What Was in the Mystery Box Finally Revealed at WWE Elimination Chamber

The former AEW star made his WWE debut at WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 in Chicago.
Elimination Chamber
Elimination Chamber | WWE

We now know what was in the crate.

The crate mystery has made WWE fans wonder for weeks now. Was it Chris Jericho inside? A piece of WWE memorabilia? A new championship? The answer was delivered at WWE Elimination Chamber on Saturday night and ended up being something different altogether.

WWE Raw General Manager Adam Pearce and SmackDown's Nick Aldis have both tried to avoid having involvement with the crate over the last couple of weeks. However, a note on the crate said it was to be opened at Elimination Chamber, so both men agreed to do just that together.

After the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match, which saw CM Punk retain his championship over Finn Balor, the crate was brought out onto the top of the stage. Together, Pearce and Aldis opened it up. Inside was a wooden coffin. The coffin slowly opened and Danhausen stormed out and officially made his WWE debut.

Dancers in capes flowed out of the coffin and Danhausen, a vampire-esque character, emerged behind them. The dance number continued all the way down to the ring. Danhausen visited the announce team and then joined the dancers in the ring.

Danhausen did his patented curse pose and then, in a flash of smoke, was gone. Some of the Chicago audience cheered, but many others reacted negatively.

Danhausen was an independent wrestling darling for many years, but secured national attention in ROH. He then signed with AEW and was a part of the company for four years.

What does the future look like for Danhausen in WWE?

Danhausen
Danhausen | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

What does the future look like for Danhausen in WWE? He's certainly a comedy wrestler who inevitably gets time in the ring with other comedy wrestlers that WWE currently has. Danhausen and R-Truth segments on WWE Raw write themselves.

On the SmackDown brand, Danhausen and Miz could certainly put together some memorable moments together. Also on SmackDown, Danhausen and Kitt Wilson are a low-card feud that the company could run with at any moment.

The beauty of Danhausen in WWE is the gimmick. The vampire-related character opens up all kinds of merchandise opportunities outside of just t-shirts. Danhausen masks, capes, dolls, and other wild revenue generators are possible because of the act.

WWE Elimination Chamber was the last PLE stop for WWE on the road to WrestleMania 42. Rhea Ripley won the women's Elimination Chamber match and now will face Jade Cargill at WrestleMania. Also, AJ Lee defeated Becky Lynch to win the WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship.

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Published | Modified
Zack Heydorn
ZACK HEYDORN

Zack Heydorn has been covering the pro wrestling industry for a decade and writes news, features, and interviews for The Takedown On SI. He also hosts and cohosts a variety of WWE and AEW shows on YouTube. Heydorn is a former Assistant Editor of PWTorch and Managing Editor of SEScoops. Zack is also the author of the Hybrid Shoot book Stunning: The Wrestling Artistry of Steve Austin, which is available on Amazon. You can follow Zack on X and Bluesky.

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