The WWE Series: 4) Damien Sandow

[Adam Rush]

What kind of investment has Damien Sandow been for the WWE so far? Positive, neutral, or negative?

First of all, if you don't enjoy this series, I can certainly stop, but I enjoy doing this. I have -1 rep for this series so far and if it's not enjoyable, I'll stop doing it. That being said...

Damien Sandow. Thanks for the request, Xavyer, I love requests. Sandow has great mic skills, good wrestling ability, and he seems comfortable in his role. He hasn't really found much of a feud yet. Overall, I think he's still neutral. Don't get me wrong, I love Sandow, but he isn't quite there yet, and he won't be for a few months as WWE seems to be building him up slowly.

What do you guys think?

I will take requests for tomorrow's threads.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

i think it is still a bit early to say if he has been a good investment or not but from what i have seen so far he has shown promise. his character reminds me of lanny poffo's the genius of the late 80's early 90's. always thought that character never got pushed enough. lets just hope that sandows does

 

[xavyer]

First of all, let me answer your question, i enjoy these threads, and i think you should keep doing them, and now, the reason i requested Damien Sandow, i know he is still a little green, and like you said, he still has no feud with anyone yet, and i agree with the fact that the WWE is building him slowly, but he definitly is showing signs of great things to come, the reason i like his work, because i'm a big fan of promos, and he has delivered some great ones, and he is good in the ring as well, he definitly has what it takes to be the leader of a cult like faction, and i think Sandow and Wade Barret are the future main event caliber heels, so to me it was a great investment, so they are making sure of that........

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Green... no, he has been around a long time now since the Idol Stevens days and being a Edgehead but in terms of character, he is still coming into his own. Mainly because he hasn't really been put against anyone who he can properly joust with verbally. I felt that the DX segment was wasteful when you had Piper on the show who could have had a classic "Pit" segment with Sandow and given him a much better rub.

He needs a feud and personally I think Orton is the right guy to put him over, especially with the recent troubles that Sandow can cite as him being a reason for the poor state of youth etc...

 

[SpoodBeest]

I love the guy, I really do he's the most entertaining new debut that's happened this year, the gimmick is great, his promos are great, everything just clicks. And the only reason I voted neutral is because it really is too early to tell, his career has just started. Give it a year or two to develop.

I hope this guy makes it far and he is more than deserving of a midcard strap, but both of those pictures already have a respective heel either as the champion and/or challenger in The Miz and Antonio Cesaro. So he'll have to wait for that. The man needs a decent good first real feud with someone like Rey Mysterio. A veteran who can bring the best out of him and push him right into a major spotlight. If he's not going to win a championship he might as well feud with an established face.

It's too early to tell if Sandow as an investment will be either positive or negative but I see big things for this guy. He's a great mic and ring worker. A total package if you will, those rarely make WWE's roster so I have my hopes up that this guy truly is a star in the making.

 

[Kelso1ftw]

Right now I believe its too early to tell if the character Damien Sandow will be a full on success that's why I voted for neutral.. but I really do enjoy his character so far and would really like to see what this guy can do in a feud with someone, since he attacked Brodus Clay last week hopefully those two will feud for a month or two and on the start of a push for one if not both of them

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I'll wait until this character has actually had a good run before I make my decision on him, it's simply way too early to tell.

I think he will be positive, I really enjoy the guys personality and the way he delivers promo's. That arrogant, better than everyone else attitude can actually take him a long way and I also like his vicious in ring style, he seems to be a natural fit on Smackdown.

Still though way too early to give a fair assessment, take Carlito for example, he looked great in his first few months but after a while his stock plummeted.

 

[xavyer]

Green... no, he has been around a long time now since the Idol Stevens days and being a Edgehead but in terms of character, he is still coming into his own. Mainly because he hasn't really been put against anyone who he can properly joust with verbally. I felt that the DX segment was wasteful when you had Piper on the show who could have had a classic "Pit" segment with Sandow and given him a much better rub.

He needs a feud and personally I think Orton is the right guy to put him over, especially with the recent troubles that Sandow can cite as him being a reason for the poor state of youth etc...

That is a great point, a segment with Rowdy Roddy Piper would have been awesome, much better that with DX, not that that wasn't fun, but with Piper would have been a back and fourth battle of words and Piper would have brought the best of Sandow so far, he needs a feud right now.......

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

Sandow has been quite good so far and although he's largely been going down the squashing route like Ryback and Brodus, his mic time is what has allowed him to stand out. The classical music entrance, gown and scarf are all things that help assert his character as potentially being heelish, but his promos have really cemented this too. Even his cartwheel after a victory and pose while he pins are minor things that have made him stand out.

However, its entertaining as he's still relatively new on TV. The big questions are can he maintain the momentum he's built for himself and can he also push on several months down the line?

He's got his character over well, but his longevity and success may be dependent on how he gets on with his first few feuds with other superstars rather than just going over lower card guys each week.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The cartwheel I ain't a fan of, cos it makes him "Geniuslike", last thing he needs to do is start skipping around. On the whole though he has a good aura about him even though he looks startlingly like Hunter Hearst Helmsley. He needs people he can not only verbalise with but one up... Someone like Piper would have been ideal cos you know eventually Hot Rod would lose it and it'd get physical. It still can be I guess, and I can see him fight Foley down the line too.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I like him. I worry that the IWC and smarks will start to cheer for him because he has been so good on the mic. Once that happens he is going to lose his charm and entertainment value (the guy should never be a face). I think the jury is still out on how over he can get with his in-ring wrestling ability but as far as entertainment, he is exactly what we would hope ADR could be as an entertaining heel.

It's too late but I would have loved to see him get over as a heel manager and then shock the world by showing that he could compete in the ring as well (see DDP).

Going forward I would definitely like to see him make the jump in to a successful feud with a decent mid-face competitor (Christian, Brodus, Ryder, Kofi, Truth) or give him a chance to at least look competitive against a bigger name (Orton, Jericho, Mysterio). Maybe they could build off last Monday and let him work a program with Billy Gunn.

 

[ultramattman]

It's still to early to give a rating for Sandow. But so far he has played everything perfectly. He's so comfortable on the mic - able to handle the crowd while staying on script - and he's got a classic heel moveset in the ring along with good size and aggression. I love the little things like calming himself down after the pin, or last week when he began air-conducting to the Hallelujah Chorus. I LOVE Damien Sandow so far and I think the WWE are behind him.

But still, it's far too early to rate Sandow as a positive or negative. It'd be like rating a football team based on their preseason games.

 

[WJDwjdWJDwjd]

It's pretty early for Mr. Sandow. I think he's here to stay though. As much as he's being pushed as a heel, I think he could be a great face as well. There are so many idiotic things that happen on a weekly basis that him interrupting a terrible promo, someone making a threat, interrupting Vickie in the middle of a dance (which happened last week), and other things could be amazing on a week to week basis. For what he has done so far, and what is going to be coming from this character for the foreseeable future, I'd have to say he's been pretty positive in my eyes. Yet again, it's way too early to say exactly how well he's going to do though. It's up him and how he's booked.

 

[Irondan]

If there was a positive/neutral option, that's how I'd currently vote for Sandow. As many before me have mentioned, it's too early to tell, but so far, the stars are aligning in his favor. I'm not normally a fan of music we know that're timeless as entrance themes, but "Hallelujah" fits his character perfectly ATM. Overall, though, since I'd have only 1 option, I have to say positive.

I'd like to request Kofi Kingston as the next superstar to observe. I'd believe his WWE success would be one of the more debatable about being positive or negative.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I don't see how the answer can be anything other than neutral. He hasn't done anything of importance since debuting. It's far too early to tell. He has potential, but we have no idea if he'll live up to it.

 

[Ethelion]

First of all, if you don't enjoy this series, I can certainly stop

Don't stop. The series you're giving us is good. This is the first series of threads that I've been subscribing to since joining here.

Anyway, as most of the people have already said in this thread, it far too early to tell whether Damien Sandow is a positive investment to the WWE or not. I haven't seen him done anything significant in the company yet. Therefore, he hasn't grabbed my attention. Although his promo with D-Generation X was a decent start, the WWE will have to follow-up if he's to become a positive investment to the company.

I'd like to request Kofi Kingston as the next superstar to observe.

I second this. Kofi Kingston should be the most challenging WWE Superstar to talk about to date.

 

[HBsam31]

I voted neutral but I am really liking him. Like everyone else has said it is a little early yet to judge how well he will do. Really great on the mic, but hasn't had that much of a chance to show what he can do in the ring. I liked the idea another poster had of him feuding with Orton. In some time I am sure Sandow will be a positive.

 

[theBec2101]

First off I would like say, hey Sandow Rick the model Martel wants his ring attire back. Now then, why are we already judging him? He hasn’t been in the WWE that long. But I do like the character he a good wrestler. Again he needs a new move. I would of liked the clover leaf and a different impact move

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I went neutral for now. He hasn't really had a chance to make a big impact and he has really only worked squash matches. There is potential there however. When he first debuted I wasn't a huge fan of his character because it screamed cocky heel but he has added a bit of a twist to that to make it more unique. The fact that he got a shot at MITB despite only having been on TV for a short time speaks volumes for the potential he has

 

[HBKistheHOF]

Sandow is already one of my favorite WWE competitors and I have no doubt he will go down as one of my ALL-TIME favorites!!!!

From the refreshing character & gimmick that is AMAZING!

To the absolute perfect balance in the ring of pure technical brilliance & ruthless aggression! With one of the best finishers EVER since the Zig-Zag, Wasteland, Starship Pain, RKO, etc.

Down to the simple facial expressions, cart-wheels, and motioning of a conductor playing classical music!

Sandow still has alot to prove and he JUST got up to RAW, but I believe his impacthas already been positive and a breathe of fresh air. I have no doubt Sandow will exceed all expectations!!

SANDOW IS GOLD!


Note: A friend & I were actually joking about how WWE is putting out DVD's so fast these days on guys like Ryder & Bryan but guys like Christian or even a Booker T(which I've always hated) have never got even a brief "The Best Of" or something. So he said "Well Sandow has beaten on Tyson Kidd & Yoshi Tatsu. Had some good matches with Ryder and was in that bit with DX, time to make a DVD for him!" hahaha. And I actually thought about that and wished they would put one out, cause it sounds pathetic but I would happily buy it!

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I don't get why people are saying its too early in Sandows career to make a judgement...the OP is asking has he been a positive investment so far, NOT if he has been a success or failure.

YES, Damien Sandow has been a good investment so far. He has connected with the fans with a new, interesting gimmick unlike anyone else on the roster. He has interacted with DX in the opening segment of RAW1000, which was a very big show for WWE, so it shows they have a definite interest in pushing him. He competed in a MITB ladder match within his first few months in the company and looks set for a bright future.

Out of all the recent additions to the roster- Tensai, Clay, Cesaro etc, I have to say that along with Ryback, I see Sandow achieving the most. He is a very good heel and I expect him to be main eventing within a year or 2.

 

[midgensa]

I have to go neutral so far, but we just need more time.

I was tempted to go positive, because what minor investment they have already made in him seems to be paying off. He is VERY entertaining and has a very bright future.

I reserve judgement until I see him in a feud with an established main eventer, but I definitely like where Sandow is going.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Even though it's really too early to make the call, I said positive here as well.

Damien Sandow has had a great beginning to his career in WWE. It's clear that they have big plans for him, as he crashed DX's party and began referring to himself as a martyr. His promos which are intended to be incredibly annoying to get him heel heat, have been rather enjoyable. Sandow is so annoying that it's hilarious, the way he talks and the tone he uses is great. He's not bad in the ring either. Now if they'd just get replace that awful entrance theme....

I still remember seeing his initial promo videos to hype his debut, I thought he was someone I would hate. I don't mean heel heat "hate" but go away and never come back "hate". I've become a fan of Damien Sandow's and see the potential he has. This guy could be a World Champion some day. If they go about it slowly, his climb toward the top will continue. For now, I'll keep enjoying watching his promos. He hasn't done anything noteworthy enough yet, so I have nothing to base my vote on other than potential, which he has plenty of. I look forward to seeing Sandow succeed in WWE.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I think he's been a good investment so far......and proof that a good gimmick will take you a long way. It's his talking that gets it done; as a wrestler, he's nothing special in his ring work.....and his physique is nothing to write home about.

Management is pushing him, allowing him to talk a good game, and giving him choice spots with Degeneration X and Brodus Clay, where his obnoxious personality and dastardly deeds are displayed front and center.

For those fans who are always giving their "expert" analysis that "this guy sucks" or "that guy is great," Damien Sandow is a good indicator of the notion that it's what the performer is given to work with that counts. A decent ring worker (like Damien Sandow) can become golden if given the right program to run with.

 

[Radical]

Sandow says he wants to rid the WWE of idiocy and foolishness yet he wears a robe to the ring and contests his matches in pink briefs and purple knee pads. WHAT?

He has even dared to criticize Zack Ryder's look when he has a pretty similar look himself, plus a beard.

If he wanted to be taken seriously he should at least wear light blue or white pants, to symbolize being washed!