Andrew Ravens
Danhausen‘s mystery partner at WWE Backlash this Saturday in Tampa may be about to generate the wrong kind of reaction from fans.
Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez wrote on X that he is hearing speculation pointing to Jelly Roll as the partner set to join Danhausen in a tag match against Kit Wilson and The Miz, while acknowledging he cannot confirm the information. If the rumor proves accurate, it is a reveal that is likely to land poorly with an audience that has grown tired of celebrity appearances in the company.
That framing tells its own story. The betting odds heading into Backlash have Punk as the favorite at -200 to be Danhausen’s partner, with Joe Hendry at +200, Mr. Iguana at +300, and Jelly Roll at +400. A crowd expecting Punk’s music to hit, only to get Jelly Roll instead, could cause a bad reaction at Amalie Arena on Saturday night.
Prior to Cody Rhodes retaining the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42, the plan had been for Jelly Roll to team with Rhodes at Backlash in a tag match against Orton and Pat McAfee.
That program fell apart when McAfee opted out of the angle following the negative fan reaction to his WrestleMania involvement, and Orton has not appeared on WWE programming since the event amid reports that he was dealing with physical issues heading into the show.
With the original tag match off the table, Jelly Roll’s involvement appears to have been redirected to the Danhausen program. Whether that creative pivot satisfies the audience waiting to find out who Danhausen’s partner is remains to be seen, but the gap between a CM Punk reveal and a Jelly Roll reveal could backfire.
