The Rise And Fall Of Damien Sandow

[d_henderson1810]

"Money In The Bank" is coming, and I decided to watch the MITB matches from last year. It got me thinking what a difference a year makes, especially when it comes to one superstar-Damien Sandow.

I saw a match held in Florida one time, between Sandow and Ricky Steamboat's son, Richie, in a 15-minute "Ironman" Match. The match was a classic, and Sandow's gimmick in NXT was that he fought others in 15-minute "Ironman" matches. So he was getting a push in NXT.

Damien Sandow is really good on the mike, and works well in the ring. He got off to the right start, and it seemed that the WWE was behind him. Triple H saw something in him, and Sandow even came down to "Handel's Messiah", which was "Greenwich Snob" Hunter Hearst Helmsley's music in the early days.

He was then teamed with Cody Rhodes, to form Rhodes Scholars, and won the Tag-Team Titles. They got regular TV time, and even PPV matches.

Then came MITB 2013. Damien Sandow pulled his tag-team partner, Cody Rhodes, off the ladder and grabbed the briefcase, betraying his partner in the process. It looked like he would feud with Cody, and then cash in the briefcase and be WWE Champion. I mean, winning MITB virtually guaranteed you a step up to the main-event. It was a stamp of approval by WWE that they saw Sandow as a future main-eventer.

But then, he wasn't used for months. That's okay. Daniel Bryan wasn't on TV much, prior to cashing in his MITB briefcase, and it didn't hurt him.

Sandow then cashed in on John Cena one night and lost. That's okay too. Maybe WWE were going to have Sandow not get the title, go after Cena, and then have a Cena v Sandow program, which would be fresh, and then Sandow would win the belt, and be in a program with the No.1 guy in the company. He would have made it.

But, nothing more was made of Sandow. After his cash-in failure, there was no follow-up, no payback. It was never mentioned again.

Since then, Sandow's stocks have fallen dramatically. He had become a comedy jobber. Now, if they changed their mind about putting him in the main-event, Sandow at least could have been a top-midcarder, who could fight people like RVD, Dolph Ziggler, Christian etc. I would have liked to have seen Sandow even feud with Chris Jericho, when Jericho came back. The promos for that feud would be awesome. He even could have had a run with the IC or U.S. Title.

But, now, he has dropped a rung below comedy jobber. He is now a joke! Dressing as Metallo one week, Davy Crockett the next. What the hell changed things so much for Sandow?

Does anyone know of any reason that Sandow was buried? Could it be the fans booed him, but he is playing an obnoxious heel, so they are supposed to boo and hate on him. Did he do something he shouldn't have, or does someone backstage not like him? What changed in the space of a year, to have Damien Sandow go from hero to zero in record time?

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Sandow has never had a rise. He's basically always been int he same position. He started off as a mid-card act and he remains one to this day, only he's more comedic now.

People just seem to think Sandow was going to make it because he held a MITB briefcase. It was a Money In The Bank briefcase for a mid-card title that was merged 6 months ago. He also didn't win.

He's always been a joke.

 

[TheOneAndOnlyGOAT]

Sandow was in my top 5 favs once. Just like Ziggler, Kofi, etc.

But as time moved on, I don't care about them anymore.

I'm not going to get angry every time they lose a match because that's what their role is and I think everyone should accept it.

This is from an interview earlier this year (Source: WrestlingInc).

Damien Sandow recently spoke with ThisIsInfamous.com and talked about creative frustration in the back. When asked about pushes starting and then getting cut off, Sandow replied:

"I think your actual language, in my opinion, is what's wrong with a lot of the Superstars. I don't mean that as a shot at you… let me explain myself... their frustrations and, I hate this term, but 'push.' What is a push? Every time you get a chance on television, that is a chance to win fans. That is a chance to create good content.

"A lot of the guys… 'I'm not working in the main event.' If they have a problem with that, you get yourself in the main event. If you're not, you make sure your match is the best match of the night. You can only go forward. I never saw me losing my briefcase to John Cena as a bad thing, it was a chance for my character to evolve. And evolve I did! I think, looking back at my career, when it's all said and done, that night will go down as one of the most pivotal nights in my career."

Honestly, I've lost respect to him after that interview. He's one of the guys Steve Austin mentioned, the guys that don't care about being main eventers, the guys that don't care about being top stars but are just happy with the time they get on TV.

Ziggler just joked about him losing on RAW on twitter and Sandow seems to be ok with his role as jobber so why should I care?

 

[laodaron]

Sandow was in my top 5 favs once. Just like Ziggler, Kofi, etc.

But as time moved on, I don't care about them anymore.

I'm not going to get angry every time they lose a match because that's what their role is and I think everyone should accept it.

This is from an interview earlier this year (Source: WrestlingInc).



Honestly, I've lost respect to him after that interview. He's one of the guys Steve Austin mentioned, the guys that don't care about being main eventers, the guys that don't care about being top stars but are just happy with the time they get on TV.

Ziggler just joked about him losing on RAW on twitter and Sandow seems to be ok with his role as jobber so why should I care?

It's funny that you see it that way. For me, that statement made me gain a lot of respect for him. He realizes his limitations and he's professional about them. He realizes that he's reached his pinnacle, the place where his talent caps out. I'm really impressed with his level of self awareness.

For the record, he has never been very good. Decent, but never great.

 

[TheOneAndOnlyGOAT]

It's funny that you see it that way. For me, that statement made me gain a lot of respect for him. He realizes his limitations and he's professional about them. He realizes that he's reached his pinnacle, the place where his talent caps out. I'm really impressed with his level of self awareness.

For the record, he has never been very good. Decent, but never great.

Well I respect your opinion but I disagree.

Sandow had all the tools, he's 6'4, 250 pounds, can wrestle, can talk and has an interesting gimmick.

I'm not sure if he'd make it as a main event but definitely a great mid carder.

 

[laodaron]

Well I respect your opinion but I disagree.

Sandow had all the tools, he's 6'4, 250 pounds, can wrestle, can talk and has an interesting gimmick.

I'm not sure if he'd make it as a main event but definitely a great mid carder.

He has the size and the look, but he's moderate on the mic, and he's lower than that in the ring. Average midcarder at best, in an overall career picture, in my opinion of course. More often than not, he's a channel changer or a DVR fast forward when he shows up on TV anymore.

But that's his point. He realized, in that match with John Cena, that he was out of his league. That's what he's saying. He realized that it was much more important to get his paycheck the way he is now than it is to wrestle and compete outside of his skill level.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

If anything, I gained respect for Sandow with his statement. Do I think that Sandow would like to be main eventing? Absolutely, I think that anyone on the WWE roster would. However, I don't think it's likely to happen. MAYBE it could have happened at some point, but I think the ship has sailed. If I had to guess, based on that statement, I'd say that Sandow believes the same thing.

As far as Austin talking about the guys who're mostly just wanting to get TV time rather than caring whether or not they're main eventers, well it's kind of easy for him to say that. After all, he was a main eventer. The two biggest stars of the Attitude Era were Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, so it's always going to be easy for those select few who've made it to the top to be critical of guys who some perceive as not trying as hard to get to the top or care as much about getting to the top.

I also like the more positive route Sandow chose to take in this instance. It's a nice change from the various ranting and raving of wrestlers who're bitter because they didn't make it to the top. We've all heard the rantings over the years from Shane Douglas, Matt Hardy and others with the same old "I wasn't used right", "The place was a snake pit backstage", "It's all about politics" excuses. I'm not saying that some who've made such claims aren't valid, but it's as though every story is the same in that it's always somebody else's fault for why they didn't make it to the top. It's easier than acknowledging even the POSSIBILITY that they simply might not have been as talented or as over as they hyped themselves up to be. There are LOTS of guys who've come and gone over the years who seem to have it all: the look, in-ring ability, decent mic skills, etc. but even that's no guarantee that they'll make it.

It's just refreshing to hear someone act like a professional about things like this. For instance, for quite a few times in his career, The Undertaker's been given garbage feuds to work with in his career. After all, I don't think a ton of people were exactly sitting on the edge of their seats for his feuds with Giant Gonzales, King Kong Bundy or Mabel/Big Daddy V. However, he behaved like a pro and did the best he could with what he was given. Sandow's doing the same thing, as have guys like Brodus Clay and Santino Marella. Maybe they won't wind up being revered in decades to come but, then again, where was it written for anybody that superstardom was a guarantee? The simple acknowledgement of this real world truth is no reason to lose respect for somebody, at least in my eyes.

 

[Mustang Sally]

People just seem to think Sandow was going to make it because he held a MITB briefcase.

That's true. Actually, though, I think that sequence was planned in advance, with the company knowing Sandow was never going to convert MITB to a world championship. I'm convinced management figured there had already been too many MITB winners that cashed in and won the big prize; a change of pace was needed to convince the fans that taking the briefcase didn't automatically guarantee a title reign. In that, I feel they made a good decision.

Problem is, it goofed up our perceptions of what the company had in mind for Damien Sandow. Personally, I never felt he was destined for anything above the mid-card. Again, that's not a bad thing; he had a refreshing gimmick that was entertaining, effective and.......most importantly, something that could be used for a long time to come. I've enjoyed the guy's act, including his ring work. He's a true pro.

What in hell they're doing with him now baffles me, I'll admit, because I can't tell whether WWE thought the time was ripe for another comedy jobber ......or whether Sandow is being punished for something by being forced to play the fool.

Problem is, there's no way to find out; if there's one thing WWE does well, it's keeping their plans and secrets out of the public realm. I've always felt if I traveled to Stamford CT and personally asked Paul or Stephanie Levesque if my man Drew McIntyre is ever going to get a serious push, I'm sure they'd say: "Yes, absolutely" just to get rid of me, leaving me with a direct answer to a question.....without my having actually learned anything.

Same with Damien Sandow or anyone else. Unless he eventually leaves the company and enlightens us as to what was really going on with him in the Spring of 2014, we'll never know.

 

[Pedigree1]

If anything,my resepct for Sandow has gone up.. I just think when he won MITB,that the WWE never felt he was championship material and never intended to have him win the strap.. True,he is solid in the ring and in the ring,hell he is quite the athlete IMO..

Does Sandow belong in the ME scene? I think he does and im sure the WWE feels the same way.. I have hope it can happen,but in reality im not sure it will.. All the greats have had what we would call,garbage feuds.. Think of all the Super Blue chippers that have come and gone..

This could be a test on WWE's part to Sandow to see how he handles adversity. Dressing up like Magneto or Davey Crockett being lowered to the Lower-mid card status it might be a test to see how he handles it.. He is handling it,with class so far.. Think of when SCSA,back at WM18 season.. He walked out,because he didnt want to lose to the new star Brock Lesnar at a monday night raw.. Sandow is not bitching or complaining,he is taking it on the chin..

 

[George Steele's Barber]

He has an awful build and does not hide it well with how he dresses or competes. His lower body does not match his upper body. Like Cody Rhodes, he just has legs that make him not look like someone that would be good at fighting.

That being said he can be very entertaining and is in a better place now than he was when he started. Most guys seem to get some kind of time and continued push no matter what (see Rusev, Alexander). Now Sandow is still getting that time to be featured in segments years after his initial push. That is a good thing. It's not the main event but it is a better position than the initial push everyone seems to get despite it being clear they will never have any business touching main event status (see Dallas, Bo).

 

[bioshock]

Sandow was in my top 5 favs once. Just like Ziggler, Kofi, etc.

But as time moved on, I don't care about them anymore.

I'm not going to get angry every time they lose a match because that's what their role is and I think everyone should accept it.

This is from an interview earlier this year (Source: WrestlingInc).



Honestly, I've lost respect to him after that interview. He's one of the guys Steve Austin mentioned, the guys that don't care about being main eventers, the guys that don't care about being top stars but are just happy with the time they get on TV.

Ziggler just joked about him losing on RAW on twitter and Sandow seems to be ok with his role as jobber so why should I care?

Good stuff, and I think Ziggler is in the same boat, he acts like he doesn't care either. In wrestling, these are the guys that show up to earn a paycheck. Sure there are some politics going on, but like JR has said many times, these kids are all scared to step up and tell Vince they want that ball and want to run with it. They get paid, and keep their mouth shut and thats fine.

 

[stonerfriendlykid]

Sandow was never tag champ with Cody. Maybe your getting confused with Drew McIntyre.

 

[GeneralKarim]

@bioshock

What are you smoking dude? Ziggler is crazy about being a main event player. And he has proven that he can hang on the mic with Cena in their terribly booked feud. Yet WWE constantly trashes him. Every interview he gives, even after he started getting buried, is still about being that top guy and he constantly shows enormous passion and aggressiveness inthe ring. So how does he not care?

Now onto the Sandow situation

From that interview, I definitely have more respect for the guy. He knows what place he is in. In his mind he probably wants to be a main-eventer but he realizes what place he is in right now and who is getting the pushes and all he can do is go out there and do the best he can with his little gimmicks that he is forced to portray. I actually find it a bit entertaining, but that's because I try and be detached from stuff like this. Ever since they made Ziggler lose the belt after he won it, I said to my self "This is the last time I'm investing in someone to a great degree".

WWE is a bit to fickle for my taste, so I try and watch it a bit detached. Even tho I get pumped up for a lot of segments, and disgusted and suicidal for others, I try and keep a cool head.

Sandow to me has the mic skills, I have no clue why some say they are "average" when he has clearly proven that he can speak, very confidently, very very very articulately about whatever he is supposed to speak about.

In his match with Cena he proved that he can have a main event level match. He isnt the most flashy guy in the ring, but he is a heel I think he does just fine with what he does. I think he was one of the only heels to actually get booed because of what he said and his persona. He is one of the only heels to actually get a reaction that wasnt a cheer because he was an edgy badass heel.

I never thought that WWE would really have him beat Cena and all but I did expect them to have a feud at least or at least a mini feud like a PPV match and be done with it. Or just ..something. After the stellar match, they just forgot about him and he started jobbing immediately..what's up with that? Did he rub someone wrong?

It is possible that his ship has sailed. He will be 32 in August and he is going nowhere atm. There are so many guys in front of him that are younger that I think he is just another Sheamus at this point. Granted Sheamus has been in a way better position than Sandow all his career, but he still, booking wise, is just an irish brute who has good matches and meaningless feuds. Sandow, like Sheamus, wont be remembered for much in the WWE. And that's sad.

Here's to Sandow at least being promoted to be a solid mid-card heel at least. There are others who can job in his position who are worse than him in every regard. Yes even ma boy Drew Mcyintire.

 

[Adam X]

I love Sandow.

It's a shame to see what they are doing to him but if he can own up and accept it it doesn't do us any good to be typical IWC'ers and bitch about it.

I will say if Bo's singles run tanks him and Sandow would be an awesome pair to build a team around, possibly even a Tag Title run.

Yes...I'm actually giving Bo Dallas credit for something...he's still better than Rob Terry but then again so am I.

 

[Dagger Dias]

It's a shame what has happened to Sandow. I liked his work as the stuck up snob character, his tag team with Cody Rhodes (they should have won the tag team titles!), and his feud with Cody following his Money In the Bank win. That was all great. Then he failed in his Money In the Bank cash-in attempt. If Cena had to retain in order to meet Randy Orton in the world title unification match, I get that. Those two deserved to be in that match. Sandow could still have found success in the WWE. He could have been a big name in the Intercontinental Championship scene. If WWE begin making the changes immediately to turn him into a threat for either of the midcard belts, he can still be salvaged as a character. Bring back the intellectual gimmick, heck have him team up with Cody Rhodes again since it's pretty obvious he won't be teaming with Goldust anymore. Rhodes Scholars would be far better as Tag Team Champions than The Usos.

Someone with his mic skills and in-ring ability should not be a comedy jobber, but that ship is quickly sailing. The Magneto thing was hilarious and at first I thought it was just something he was doing for Jackman's Raw appearance. So he gets made to look like a fool while Dolph and Jackman celebrate in the ring. Great. That was a cool moment and I had nothing against it. Then we had the Davey Crockett character and other nonsense that followed. He had to have made the wrong people angry backstage, there is absolutely no reason to humiliate him like this every week. It is what it is though, at least he has a job as a wrestler. Take what you are given and do your best to make it work. I'm still a fan and want to see Sandow succeed even if it means having to be a comedy jobber. Santino and 3MB made that work, so can Sandow if he has no other option.