 Danhausen in 2019 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Donovan Danhausen (1990-08-17)August 17, 1990 (age 35) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
Spouse | |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Danhausen Donovan Danhausen Kid Gorgeous[1] Dan Danhausen[2] Steve Austinhausen[2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in[3] (178 cm) |
| Billed weight | 180 lb[3] (82 kg) |
| Billed from | "Someplace far away" |
| Trained by | Jimmy Jacobs Truth Martini |
| Debut | October 18, 2013 |
Donovan Danhausen (born August 17, 1990), better knownmononymously asDanhausen, is an Americanprofessional wrestler. He is signed toAll Elite Wrestling (AEW). He also makes appearances on theindependent circuit. Danhausen was previously known for his tenures withRing of Honor (ROH) andFull Impact Pro (FIP).[4][5]
Donovan Danhausen was born in Detroit[2] on August 17, 1990.[6]
Danhausen was trained byJimmy Jacobs andTruth Martini.[7] He made his debut on October 18, 2013, becoming known for sticking to agimmick illustrated by his spooky attire and painted face. He competed atBLP Slamilton 2, an event produced by Black Label Pro Wrestling, where he teamed up withEthan Page andSwoggle to defeat Blood Diamond (Jake Lander, Joshua Bishop and Tre Lamar) for the BLP Tag Team Championship.[8] He competed for Capital City Championship Combat atC4 Combat Shock - 12th Anniversary on November 21, 2019, where he defeatedTony Deppen.[9]
AtFU/Freelance I Don't Think We're In Chicago Anymore from October 10, 2020, an event produced by Freelance Underground Wrestling, Danhausen teamed up withWarhorse as Warhausen, defeating The Brothers Of Funstruction (Ruffo The Clown and Yabo The Clown) by disqualification, therefore failing to capture the FU Tag Team Championship.[10] AtF1RST Wrestling Saturday Night Nitro, an event produced by F1RST Wrestling on March 7, 2020, Danhausen foughtOrange Cassidy into a no-contest.[11]
Danhausen made his first appearance forRing Of Honor atROH Wrestling #429 on November 2, 2019, where he unsuccessfully challengedShane Taylor for theROH World Television Championship.[12] He continued to make sporadic appearances such as atROH Wrestling #437 where he fell short toRhett Titus on January 11, 2020,[13] and atROH Honor Reigns Supreme 2020 on January 12, where he scored a defeat against Dak Draper.[14] AtROH Free Enterprise on February 9, 2020, Danhausen participated in a20-man battle royal to determine the no.1 contendership for theROH World Championship, where he competed against the winnerFlip Gordon,Gangrel,PJ Black,Tracy Williams and others.[15] AtROH Final Battle 2020 on December 18, he defeated Brian Johnson by disqualification, earning him an ROH contract[16] (behind the scenes, Danhausen creditsAlex Shelley with convincing ROH brass to sign him).[17] AtROH 19th Anniversary Show on March 26, 2021, Danhausen competed in afour-way match, falling short to the winner, Brian Johnson, Eli Isom and LSG.[18]
Danhausen made hisAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) debut during a special episode ofDynamite calledBeach Break on January 26, 2022. He appeared during theLights Out match betweenOrange Cassidy andAdam Cole. Hours later, AEW PresidentTony Khan announced that Danhausen had signed with the company.[19] He began having interactions withHook.[20] On the May 11, 2022 episode ofDynamite, Danhausen wrestled in his first ever AEW match, losing to Nese following a distraction from Sterling. After the match, Hook would align with Danhausen after saving him from a beatdown from Nese and Sterling.[21] The new tag team would make their debut on May 29 at theDouble or Nothing Buy-In, defeating Nese and Sterling. Since then, Danhausen has allied himself with Orange Cassidy and theBest Friends. Danhausen was off AEW and ROH TV for all of 2024, but returned at ROH Final Battle at the Hammerstein Ballroom.
In August 2025, Danhausen requested his release from All Elite Wrestling (AEW), but the company extended his contract which reportedly runs into 2026, and was enacted to cover the time he missed due to a torn pectoral muscle in 2023.
The character of Danhausen is an eccentric, theatrical professional wrestling persona defined by humour, absurdity, and self-aware performance rather than athletic prowess. TheNew York Times has described Danhausen as "a ghoul, maybe, or some kind of gremlin" who "wears makeup that looks as if he’s in a silent film aboutKISS".[22] Danhausen has described his character as "Conan O'Brien possessed by a demon", which led Danhausen in April 2021 to appear as a guest on O'Brien's podcastConan O'Brien Needs a Friend to explain the character.[23] The character wears horror-themed face paint and believes he has supernatural powers, such as shooting lightning from his fingers and the ability to put curses on his enemies.[22] Initially, the "curses" seem not to work, but inevitably, incamp fashion, some terrible, improbable mishap occurs to his opponents.[22] The voice for his character is based on O'Brien andMark Hamill'sJoker.[24] He oftenrefers to himself in the third person, adds the suffix "-hausen" to words, is interested and motivated by money and power, chastises other wrestlers if they use profanity, and describes himself and things he likes as "very nice, very evil".[25] He is also known for nonchalantly dancing a "Pee-wee Herman dance" to the song "Tequila" in the middle of matches.[26] His movements are deliberately awkward and exaggerated, and he engages audiences through pop-culture references and showmanship. Physically unimposing at 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, his persona contrasts this with exaggerated claims of size and power.[22]
In collaboration with the Rootless Coffee Company, Danhausen launched a signature coffee blend called Danhausen Coffeehausen in 2021.[27] Like many wrestlers, Danhausen has trademarked his ring name[28] and catchphrases ("Love that Danhausen"[29] and "Very Nice Very Evil"[30]). In addition, he has trademarked the design of his face paint.[31] The attorney who represented him in this matter, Michael Dockins (who works in conjunction with wrestlers so often he is nicknamed the "Gimmick Lawyer"),[32] believes this to be the first time a wrestler has trademarked his physical appearance.[33]
Danhausen married Canadianburlesque dancer Lauren Jiles, known professionally as Lou Lou la Duchesse de Rière, in 2018. He is the stepfather of her daughter. In July 2025, the two welcomed a son together.[34][35]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microman (mask) | Danhausen (mask) | Dallas, Texas | GCW Crime Wave 2024 | June 9, 2024 | [41] |
