Sandow cashes in!

[Ropow]

So for those who are watching just saw the return of Cena to Monday night Raw to be interrupted by Sandow.

Sandow teased a cash in but stated that he wasn't going to do it tonight. However, when Cena went to confront him as he was leaving Sandow unleashed a vicious attack on Cena's newly repaired arm. After, hitting a brutal chair shot on steel steps Sandow ran to the ring grabbed his briefcase and cashed in his guaranteed title shot.

The fight went back and forth with Sandow targeting Cena's injured arm and Cena fighting back using only his right arm. Sandow would get many near falls but in the end Cena countered one of Sandow's attacks and hit the AA for the victory.

Now, this raises a lot of questions. Sandow while still a very young and talented athlete hasn't been winning that many matches since his victory at MitB and didn't really have that much momentum going for him. So the first question has to be where does he go from here? Did WWE lose some of the faith they had in him during his run as WHC MitB Brief case holder? Is this the last time we'll see Sandow vs Cena for the time being?

I for one am a bit confused by this. A lot of people speculated the cash in happening last night due to the possibility that Cena hasn't fully recovered. I honestly thought he may win after I saw him cash in and am a bit shocked by his defeat. However, I also did not believe he was ready to be champion and figured it would have been better for him to hold onto his brief case longer to further establish himself and to get himself more over with fans so when he did cash in the crowd would be almost 100% behind him.

 

[FarFromFine]

Sandow couldn't afford to lose on his cash in. A vocal minority (me included) cheer him loudly but he's not over with most of the crowd. He's been losing constantly and, though the match was great and electric, with the loss now we have no reason to care about him. I enjoy his character and his delivery but I'm afraid that Sandow will fade into obscurity now after this loss. He had to win this match and didnt. I don't use the term lightly, but Sandow just got buried.

The gap between top tier and midcard is too great at the moment in WWE. For anyone to get there they either have to get pushed immediately (Ryback and Sheamus) or be so incredibly good that the crowd gives you the push (Punk and Bryan). Sandow has neither and will never be taken seriously as a top tier guy.

 

[The Butcher]

A business move, plain and simple. WWE's numbers are dipping on numerous fronts. Cena is, as the COO would say, "best for business." I was hoping for a Sandow win, if only because I'm a fan of his and that Cena and Orton being the world titlists makes it feel awfully 2009 around here. Cena gives the World Heavyweight title more oomph, though, so I can't complain. The belt needs a push, as odd as that is to say.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Should've been obvious Cena would win after a while. The commercial breaks, and bad arm or no bad arm, John Cena didn't tap to The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Shawn Michaels, or Triple H, so there was no way in hell he would tap to Damien Freakin' Sandow of all people. Plus, when's the last time you saw a truly competitive "match" during a cash-in? Yeah, it was obvious Cena would win.

Still, I loved the match, because it was loaded with a lot of fun moments, and I honestly did not expect WWE to go all the way with the match. I was waiting for Del Rio's music to hit before the bell rung, making the match official.

I expect this thread to eventually devolve into a barrage of Super Cena whining, but if John Cena safely walked out of Hell In A Cell as WHC last night, then there's no way in hell he would lose the belt so soon. And ask yourself this one question, who's a better option for WHC right now: John Cena or Damien Sandow?

 

[SkyCommanderWinky]

I expect this thread to eventually devolve into a barrage of Super Cena whining, but if John Cena safely walked out of Hell In A Cell as WHC last night, then there's no way in hell he would lose the belt so soon. And ask yourself this one question, who's a better option for WHC right now: John Cena or Damien Sandow?

So you expect that people are going to be upset but seemingly are suggesting John Cena is a better option for WHC?

Clearly if people are upset that Sandow didn't win then he's the better option for WHC. Also a WHC win for Sandow would levitate him to the main event however putting the belt on Cena does nothing for Cena.

I honestly don't understand the mental gymnastics many of the members of this forum are capable of. You all are in denial. Wake up.

 

[Harthan]

This was a fantastic decision on the WWE's part for the long term health of using the MITB briefcase. Allow me to explain.

As it has stood, the MITB briefcase has basically been a guaranteed title reign for the winner. When the briefcase was only awarded to one person at a time, it was doable. Edge won and launched himself on the way to the Hall of Fame on the back of the first and third cases; RVD had an amazing title win with his. But things started to get hairy even then, with CM Punk's back to back wins. His second was fine, but his first was pretty bad. Think about Punk's reign and the Summerslam that occurred during it. A show with Cena and Batista going one on one for it featured CM Punk vs JBL...for the championship. That right there was really the beginning of a problem with MITB that's been growing until now and that the WWE just finally did something about.

It just kind of gets worse and worse from there. Swagger should never have had the world title to begin with, and it's not like anyone else in his MITB match was going to do much with it either (Christian, maybe). They rebounded a bit with Kane and Miz (Kane wound up being a lot better than Miz, of course). Daniel Bryan's win wound up being fantastic, of course, but Alberto del Rio wound up becoming maybe the worst offender yet, interrupting CM Punk's title reign for two months for no better reason then that he happened to have the briefcase. Ziggler's cash in and reign was mediocre.

So then John Cena bit the bullet and began part one of what was completed tonight - he announced his cash-in and lost, proving it was possible to win the MITB and then not become champion. The logical conclusion here was that someone eventually had to lose on a surprise cash in, and the WWE finally made the right call and had someone do it. This had to happen, as there's now future uncertainty regarding any future MITB title holder, and it's proven that it's okay for someone to win the briefcase and not win the title. Imagine a world where Alberto del Rio doesn't interrupt the Summer of Punk, or where Jack Swagger never held the world title. That's now possible in the WWE, and that's a good thing.

More specifically, the WWE showed tremendous creativity with this decision. Now that the arc is complete, we see that the true purpose of this year's WHC MITB was to elevate Cody Rhodes. Five years ago, maybe WWE thinking gives Cody the briefcase and tries him as world champion. Instead, they used his loss to build him up with a face turn, a solid feud with Sandow, and now he's gone all the way to a successful, high profile tag team feud and probably a big match at WrestleMania.

It also completes a nice narrative arc wherein Cena, the first person to lose a cash in match that was pre-announced, ends the tradition of surprise cash ins leading to titles.

So, in general, the WWE did a necessary thing here that will keep MITB alive and interesting for the foreseeable futures, and in the specific sense, really fantastically utilized it to get the real star to the limelight (Cody Rhodes) and finish logical story arcs.

And Sandow is going to be fine. If the WWE believes in him and wants to push him now, he can go off the deep end as a result of his terrible failure and probably wind up with a nice WrestleMania match. It will also add a lot of drama if he's in next year's MITB match. People will continue to be interested in Sandow and like him, and I really doubt that the WWE intends to let Sandow fall to the wayside after a lot of work and generally positive results. It just wasn't the right time, and that's been part of the problem with MITB - guys getting title reigns at just plain the wrong time. The WWE fixed that problem tonight, and I couldn't be happier that they did.

 

[shalliin]

This was a fantastic decision on the WWE's part for the long term health of using the MITB briefcase. Allow me to explain.

As it has stood, the MITB briefcase has basically been a guaranteed title reign for the winner. When the briefcase was only awarded to one person at a time, it was doable. Edge won and launched himself on the way to the Hall of Fame on the back of the first and third cases; RVD had an amazing title win with his. But things started to get hairy even then, with CM Punk's back to back wins. His second was fine, but his first was pretty bad. Think about Punk's reign and the Summerslam that occurred during it. A show with Cena and Batista going one on one for it featured CM Punk vs JBL...for the championship. That right there was really the beginning of a problem with MITB that's been growing until now and that the WWE just finally did something about.

It just kind of gets worse and worse from there. Swagger should never have had the world title to begin with, and it's not like anyone else in his MITB match was going to do much with it either (Christian, maybe). They rebounded a bit with Kane and Miz (Kane wound up being a lot better than Miz, of course). Daniel Bryan's win wound up being fantastic, of course, but Alberto del Rio wound up becoming maybe the worst offender yet, interrupting CM Punk's title reign for two months for no better reason then that he happened to have the briefcase. Ziggler's cash in and reign was mediocre.

So then John Cena bit the bullet and began part one of what was completed tonight - he announced his cash-in and lost, proving it was possible to win the MITB and then not become champion. The logical conclusion here was that someone eventually had to lose on a surprise cash in, and the WWE finally made the right call and had someone do it. This had to happen, as there's now future uncertainty regarding any future MITB title holder, and it's proven that it's okay for someone to win the briefcase and not win the title. Imagine a world where Alberto del Rio doesn't interrupt the Summer of Punk, or where Jack Swagger never held the world title. That's now possible in the WWE, and that's a good thing.

More specifically, the WWE showed tremendous creativity with this decision. Now that the arc is complete, we see that the true purpose of this year's WHC MITB was to elevate Cody Rhodes. Five years ago, maybe WWE thinking gives Cody the briefcase and tries him as world champion. Instead, they used his loss to build him up with a face turn, a solid feud with Sandow, and now he's gone all the way to a successful, high profile tag team feud and probably a big match at WrestleMania.

It also completes a nice narrative arc wherein Cena, the first person to lose a cash in match that was pre-announced, ends the tradition of surprise cash ins leading to titles.

So, in general, the WWE did a necessary thing here that will keep MITB alive and interesting for the foreseeable futures, and in the specific sense, really fantastically utilized it to get the real star to the limelight (Cody Rhodes) and finish logical story arcs.

And Sandow is going to be fine. If the WWE believes in him and wants to push him now, he can go off the deep end as a result of his terrible failure and probably wind up with a nice WrestleMania match. It will also add a lot of drama if he's in next year's MITB match. People will continue to be interested in Sandow and like him, and I really doubt that the WWE intends to let Sandow fall to the wayside after a lot of work and generally positive results. It just wasn't the right time, and that's been part of the problem with MITB - guys getting title reigns at just plain the wrong time. The WWE fixed that problem tonight, and I couldn't be happier that they did.

A very well thought out analysis but to be honest, I don't think any one in wwe creative is smart enough to consider all of this to the degree you have. I think it was more likely a quick way to have Cena win HitC, and then get a quick and dirty/easy win over someone no one with any brains would think would ever beat him in a straight up fight. So like almost every other winner, Sandow teased a cash in, waited until he thought he had worn down Cena, and then pulled the cash in. But even a 'softened' cena is more then Sandow can handle and Cena won, nicely taking the MitB away from Sandow as he has, let's be honest here, failed to really connect with the fans the way they likely were hoping for. This way, in the lead up to Mania and Rumble, they have a lot more freedom in some ways as they don't have to try and pigeonhole in a big win/short reign or lose the cash in by Sandow and can turn their attention to other storylines and hopefully bounce back after the dismal (baring punk/taker) manie 29 show.

 

[lil bitch Kid]

For the record I generally agree with what you're saying. However, Cena didn't lose the match when he cashed in against Punk on a week's notice. In fact, he won the match by DQ, but the title can't change hands on a DQ, so while he didn't lose the match, he was the first person not to be successful in cashing in.

I like that we now have completed the circle and have a guy that has ACTUALLY lost the match. I think it's a shame that it had to be Super Cena , busted up and all, beating good young talent who needs a break. Personally, I think that the E did this to stick it to the IWC who claimed that since he didn't cash in last night he would on Raw.

In terms of what is best for the WHC, Cena holding the belt and having top of the card matches with that belt really is what is best for the title.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

So you expect that people are going to be upset but seemingly are suggesting John Cena is a better option for WHC?

Not a suggestion, it's a fact. I can't think of one reason for Damien Sandow being the better option for WHC over the returning face of the company. Not one.

Clearly if people are upset that Sandow didn't win then he's the better option for WHC.

Funny, a lot of fans in the arena weren't upset with Cena after he scored the pinfall.

Also a WHC win for Sandow would levitate him to the main event

Not true. IF, IF, Sandow won, the belt would go right back to Cena at Survivor Series. In the long run, Sandow would've been regulated to Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio status: mid card level heel with a world title belt, who's treated like a mid card champion.

however putting the belt on Cena does nothing for Cena.

By nothing you mean giving the WHC instant credibility by having the face of the company as champion? I don't get it. With Cena as WHC, he's able to stay away from the corporate takeover storyline, and remain in the spotlight. So many of you want credibility for the WHC. John Cena is the best option as the guy to elevate the title from the depths of mediocrity and obscurity.

I honestly don't understand the mental gymnastics many of the members of this forum are capable of. You all are in denial. Wake up.

No one is in denial, because it's not that hard to see the logical option of having Cena as WHC right in front of you.

 

[The Eighties]

The WWE did a good job of making fans wonder for a split second there with the way Sandow brutalized Cena's arm before the match started, but as soon as it went to a commercial break I knew Sandow was losing.

I really don't care, Sandow isn't ready to be a WHC, whether that's because of him or because of the booking you can make your own mind up, but the general idea behind this Cena WHC win seems to be to elevate the title which is no bad thing. I'm not sure this hurt Sandow but I'm not sure it did much for him either, I mean it was a good match but he got beaten by a one armed man, but whatever.

 

[enviousdominous]

Alrighty, here's the deal. If you watch something that makes you happy, the WWE makes money. If you watch something that pisses you off, the WWE makes money.

John Cena is like a tick that's so embedded in the part of my brain that reacts to annoyances that I've pretty much given up on trying to remedy it. He's like a tape worm that's so dug into the lining of my entrails that my body has basically decided to just acclimate and let it be. He's like a goatse poster that's been taped to the ceiling of my hospital room where I've been made to understand that I'll have to lie there in my bed partially comatose with only my sense of sight left intact. He's a mother fucking kidney stone, which when it seems like it may possibly pass after painful nights of agony, he becomes even more impossibly lodged in my urethra and I just suck it the fuck up and get a mother fucking cathetar. He's a virus strain that just mutates into an even more horrid abomination of itself with every single attempt at an advancement to just alleviate the fucking pain for a second, bound and determined to NEVER run its fucking course and just pass. Hoping that he'll leave for as long as it would take to forget his horrid stench is a losing battle.

Here's what I predict. Alberto Del Rio, in another drawn out boring match, takes the belt back because Cena is going to sell his hurt arm like it could ever compare to the damage he's done to his chosen art form. I predict this because Cena would ONLY lay down for another opponent if extenuating circumstances allow it. He works harder at being an unprofessional arrogant prick than anyone on the roster. Either he makes Del Rio look like an illegitimate champion by losing to him based on an arm injury, or he makes Del Rio look like he doesn't deserve to wear wrestling boots by defeating him while giving the same fucking stupid look of stark emotion. You don't build a fucking god out of someone and expect them to allow anyone else to look interesting.

 

[JoVilla21]

Putting the title on Cena does not for Cena, but it does something for the title. Like what one poster said, it wouldn't elevate Sandow to a main event status if he won the title, it would just result with a midcarder holding the title. Did Swagger elevate to main event status when he won the title? Did it happen to Punk when he first cashed in and won the title?

 

[Spidey Revivey]

I'm glad Cena retained.

The belt as it stands needs the prestige. Sandow would have done fuckall for it. If you honestly think his "genius" gimmick is enough to have him be a Main Eventer, you're deluding yourself. Especially after so many losses while being Mr. Money In The Bank. It would have devalued the title, and it would have devalued it even more if the face of the company would have lost it the night after winning it.

Damien Sandow is young, and has loads of potential. He just wasn't ready to carry the 2nd most important belt they had. There's no insult in that. It's the truth.

 

[Pivel]

It was a great match and a great story. It wasn't a sneaking run-in and it fit Sandow mindset perfectly. He duel face to face Cena because he think he had an advantage. Great dialogue before the match, something different, greatly lay out and well spoken, something i didn't see often. And an awesome, big and surprising match to start of the show.

You know, Sandow didn't win the match but i'm sure he won point with the management with his performance so, just to see it 'as a lost' i don't know, and quite frankly sometime i find his match a little bit meh.. i kind of forget then the second they finish, i remembered that one. Seem like he can step up when it matters the most. Cena was very very good too.

i kinda get annoy with people with the briefcase HAVE to win, you cannot substain it. Sometimes, someone HAVE to fail. Dosen't mean they won't have another chance another way. The briefcase give you a awesome opportunity and something to show up you're revelant inside the organism. It dosen't give you the titles.

People won too often with the briefcase in the earlier years
now everyone his expected to be granted the titles, in a similar CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy way.
THAT was the mistake, in my opinion

 

[voiceofsire]

We all witnessed the burial of Damien Sandal. Enough said. Kinda sad such a great heal.

 

[Otender Johnson]

Good. I was happy.

Damien Sandow is overrated and not ready to be even NEAR the WHC. Get this man back to the IC belt.

 

[CuddleBuns84]

I would of booked a win for Sandow.

It would of been much better for business. You would of had a triple threat match at Survivor Series for the WHC. Triple threats make it possible for a heel to win in heel fashion.

Sandow would of been a better Champ than Del Rio. If the heat is good enough, have him run with the title to the Elimination Chamber, or WM.

Sandow and Cena would of been a good feud as well.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

So let me see...

Damien Sandow is a heel, right? Every heel waits until face champ is in some bad shape and does his signature move and wins. Thats the formula that has been working for years. So now Damien Sandow, cowardly heel, just challenges Cena right in the open? Have i oversleped something? Did he become face in meantime?

I understand business decision that Cena is champ. But from the booking and gimmick side not so wise if they ever wanted Sandow as champ. Especially if they portray Sandow as really smart opportunist who won that briefcase in that manner of things. Wasnt excpecting that Cen would tap out but cmon, some logic could be good in this case. O yes, I forgot, WWE logic is not the same as normal logic.

 

[Headman]

So you expect that people are going to be upset but seemingly are suggesting John Cena is a better option for WHC?

Clearly if people are upset that Sandow didn't win then he's the better option for WHC. Also a WHC win for Sandow would levitate him to the main event however putting the belt on Cena does nothing for Cena.

I honestly don't understand the mental gymnastics many of the members of this forum are capable of. You all are in denial. Wake up.

Judging by the rest of your post it's not surprising you have a hard time understanding things. If you think winning the WHC would elevate Sandow to anything you're kidding yourself. That belt was on it's last leg and Cena is the only one that can save it. Winning a worthless belt from an injured champion wouldn't help Sandow in the slightest. Ask Dolph Ziggler what a worthless belt did for him. The OP said some people on this forum would be upset. Some how you make the mental leap to "Everyone would be upset". If you think Sandow is ready to be a main event player you're simply being foolish. And most people are smart enough to understand that the WHC is only a main event title as long as Cena has it.

 

[Headman]

So let me see...

Damien Sandow is a heel, right? Every heel waits until face champ is in some bad shape and does his signature move and wins. Thats the formula that has been working for years. So now Damien Sandow, cowardly heel, just challenges Cena right in the open? Have i oversleped something? Did he become face in meantime?

I understand business decision that Cena is champ. But from the booking and gimmick side not so wise if they ever wanted Sandow as champ. Especially if they portray Sandow as really smart opportunist who won that briefcase in that manner of things. Wasnt excpecting that Cen would tap out but cmon, some logic could be good in this case. O yes, I forgot, WWE logic is not the same as normal logic.

Did you watch the match or just read about it? Sandow wasn't going to cash in the belt at first. He successfully injured Cena with his sneak attack then decided to cash in. He said before in the promo that he suspected Cena was hurt worse than he claimed to be so he felt him out with an ambush. This was perfect booking.

 

[Kris Benwa]

At first I was upset when this happened just like when Randy Orton took the belt off of Christian two days after he won it. Then after I thought about it I realized just like I did back then that this will probably lead to even better things for Damien Sandow but hopefully moreso than it did for Christian. I think on Smackdown Sandow is gonna beat the shit out of Cena he'll be angry he'll snap because he had his chance to be World Champ but failed. I think eventually their feud should lead to Sandow winning the belt further down the line because even if he does damage to Cena that makes him look stronger than he has since holding the briefcase and once he does take the title off of him (likely in a triple threat match) he'll be elevated because of it. It wasn't time for Sandow to be WHC yet there's no reason for it if Cena will be back full time now. But I'll tell you one thing Sandow's time is coming and once it does it will be much sweeter than if he would have won tonight.

 

[teampunk]

yeah, I think sandow impressed a lot of people tonight. the match showed he is capable of hanging with the top guys. heck, the crowd was chanting "this is awesome" during the match. this gives sandow the chance to tweak his character a little. get ride of the cheesy smarted then you character and morph into a more aggressive, mind game play character. kind of like triple h was back in the day.

 

[d_henderson1810]

Didn't like that Sandow didn't win.

Yeah, because we want Cena v Del Rio chapter VVVVVIXXXXXIIIIIX. These guys feuded two years ago, and they are having it again?

At least Cena-Sandow would be a fresh match. It has never been done before. I think they should have had Sandow study the "Cena phenomenon" and answer the question to why Cena is so popular, and then put it down. He can say that anyone who cheers Cena is "intellectually inferior", causing Cena to not only want to fight Sandow to get the title back, but to avenge his fans as well.

I am surprised how supportive you all have been of Cena retaining. I thought you all hated his guts, and complained whenever he beat one of your faves (Punk, Bryan, Ziggler).

If you are going to have someone not win the title off MITB, it has to be someone who is established, like Cena was when he didn't win the title after winning MITB. Cena not winning the title didn't bury him. If it is a new guy, needing a push, you have to pull the trigger. Maybe, in hindsight, Cody should have won MITB instead, since he is getting pushed.

WWE shouldn't have someone win it, and then never use them. Ziggler has been doing little for months- why not a feud with Sandow, which went over two or three months, and elevated both? It would enhance both men, and give them airtime.

This just shows that they should go back to one MITB briefcase, and use it for either the WWE or World Title.

 

[The Butcher]

I am surprised how supportive you all have been of Cena retaining. I thought you all hated his guts, and complained whenever he beat one of your faves (Punk, Bryan, Ziggler).

I can't speak for other Sandow fans, but I'm quite used to him losing. As for being supportive of Cena retaining, I'm fine with it because it's good for the World Heavyweight Championship. It's a sad state of affairs when a title needs a push, but that's where we are. That being the case, Cena can restore a little luster to the Big Gold Belt. My only problem with John Cena has been and continues to be his omnipresence. I'm much more disappointed by the fact that he's back so soon than I am by him beating Sandow.

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

I found myself cheering for John Cena because the WHC title picture has been a mess ALL YEAR long since Jack Swagger got the DUI. Then, Ziggler cashes-in successfully, but gets concussed. Then, Ziggler loses the title to ADR, but a double turn occurs. Then, Ziggler gets completely phased out of the title. Then, ADR mows down Christian and RVD. 2 nights ago we are saved from the boring ADR run by a returning John Cena. This will only do wonders for the WHC and for Smackdown. Having Cena as champ will bring in more viewers and advertising dollars which is what the WWE needs at the moment. The story is refreshing as Cena didn't come out and bury the WHC, but claimed excitedly "THE CHAMP is HERE!!!" and "The Friday Night Delight...is back." Sandow did cut a solid promo and had a great match with Cena. I think the 2 will cross paths again shortly. ADR is stale and needs to be removed from the WHC picture. I expect him to remain in the title picture for the remainder of 2013, but come January and Royal Rumble time he will be phased out and put into a program with someone else which benefits everybody.