The Sunday Read: ‘How Danhausen Became Professional Wrestling’s Strangest Star’
The Daily26 Mar 2023

The Sunday Read: ‘How Danhausen Became Professional Wrestling’s Strangest Star’

Like a lot of people who get into professional wrestling, Donovan Danhausen had a vision of a different version of himself. Ten years ago, at age 21, he was living in Detroit, working as a nursing assistant at a hospital, watching a lot of “Adult Swim” and accumulating a collection of horror- and comedy-themed tattoos.

At the suggestion of a friend, he took a 12-week training course at the House of Truth wrestling school in Center Line, Mich., and then entered the indie circuit as a hand: an unknown, unpaid wrestler who shows up at events and does what’s asked of him, typically setting up the ring or pretending to be a lawyer or another type of extra. When he ran out of momentum five years later, he developed the character of Danhausen. Originally supposed to be an evil demon, Danhausen found that the more elements of humor he incorporated into his performance, the more audiences responded.

“I was just a bearded guy with the tattoos, trying to be a tough guy, and I’m not a tough guy naturally,” he said. “But I can be weird and charismatic, goofy. That’s easy. That’s also a role that most people don’t want to fill.”

Over the next couple of years, the Danhausen gimmick became more funny than evil, eventually settling on the character he plays today — one that is bizarre even by the standards of 21st-century wrestling.

This story was recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Episoder(2694)

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

President Barack Obama said not to hire him. The attorney general said he was susceptible to blackmail. We discuss two new accounts of when Donald J. Trump was warned about Michael T. Flynn — and didn’t act. Plus: What is life like under Boko Haram? Guests: Matt Apuzzo, a Times reporter based in Washington; Dionne Searcey, the West Africa bureau chief. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2q9Yxvo. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

9 Mai 201720min

Monday, May 8, 2017

Monday, May 8, 2017

Free speech on college campuses: why conservatives say they’re the ones being silenced. Plus: Why Marine Le Pen’s resounding defeat in the French presidential election could be seen as a victory for her right-wing party. Guests: Jeremy W. Peters, who has been reporting on the free speech battle on college campuses; Alissa J. Rubin, the New York Times bureau chief in Paris. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2q1B0ef. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

8 Mai 201721min

Friday, May 5, 2017

Friday, May 5, 2017

To win France’s presidential election on Sunday, Marine Le Pen must show she has rejected the man who founded her party. The problem is, it’s her father. Plus: Thursday’s health care vote, explained. Guests: Jennifer Steinhauer, who covers Congress; Adam Nossiter, who is covering the French election from Paris; Aurore Lahondes, a 19-year-old National Front voter. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2qlxz59. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

5 Mai 201723min

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Our reporter describes being inside the room as James B. Comey, the director of the F.B.I., gave his first public remarks about his handling of Hillary Clinton’s emails, saying he was “mildly nauseous” over the idea that he might have tipped the presidential election. And with a fiercely conservative governor leading the fight, is Kentucky about to become the only state in America without a single abortion clinic? Guests: Matt Apuzzo; Sheryl Gay Stolberg. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2pgdxVy. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

4 Mai 201716min

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

The lines being drawn in Washington aren’t entirely partisan. Are Democrats and Republicans in Congress banding together to block the president? Plus: We discuss the White House’s on-again off-again relationship with Russia. Guests: Carl Hulse, who covers Congress; Julie Davis, a White House correspondent; Peter Baker, a White House correspondent. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2pNzK0u. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

3 Mai 201719min

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

President Trump shocked his own team when he invited the authoritarian leader of the Philippines to visit the White House. Now he says he’s open to meeting the leader of North Korea. Why does he do it? Plus: The Times interviews Ivanka Trump. Guests: Maggie Haberman; Jodi Kantor and Rachel Abrams. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2qz8Czd. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

2 Mai 201721min

Monday, May 1, 2017

Monday, May 1, 2017

My colleague gives the view from inside Venezuela and describes his cross-country road trip there that captures the story of a country on the brink of collapse. Guest: Nicholas Casey, an international correspondent for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2qz8Czd. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

1 Mai 201721min

Friday, April 28, 2017

Friday, April 28, 2017

What we can learn about this administration from the taxes it hopes to cut. Plus, we look at three big moments from the week. Guests: Jesse Drucker, a business reporter at The Times; Jennifer Steinhauer, who covers Congress; Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court; and Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

28 Apr 201723min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
popradet
stopp-verden
det-store-bildet
dine-penger-pengeradet
nokon-ma-ga
fotballpodden-2
e24-podden
frokostshowet-pa-p5
aftenbla-bla
rss-gukild-johaug
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-ness
bt-dokumentar-2
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
kommentarer-fra-aftenposten
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene