The curious case of Damien Sandow (Mizdow)

[CyberPunk]

So last few weeks we've seen Damien Mizdow working as the stunt double of The Miz. He tags along with The Miz, does his dirty job and in return, The Miz reaps the reward (like the win over Ziggler and Sheamus this Monday). I don't mind it but to me it's a really strange case.

Damien Sandow was looked upon as a capable star. He cut decent promos and was adequate inside the ring. He won the WHC Money in the bank last year. But then it all fell apart for him. He lost his cash in on Cena, making him first ever to do so. Then he goes on to lose to almost everyone in WWE (a one minute loss to Sin Cara? When was he relevant again?). Then he cuts a promo with his dissatisfaction with the position in the company, and now he's this. Has anyone else fallen this far within a year? What makes it stranger is that Sandow looks like a decent worker. He can work a match, work the mic and looks like a man who can be a staple in the midcard and upper midcard. So is this the best they can do with Sandow?

I don't mind what he's doing now because it keeps him on TV. He's there on my screen every RAW. But so were 3MB and look what happened to Jinder and McIntyre. So what does his trip to jobville mean for him? Where is this leading Sandow?

My question is:

Can Sandow be used differently at this point, may be in a more prominent role?

Do you see Sandow receiving any sort of push or is he next on the list of wrestlers to be cut?

Personally, if I can't find anything, I'll stick him in the booth and let him call the matches. I think that role can suit him. He is a good talker and can really work as a heel color commentator. Otherwise I see him released when WWE goes for more cuts.

What do you think?

 

[boywithbluehanger]

From what I've seen out of Damien Sandow. He should have been the one to have all of the opportunities afforded Wade Barrett. Sandow has proven that he's more creative with the characters he portrays and a better talker than Barrett. I think he's one of those wrestlers who is so skilled at acting, that he could be a meaningless jobber or a top billed heel and neither would surprise me. He's that convincing. He can be a pompous elitist or an underdog that enjoys mocking his opponents. Unfortunately, from what we've seen, WWE's creative team seems to take issue with guys who embrace their character's personalities and become passionate about them. Zack Ryder did it and they squashed his momentum. Ryback did it and they squashed his momentum. Sandow did it and they squashed his momentum.

If the guys writing this stuff can swallow their pride and learn to encourage wrestlers who get themselves over rather than toss them aside, they'd benefit from it. Instead the writers seem to jealously halt some guys' progress due to the talent showing that they can sometimes do Creative's job better than they can.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I don't mind what he's doing now because it keeps him on TV.

Yes, but for how long? The only parallel I can find to what management is doing with Sandow is an unfortunate one.....Charlie Haas.

Haas was a technically superior wrestler who had a run with Shelton Benjamin .....then sunk to the level of waiting backstage for another chance, occasionally being called on to job to someone (when he wasn't catapulting Lilian Garcia off the ring apron).....and then being given a gimmick similar to Sandow's; dressing up like an idiot and playing the fool while jobbing to everyone. Remember Haas Hogan? God help us.)

When management had enough of this program, Haas was out the door, given a sandwich and a road map.

I fear the same fate for Damien Sandow, although I don't understand why. His ring repertoire is useful, and he has the personality Haas never had (or at least never got to display).

So, if WWE sees Sandow the way they saw Haas, his time with the company won't last long: straight comedy acts never do. But if they're punishing Damien for something and decide to eventually "forgive" him, perhaps we'll see a career rejuvenation yet. Or, maybe Creative sees this phase as an extension of Sandow's "regal presence" tendencies we saw when he first came aboard.

Here's hoping, 'cause I do like what he brings.

 

[Bagpipes]

Oh man, I nearly forgot about Haas Hogan, how terrible was that!

As I said in a previous post, I really like Sandow. He seemingly gives his all in whatever position on the card he's working from, now whether there are some unspoken backstage gripes that might be holding him back from more meaningful bookings, I don't know, but his mic work, ring work, and willingness to roll with the hand he's dealt booking wise seem to warrant some form of reward.

 

[stingray11214]

You need some comic relief in some matches. Sandow provides it. His versatility allows him to be placed in a lot of situations seamlessly. Now, who would be doing these comic segments if Sandow was not doing them? Ryder? Nope. Miz? you're kidding, right? Sandow took the place of Santino, a great wrestler, but versatile character. Sandow is better at the character end, right there, you have an upgrade.

As for being released? If WWE has to go through a tremendous amount of cuts whether the choice is Sheamus or Sandow, that is when Sandow gets canned. As for Charlie Haas: He did better in the indies after leaving Vinceland. He has his smoothie joint with Jackie Gayda, and wrestles sporadically in Texas.

 

[nbieclkl91]

Here's the thing. Triple H himself went through a whole year of punishment due to the Kliq incident at MSG. Once his punishment was up, he went on to become The Cerebral Assassin, King of Kings, The Game, and eventually, the COO of the company! What I'm getting at is yes, I do believe that Sandow is being punished. What for? Who really knows. But I feel like the WWE's way of handling it is to see how the superstar takes the punishment. If he handles it well, then they know he will be a good asset to the company, if he doesn't, they'll probably let him go.

 

[Pedigree1]

I guess its a good thing that Mizdow is being used.. Its sad though,Damien is actually quite good in the ring and by far a better entertainer than Haas Hogan! Loved Haas Hogan.. Damien i dont think is necessarily being buried,he is being used on TV and is a comedy act replacing the retired Santino Marella..

I hope when this gimmick runs out,the WWE takes the time to actually repackage this guy,and make him a mid-carder.. I would love to see him battle Ziggles,swags,and actually be a decent Mechanic i guess its whats is called..

 

[supermooseaoj]

With Sandow's most recent tweets, the ones about 'not going to see it coming', I think he's referring to his current gimmick of being Miz's stunt double. And with Sandow getting the pins for Miz, what's to stop him from taking the pin in an IC title match and then just keeping the belt for himself. Sneaky way of getting the title but we really haven't had a sneaky title change in a while. Plus that would set up a nice feud for Sandow/Miz. I'd be happy to see Sandow with the IC belt.

 

[QuadrupleH]

I'm a big fan of Sandow - he reminds me of Cody Rhodes in that he can make any gimmick work. Seeing him out their as Miz's stunt-double reminds me of the days of old school managers like Jimmy Hart and Bobby the Brain Heenan. As much as I like Sandow in the ring and as a wrestler, imagine the guy as a heel manager - he'd be pretty magnificent in that role. I would switch him out to be Miz's agent instead and let him build heat for him. Of course, I am not a Miz fan, but the W seem to want to push him, so might as well go all in.

 

[Torgo]

I suppose it's good he is on TV. That's one thing going for him. And certainly it is better than playing Lebron or an astronaut. That said, this still isn't where i'd like to see him. Really, he should be at least with the US belt. I wish he had won the tag belts with the Rhodes Scholars. Sandow won the friggin MITB a couple years ago, he should be cruising around upper midcard. But then that fateful cash in against Cena occured and the shit hit the fan for him.
Like supermooseaoj said, who says that MIzdow can't win the IC belt then decide to keep it for himself, just like how he stole MITB from Rhodes in MITB 2012? I'd love it, Sandow would get a true title and something to do, and hopefully a repackage, then he coud retake his place where he belongs, the mid to upper midcard, not rock bottom among Adam Rose, Fandango, and Los Matradores.

 

[Boxhead333]

It's a shame. I really don't see why he has sunk so low recently. My only theory is that he pissed someone off backstage. There can't be any other reason for such a talented worker to fall so far in managements eyes. This thing with the Miz isn't ideal obviously, because I think Sandow is superior to the Miz in every way. But at least it seems like a consistent character. The thing that makes me the saddest about this whole thing is that even when he was put in these ridiculous segments.....he was still great. He had so much enthusiasm and really seemed to be trying to play the role the WWE had given him. The abysmal segment when he dressed as Lebron James was saved because Sandow was so entertaining. It's just such a shame that they're wasting a talent who would even try hard at this garbage. He deserves better.

 

[No Count Pup]

Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes are floundering. I don't understand their place I the company. One is a member of legendary Rhodes family. The other is a former MITB winner. What gives?

We saw Ryback get pushed to the moon. Then he came back to earth. Eventually, he was teamed with Curtis Axel. First, it looked bad for Ryback. But over time I think being on a team restored to Ryback a sense of identity. Lame or not, he was on TV and booked decently in the tag matches. That's more than what can be said for Damien or Cody.

Damien is a stuntman, serving as Miz's footstool. Cody Rhodes is Stardust, a gimmick destined to fail. Neither Sandow nor Cody are allowed to be themselves. They are just offshoots of Goldust and the Miz. My solution is to separate Sandow from Miz, and separate Cody from Goldust.

Sandow's prospective reemergence is tied to Cody Rhodes. Bring back the Rhodes Scholars. They were a fun team. I could see them getting in some great feuds as tag team champions. It would breath new life into Sandow's career.

 

[MartialHorror]

I prefer Mizdow more than any thing Sandow has been doing, but I'm sure it will get old. What happened to Sandow's worked shoot angle? Where he freaked out about how the crowd loves the smart guy losing? I almost expect an angle where Sandow turns face and calls out the authority for forcing him to do all these gimmicks, which I thought was coming to life when Stephanie confronted him about his Vince parody. But I doubt it now and don't think Sandow would make a good face.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Sandow CAN be used in a more prominent role. It would take some time to re-establish him, but he needs to return to his intellectual gimmick. There was nothing wrong with it. It could easily have taken him to one of the two midcard titles and even to the World Heavyweight Championship had there still been two World Championships in WWE. With the lack of a second World Championship the best he could hope for as the intellectual gimmick is an Intercontinental or US Championship run, but that's still better than being a jobbing impressionist. Ever since he lost his Money In The Bank cash-in attempt he has been on a huge losing streak and stuck in the role of doing impressions before suffering humiliation. Being Miz's "stunt double" is about as low as it gets. Sally brings up an interesting point with the similarities to Charlie Haas' angle of miming various wrestlers. Unlike Haas, Sandow has had some memorable moments and appears to be trying hard to make this gimmick work. His promos are still strong efforts and his version of Vince in particular was well done.

I don't see this resulting in his getting future endeavored. Whether he is getting pushed or not, Sandow brings too much to the table to get rid of. He is good in the ring as well as on the mic. They could make him go back to the intellectual gimmick or have him keep suffering humiliating losses and jobbing for the rest of his career. The point is, he should be kept around. I feel bad for him and keep wondering why he got stuck in this situation. I'd want to see him in a more serious heel role again, he could get much further up on the card if given a second chance. I don't see him ever getting any decent pushed again which sucks but I doubt he will be cut. They need jobbers. At the end of the day he is still employed by the WWE, still working matches, still getting time on the mic, and above all is still seen onscreen. If he does end up getting future endeavored then WWE would be making a big mistake.

 

[RJ Fletcher]

I think his hard work will pay off eventually. I know his role is frowned upon by the IWC, but I actually find it entertaining and it really shows how strong of a performer Sandow really is.

 

[Lord_Frish]

I actually think that WWE likes Sandow. I can understand that people think it is a bad position to be in, and certainly compared to being in the title hunt it is bad. But he is on TV weekly and cutting promos almost every week. Its a good thing for Sandow.

I honestly think the only reason Heath Slater still has a job is because of his comedy act. His one/three man band stuff and his work with the legends back in 2012. He was a weekly feature for Raw in a comedy act for a long time. The legends and the WWE loved how that run went in 2012, so he is still around.

So Sandow is at least in the same position, a bit more fresh even, and even better he would be believable in a serious role (something I can't imagine from Slater). Unless Sandow does something particularly dumb I think he is in a solid position with at least a few years work ahead for him.

 

[skyflope]

Drew Galloway vs Damien Sandow for the Evolve or PWG championship belt. Dream Match, imo.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Damien Sandow is a good midcard talent, but he was never going to be a main event Superstar. He doesn't have the mic skills or the in-ring ability to do so. But he's very good at what he does, which is put on solid midcard matches and Sandow is a great example of the correct way to do comedy in wrestling (with Santino Marella and Hornswoggle being examples of the wrong way). I think this will lead to Sandow & The Miz becoming a tag team, and eventually winning the WWE Tag Team Championships a few months down the road. Maybe at WrestleMania 31?

 

[MMK]

Sandow can go one of two ways. As Mustang Sally pointed out, he could go down the Haas Hogan route, which was an excellent point, or WWE could actually do something creative with Sandow instead of wasting him. The current Miz/Sandow partnership is great for Miz but it does nothing for Sandow. But that doesn't mean it can't.

What I would do, is at some point Miz tags in his stunt double during an IC title ppv defense only to have Sandow actually successfully defend the title. Then after the match when Miz comes in to get the belt after Sandow has done all the work, Sandow nails Miz with the title and keeps it for himself.

The next night on RAW Sandow cuts a promo in the ring: "I was only playing the fool to lull The Miz into a sense of false security. If anyone ever doubted that I am the smartest man in WWE, then it is you who is the fool."

This could lead to a triple threat IC title ladder match between Sandow, Miz and Ziggler at let's say TLC.

 

[DCLXVI]

I'm actually glad they are finally using him in some storyline capacity as the "stunt double" of Miz. It's better than coming out dressed as Davey Crockett, which made no sense and lead no where but making him look like a fool. On Main Event he was dropping hints about getting the IC title, had some mic time, and wasn't completely squashed and got to wrestle a match.

 

[stingray11214]

Sandow is great for what he is: Good comedy mid-carder. He has a decent skill set. He is good on the mic, and he is very malleable. You can actually put him in a lot of good situations that his character fits in. Vince McMahondow comes to mind. He'll never push merch or fill the seats, but he is the Court Jester Extraordinaire. VKM and the back seems to love him, which is why he is on TV every week. He'll have a long career in the E

Somebody mentioned Cody Rhodes "floundering": What are you smoking? Rhodes has not been this more relevant since Legacy. Liked his "Grooming Tips" segments? Thought not. Rhodes Scholars did more for Sandow than Rhodes. What Cody did was toss away titles and floundering for a paycheck for the next 7-10 years. Do you think Goldust would still be around if he went by "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes? He would have been lucky to be in the mid-card at Redneck Wrestling live from Ma's General Store. Kudos for Cody to realize the need for career longevity rather than sit at home like Zach Ryder.

 

[LBGetBack]

Here's the thing. Triple H himself went through a whole year of punishment due to the Kliq incident at MSG. Once his punishment was up, he went on to become The Cerebral Assassin, King of Kings, The Game, and eventually, the COO of the company! What I'm getting at is yes, I do believe that Sandow is being punished. What for? Who really knows. But I feel like the WWE's way of handling it is to see how the superstar takes the punishment. If he handles it well, then they know he will be a good asset to the company, if he doesn't, they'll probably let him go.

That's long been the company line, but is it really true? HHH was IC champion(when it had more meaning) within 6 months of the clique incident. His big push to King of the Ring winner may have been delayed a year, but his "punishment" was nothing like what Sandow is doing. HHH was still a credible midcarder, never a comedy act jobber - which is almost impossible to overcome.

 

[WimpyKid4Life]

I bolieve he will be used prominently and get a solid push. He has been connecting with the audience with his comedy relief gimmick, so far as to even getting "Damien Sandow" chants when he was a ballerina dancer. That only shows the type of character Mr.Sandow is. He is committed to whatever creative tells him to do and he makes it work. Not only that, but Damien Sandow is a company man. In an interview, he says Triple H should be in the next hall of fame and he helped promote 2k15. A company man with great talent that connects with the WWE Universe- I say that equals to a great spot in the roster. I don't think he'll ever be WWE World Heavyweight champion, but I do see him being a serious contender from time to time and him winning those midcard championships and tag team championships as a solid resume.

 

[stingray11214]

Here's the thing. Triple H himself went through a whole year of punishment due to the Kliq incident at MSG. Once his punishment was up, he went on to become The Cerebral Assassin, King of Kings, The Game, and eventually, the COO of the company! What I'm getting at is yes, I do believe that Sandow is being punished. What for? Who really knows. But I feel like the WWE's way of handling it is to see how the superstar takes the punishment. If he handles it well, then they know he will be a good asset to the company, if he doesn't, they'll probably let him go.

Apples and Kumquats. Trips broke kayfabe by hugging Hall, who was a face at the time. In that day and age, breaking kayfabe was a mortal sin. To be fair, Shawn Michaels also hugged Nash, and then all four stood together. Trips got punished because there was nobody else to punish: Hall and Nash went to WCW. Michaels was the champ. So, by process of elimination, Trips bit the bullet. Also, Trips was disliked in the locker room BEFORE the incident. So, nobody had sympathy for him. What made Trips is that he took the shelling, kept his mouth shut, and did his job. He got rewarded with the IC strap a few months after the incident. It also enabled Austin to rise to stardom.

Times have changed dramatically since then. WWE has become a TV show that happens to be about wrestling. Kayfabe has long been destroyed. Sandow is on TV every week. The fact he is not balking about it, and as I understand he is even embracing it, is not a sign of him being punished. It is a sign of Sandow being a valued commodity with a purpose.