AEW Extends Danhausen's Contract to 2026 Against His Wishes

Per the report, his contract was supposedly extended by the company due to injury time. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle at the March 2023 Revolution pay-per-view and didn’t make his return until late in November of that same year. Fightful Select also states that it’s all against his wishes. The report said:

“Apparently, against his wishes. It was believed he requested they didn’t pick up his option.”

It’s not surprising that Danhausen wouldn’t want to still be part of the company that he signed with in January 2022. It’s been reported again and again that AEW doesn’t have anything creative for him. His last match for the promotion was in December 2023 at AEW Worlds End, where he lost in the AEW TNT Title Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Battle Royal. The match was part of the PPV’s zero hour.

While his last match for Ring of Honor was in February 2024, where he defeated Brandon Cutler. Several months later, in December 2024, he would make a surprise appearance at ROH Final Battle. But that’s all he did. The star even asked AEW for a follow-up after that ROH appearance, but there was nothing for him. It’s almost the end of August 2025, and fans are still waiting to see him on television.

So What Has Danhausen Been Doing?

Just because AEW doesn’t have anything for Danhausen to do in the ring doesn’t mean the star has quit wrestling. He’s been wrestling for independent promotions. His last match actually was on August 8, where he defeated indie wrestler Bobby Chrono at the REAL Pro Wrestling 10th Anniversary show.

Before that, he had two shows in July. One saw him in a tag team match that included former TNA star Jake Something at a Glory Pro Wrestling event, while the other event was for former WWE Superstar Hornswoggle’s wrestling promotion, ACW Wisconsin.

Game Changer Wrestling, Black Label Pro, House of Glory, All Star Wrestling, and World Series Wrestling are other independent promotions that he’s worked for between 2025 and 2024. If it wasn’t for these places, he wouldn’t be in the ring, but instead sitting in catering. It’s sad because Danhausen has the star power, and fans just love his quirkiness.

Would WWE be a better chance for him? Maybe. According to a July report from Sports Illustrated,WWE was said to be interested in him at the time because of his soon-to-be free agency. The same was for the tag team, Private Party. In AEW's defense, WWE is just as guilty of burying its talent. Whatever happens to Danhausen, hopefully, someone will put him on TV soon. He's too charismatic and athletic to be sitting on the sidelines.