Jonathan Coachman Reacts to WWE Danhausen Storyline After Backlash 2026

Former WWE personality Jonathan Coachman has criticized a high-profile segment from WWE Backlash 2026, describing the pairing of Danhausen and a mystery partner as an embarrassment to the company.

During the premium live event, Danhausen teamed with a surprise partner identified as Minihausen to defeat The Miz and Kit Wilson. The match was characterized by heavy comedy elements, including the use of cloning machines and the appearance of multiple Minihausens throughout the bout.

Following the event, Coachman took to Twitter/X to express his disapproval of the creative direction. He questioned the decision to feature a little person in the mystery partner role, particularly given the amount of speculation and betting that had occurred among fans leading up to the show.

Okay you all have to stop coming at me about this ridiculous Dan Hausen experiment. One of the biggest storylines you could actually bet on who was gonna be as partner tonight and they decide to go with a little person. What are we doing? I’m all for entertainment and wrestling, but this is absolutely a complete waste of time and just dumb.

Jonathan Coachman

Coachman further argued that the segment served as a mockery of the product, referencing comments made by Wade Barrett to support his position. While he acknowledged that Danhausen has maintained popularity with younger fans and has seen success with merchandise sales, Coachman claimed that the gimmick is already becoming stale.

The former broadcaster suggested that WWE missed a significant opportunity to elevate the moment by failing to secure a more prominent star for the mystery spot. He specifically mentioned that the company was unable to get CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, or Oba Femi for the role.

Coachman asserted that the primary goal of the segment was to embarrass The Miz and Kit Wilson, but he argued that the execution failed to achieve that objective. Instead, he claimed the segment embarrasses the company and noted that the live crowd’s reaction was muted.

And the crowd doesn’t know if they should boo cheer or what. We couldn’t get CM Punk, or Oba [Femi], or Drew [McIntyre]. I mean the whole point is to embarrass Kit Wilson and The Miz one more time. This doesn’t do any of that not even close to that. It just embarrasses the company. Listen to the crowd you can hear a pin drop.

Jonathan Coachman

The match has since become a point of contention among the wrestling community. Some fans have praised the organization for embracing comedy and entertainment, while others have aligned with Coachman’s view that the reveal of Minihausen fell short of the expectations built during the lead-up to Backlash 2026.