausen and Finals MVP Jalen Brunson.
What’s Confirmed for July 18
Saturday Night’s Main Event‘s trip to MSG lines up with Fanatics Fest NYC weekend, and according to a WrestleVotes report via Fightful Select, multiple members of the champion Knicks roster are expected to attend, along with their head coach. WWE had reportedly built creative pitches around getting Brunson into an on-screen segment with Danhausen, but those plans were shelved after it was revealed Brunson needs wrist surgery for an injury he played through during the title run. He’s expected to have the procedure and be ready for the 2026-27 NBA season, and WWE is still hopeful he’ll show up and appear on camera anyway.
On the wrestling side, two matches are locked in: Danhausen vs. JD McDonagh, and Paige and Brie Bella defending the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship against Fatal Influence. More is expected to be added as the card builds toward SummerSlam. The special airs live on Peacock in the U.S. and YouTube internationally.
It’s a genuinely odd, genuinely fun crossover: a wrestler best known for eye-pokes and tooth jokes accidentally became a good luck charm for a 53-year championship drought, and now he’s got the marquee spot on a WWE poster to show for it. Very nice. Very evil. Very New York.
