Danhausen and the WWE-loving Knicks: A beginner's guide to the curse carrying New York to the precipice of the NBA Finals

Do the Knicks’ NBA championship hopes hinge on the temperament of one of WWE’s newest and biggest stars? Before you completely disregard that previous sentence, let’s dive into what it actually means. For the uninitiated, Danhausen made his debut at WWE’s Elimination Chamber premium live event in February.

One of the most eccentric personalities in a world built on them, Danhausen’s debut was met with a lukewarm reaction from the wrestling world, partially due to an overhyped build-up. At the time, there was no telling how he would factor into WWE programming, let alone find himself as a tangential figure in the NBA playoffs. Quite literally everything about Danhausen is equal parts bizarre and captivating.

The way he talks, his mannerisms, his obsession with jars of teeth and — perhaps most importantly — his penchant for curses . Clad in black-and-white facepaint, Danhausen’s persona wasn’t unfamiliar to wrestling fans who had followed his career before he came to WWE, but within a matter of weeks after his debut, the newcomer had become arguably the most entertaining character in the company and was deployed in seemingly every promotional way. Enter Stephen A.

Smith. During an appearance on “First Take” to promote WrestleMania 42, Danhausen got into it with Smith, and cursed him right in the middle of the Knicks’ first-round playoff series against the Hawks. The Knicks, the higher seed with an undeniable edge in experience and roster talent, suddenly found themselves down 2-1 to Atlanta.