Danhausen 'Uncurses' Knicks as New York Sweeps Into NBA Finals
WWE personality Danhausen is claiming a measure of supernatural credit after the New York Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers to reach the NBA Finals - a feat the franchise has not achieved since losing to the San Antonio Spurs in 1999. The self-described "very nice, very evil" character had publicly cursed the Cavaliers in the lead-up to the series and, weeks earlier, had performed a formal "uncursing" of the Knicks in a crossover moment between professional wrestling and mainstream sport.
Danhausen appeared at Madison Square Garden during the Knicks' postseason run, where he received a team jersey. WWE released a co-branded shirt with the club bearing the words "You Are Uncursed." On Tuesday - the day after New York clinched the series - he posted a video wielding a broom, a conventional symbol of a sweep, and followed it with a single word on X: "UNCURSED." The Cavaliers curse had been applied, according to Danhausen, partly at the frustration of Cleveland supporter and WWE star The Miz, who confronted Danhausen on the May 1, 2026 episode of SmackDown at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Knicks are led by guard Jalen Brunson, a known WWE enthusiast who was himself involved in a storyline with Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton during the previous season. Brunson has declined to directly address Danhausen's involvement, but acknowledged a separate pre-game ritual tied to WWE. Speaking on April 30 - the day after Roman Reigns won the world heavyweight championship at WrestleMania 42 - Brunson confirmed that he and a member of the training staff perform a handshake in Reigns' honor before every game. "See, these are the questions I want asked," Brunson said. "I have a handshake with one of our trainers and we acknowledge him before every game."
Danhausen's run of sports crossovers has not been universally successful. During WrestleMania week in April, he told Fox News Digital that a separate uncursing performed for the New York Mets - the MLB franchise based in Queens - had not fully taken effect, attributing the failure to an unpaid fee. "I did un-curse the Mets. But it didn't work because, I believe it was Brian Gewirtz who did not pay Danhausen," he said. "He did not send me my money so it did not take full effect. Once I have the money, perhaps it will actually work because right now it's probably about a half of an un-cursing. It's like a layaway situation." With the Knicks now in the NBA Finals, attention turns to who they will face and whether Danhausen's involvement extends to the championship round.
