The New York Knicks are one series away from an NBA championship. Depending on who you ask, they may also owe part of their success to a face-painted professional wrestler who specializes in curses.
It sounds like the setup to a late-night comedy sketch. Instead, it has become one of the strangest side stories of the 2026 NBA playoffs.
As the Knicks steamrolled their way to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, some fans began pointing to an unlikely good-luck charm: WWE performer Danhausen.
Known in wrestling circles for his bizarre, supernatural-inspired character, Danhausen has built much of his act around placing “curses” on opponents. The wrestler, whose real name is Donovan Andrew Danhausen, is one of WWE’s resident comedy stars, mixing humour with occasional victories over more established opponents.
The connection between Danhausen and the Knicks began on April 17, just before both the NBA playoffs and WrestleMania weekend got underway.
Appearing on ESPN’s First Take, Danhausen jokingly “cursed” the Knicks through outspoken superfan Stephen A. Smith. At first, the curse seemed harmless. New York won its opening playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Then things got weird.
The Knicks lost the next two games by a single point each. According to the report, it marked the first time in NBA history that a team had suffered back-to-back one-point playoff losses.
For fans already leaning into the joke, the timing was too perfect.
Less than two weeks later, Danhausen posted a Cameo video lifting the curse. He then turned his attention to the Hawks and later the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Since then, New York has not lost.
The Knicks rattled off 10 consecutive playoff victories, sweeping both the Philadelphia 76ers and Cavaliers on their way to the Finals.
The winning streak has been impressive on its own. The margins of victory have made it historic.
Sportico reporter Lev Akabas highlighted the dominance shortly after New York completed its latest sweep.
“The New York Knicks just played the most dominant 10-game stretch in NBA history, and it’s not even remotely close,” Akabas wrote on social media.
The numbers support the claim.
According to Akabas’s analysis, New York outscored opponents by a combined 246 points over those 10 games. That surpassed the previous record of 214 set by the 1974 Milwaukee Bucks. Even the celebrated 2017 Golden State Warriors, often considered one of the greatest teams ever assembled, posted a smaller differential at 206.
What makes the feat even more remarkable is that it came entirely against playoff competition.
While nobody seriously believes a WWE wrestler is responsible for Jalen Brunson’s scoring, Karl-Anthony Towns’ production or the Knicks’ defensive intensity, the superstition has taken on a life of its own.
The joke has become so popular that both WWE and the NBA have leaned into it.
Officially licensed merchandise is now being sold featuring Danhausen’s painted face alongside Knicks branding and the slogan “You Are Un-Cursed.”
Meanwhile, fans continue to watch for the next chapter.
The Knicks are set to take on Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs in the Finals, starting Wednesday.
Yet among some Knicks supporters, the more pressing question has nothing to do with basketball strategy.
It’s whether Danhausen plans to curse the Spurs.
WWE has remained quiet on that front. According to the report, the company declined to comment when asked about the possibility.
That silence has only added to the fun.
In a postseason filled with record-breaking performances, dominant wins and championship dreams, one of the biggest talking points has become a wrestling character who looks like a comic-book villain and claims to possess supernatural powers.
Whether coincidence, superstition or perfect timing, Knicks fans are not asking too many questions.
After all, the team hasn’t lost since the curse disappeared.
