August 1 is set up to be a busy day around the Minnesota Vikings, with training camp opening at the TCO Performance Center in Eagan while WWE’s SummerSlam takes over U.S. Bank Stadium 15 miles away.
The timing gives the 2026 NFL season an unusual crossover feel, and for Vikings fans, it adds another layer to the usual camp questions. The biggest one remains the same: who will be the starting QB?
But if the Vikings are looking for a little help from the WWE side of the sports world, Danhausen is the name floating into the conversation.
WWE and the NFL have long shared an odd, durable connection. Wrestlers have chased football careers, football players have stepped into the ring, and Vince McMahon pushed that overlap even further when he created the XFL in 2001 and revived it in 2020.
The Vikings have their own WWE ties, too. Brock Lesnar and Joe Anoa’i, better known as Roman Reigns, both spent time on Minnesota’s practice squad.
Neither ever played a professional snap for the team, but both can still say they were with the Purple and Gold.
Danhausen, whose real name is Donovan Danhausen, debuted in WWE in February 2026 and has quickly become one of the company’s top sellers. His act leans into horror-comic theatrics, complete with sudden appearances, disappearances, and “curses” aimed at anyone who crosses him.
That gimmick has already spilled into the wider sports conversation. Danhausen first cursed sports personality Steven A.
Smith, a huge New York Knicks fan. After the Knicks fell behind 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks, Danhausen lifted the curse 11 days later, and the Knicks rolled through the NBA playoffs to win their first championship in 53 years.
New York finished 15-1 on the way to the title, sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers and losing only once to the San Antonio Spurs.
The run was enough to turn Finals MVP Jalen Brunson into a believer.
Jalen Brunson is a Danhausen believer. Very knice, very evil. pic.twitter.com/qcTStCFDvd
- Fightful Wrestling (@Fightful) June 16, 2026
So the question becomes obvious: are the Vikings next?
Minnesota’s history is what keeps that idea alive. The franchise is 0-4 in Super Bowls, with losses to the Kansas City Chiefs in IV, the Miami Dolphins in VIII, the Pittsburgh Steelers in IX, and the Oakland Raiders in XI. That total is tied with the Buffalo Bills, who dropped four straight in the early 1990s, and trails only the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos in Super Bowl defeats.
The heartbreak doesn’t stop there. Fans still remember the 1998 season and the playoff loss to the Falcons in early 1999, when Gary Anderson - after a 15-1 regular season and 122 consecutive made field goals - missed a 39-yard kick with Minnesota ahead 27-20.
Atlanta forced overtime and won 30-27. The list of pain points also includes the 2009 Bountygate scandal and Blair Walsh’s wide-left 27-yard miss in Seattle in 2016.
That’s the backdrop for any talk of curses in Minnesota. And if the Vikings are going to shake that reputation in 2026, the idea goes, maybe they need a little help from the same WWE force that has already worked its strange magic elsewhere.
In Other News...
Vikings May Have Finally Found The QB Who Changes Everything
Minnesota spent the offseason trying to solve its quarterback problem, and the addition of Kyler Murray gives the offense a very different look. His mobility changes the geometry of the field in a way the Vikings have not had under Kevin O'Connell, with the threat of his legs helping create yards and opening receivers in space.
That kind of upgrade is why some around the league are already looking at Minnesota as a team that could reshape the NFC North picture in 2026. Bleacher Report's Moe Moton even has the Green Bay Packers projected to finish last in the division, a reminder that if Murray settles in quickly, the Vikings may not just be better at quarterback, they may be the reason the rest of the division starts sliding the other direction. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings May Have Found A Surprise Answer To Their Backfield Problem
Dillon Bell has already started to look like one of the more intriguing undrafted rookies in Vikings camp. The former Georgia wide receiver has shown enough during OTAs and minicamp to get noticed, and Minnesota is clearly interested in what he can do beyond the usual receiver job description. Bell played mostly on the perimeter in college, but he also handled some rushing work and brings the kind of versatility that can make a coaching staff keep looking for ways to get him on the field.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart once described Bell as a positionless player, which fits the way the Vikings seem to be evaluating him early on. His route running and receiving production still come with some limitations, so this is not a finished product by any means, but the appeal is obvious if Minnesota wants a movable piece who can create matchup problems. For a team sorting through how to fill out its offense and its roster, Bell has at least made himself part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Why This Clemson Playmaker Could Fit The Vikings So Well
A Clemson receiver is starting to look like the kind of draft target Minnesota could talk itself into early, especially for a team that values versatility and receivers who can win in more than one way. T.J. Moore checks a lot of the boxes that tend to matter in that conversation: he arrived as a highly regarded recruit, has already built a strong production base, and brings the kind of size-speed blend that can translate to multiple spots in an offense.
What makes Moore especially interesting for Vikings fans is the way his game seems to fit a modern passing attack. The scouting report points to quickness, route running, separation ability and work after the catch, while also noting he could help in the return game. For a Minnesota roster that can always use more flexible playmakers, he looks like the sort of receiver who could be more than just a one-role projection, even if the full draft picture is still to come. [Read more 🡒]