ThoughtWorthy V ~ Damien Sandow/Mizdow {WWE}

[ShinChan]

Damien Sandow/Mizdow​

{WWE}​

Let's get through his accomplishments first:

• WWE Tag Team Championship
• Money In The Bank (2013)

And that's it. Just two significant accomplishments. He's also the first wrestler who failed in his cash-in attempt against John Cena.

He debuted as "The Intellectual Savior Of Masses" and I disliked him from his debut itself. His antics like doing a cartwheel, holding the mic in a different way etc annoyed me a lot. And so did talking to the crowd before the match. Then he won Money In The Bank briefcase while backstabbing Cody Rhodes and ending Rhodes Scholars. His feud with Cody Rhodes was very good. Cody throwing the briefcase in Gulf Of Mexico (I think) was an awesome moment as I was happy with Cody getting his revenge. After failing to cash-in, he went downhill fast. And then he started different impersonations and I was wondering what the hell happened to his career. From a title match against Cena to a jobber!

And then came another glimpse of hope as a "stunt double" of The Miz. It was hilarious to see Mizdow mimicking The Miz. One of the best things going on at that time. When the dissension happened between them at Wrestlemania, I thought that he might get some push, at least a midcard title. He was the Runner-up in Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal losing to Big Show of all people while most interesting thing of this match was Sandow's first face turn in WWE.

I don't know why Sandow failed to cash-in. But I think that a failed cash-in definitely curbed his major momentum. Even more mind-boggling is turning face at Wrestlemania and then losing. After he lost rights to "Mizdow" name, he returned back to his original gimmick and gave me some more hope for atleast a midcard title run. But no, he was rarely used thereafter and then released. The two losses did cost him a lot.

Question: Your thoughts about Damien Sandow's stint in WWE?​

 

[The Perfect Max]

Damien Sandow really, really makes me sad. This guy could have had everything and he just didn't get it. I loved the character and everything that he was doing as the Intellectual Saviour of the Unwashed Masses. He had the obvious look of a decent Intercontinental or United States Champion, even if that was his limit. But dammit, he really could have had some great mid-card feuds.

You make a good point as well. They suggested so many times that a push of sorts was coming, but then it just went absolutely nowhere. The Money in the Bank was the worst one for me. Perhaps a bigger push heading into that win would have made WWE feel compelled to make him a champion. But maybe that was the issue heading into the unification of the two world titles. Could he really have been the undisputed World Heavyweight Champion?

As for the deal with The Miz, that really SHOULD have been handled so much better. The Miz does well at getting people to like whoever he's up against (unless it's John Cena of course), and Mizdow was getting great responses. When the turn came, it should have been the start of something new, but again, it was nothing.

In the end, Sandow will just fall into that category of could-have-been-stars, but obviously WWE didn't pull the trigger for some reason.

 

[wrestler36]

I know he's currently put wrestling on the backburner, but eventually the fan in me would like to see him return to Smackdown, or even as the returning 'top guy' in NXT. He has tons of charisma and personality and given the opportunity at either of those shows, he will shine

 

[ShinChan]

Damien Sandow really, really makes me sad. This guy could have had everything and he just didn't get it. I loved the character and everything that he was doing as the Intellectual Saviour of the Unwashed Masses. He had the obvious look of a decent Intercontinental or United States Champion, even if that was his limit. But dammit, he really could have had some great mid-card feuds.

You make a good point as well. They suggested so many times that a push of sorts was coming, but then it just went absolutely nowhere. The Money in the Bank was the worst one for me. Perhaps a bigger push heading into that win would have made WWE feel compelled to make him a champion. But maybe that was the issue heading into the unification of the two world titles. Could he really have been the undisputed World Heavyweight Champion?

As for the deal with The Miz, that really SHOULD have been handled so much better. The Miz does well at getting people to like whoever he's up against (unless it's John Cena of course), and Mizdow was getting great responses. When the turn came, it should have been the start of something new, but again, it was nothing.

In the end, Sandow will just fall into that category of could-have-been-stars, but obviously WWE didn't pull the trigger for some reason.

I always wonder if there's some problem with Sandow backstage. If not, then I just don't get how he didn't get any midcard title reign. The support he was getting was so overwhelming and I don't get why WWE won't gain advantage of it. There were just teases of him of being something bigger. Just teases. Can't understand why he went downhill both times. Not even middling ground for him. I don't remember any such gimmick like Intellectual Savior Of Masses so this was a unique one for Sandow.

He wasn't even a jobber to the stars. Was in the title match against John Cena of all people and then started jobbing and what not. Like he really made someone too angry backstage.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

I always wonder if there's some problem with Sandow backstage. If not, then I just don't get how he didn't get any midcard title reign. The support he was getting was so overwhelming and I don't get why WWE won't gain advantage of it. There were just teases of him of being something bigger. Just teases. Can't understand why he went downhill both times. Not even middling ground for him. I don't remember any such gimmick like Intellectual Savior Of Masses so this was a unique one for Sandow.

Because WWE doesnt really like self made people. All that stuff Sandow did was his idea. He invented that flipping when he was tag team partner with Miz and got it over. They did same thing with Ryder, they did it with Sandow. Shame because think they could really pull nice face turn after his turn on Miz.

Also, probably one of the reason he wasnt allowed to cash in: Year before that Cena failed to cash in on RAW 1000. So, they needed someone else to fail again. And they wanted unification soon so Sandow didnt really fit in Cena- Orton feud for title and plans for Batista(or Bryan if you ask some people who believe in rumor that Bryan great win was plan all along and not after failed Rumble). So you could see how Sandow with title didnt fit in all that.

 

[ShinChan]

Because WWE doesnt really like self made people. All that stuff Sandow did was his idea. He invented that flipping when he was tag team partner with Miz and got it over. They did same thing with Ryder, they did it with Sandow. Shame because think they could really pull nice face turn after his turn on Miz.

But what's the issue with self made people? I mean that If I'm the boss, I would require my employee to make me money regardless of being self made or not. If Sandow was working great as a self made wrestler, what's the issue with it? As long as it's benefitting me, I don't see any issue.

Also, I don't believe that Daniel Bryan was always supposed to end Wrestlemania 30. The plans were indeed changed seeing the support he got and not admitting it is just wrong.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Sandow's WWE run is a weird one. He came off immediately as an obnoxious arrogant heel with the intellectual character. I thought he would certainly make it to one of the midcard titles. Didn't happen. Then there was the Rhodes Scholars tag team. Them not getting a Tag Team Championship run was a mistake on WWE's part, they had something great there and it made Cody finally become interesting again since he had gotten super boring after he stopped being the Dashing/Disfigured character(s). Sandow's best time was during the Money In The Bank push. He had the feud with Cody where the blue briefcase got thrown into the Gulf Of Mexico causing him to bring in that weird brown one that looked like it was made of chocolate. Seriously, WWE should have made chocolate Money In The Bank candy based off that. They'd have made a fortune, but I digress. His failure to cash in successfully on Cena sucked. Had it not been for the the upcoming TLC unification match then surely he would have made it to the big gold belt. Massive missed opportunity.

Then it happened. He fell farther and faster down the card than anyone in recent memory. He went from challenging John Cena for the World Championship to doing impressions of random people while jobbing to other jobbers? What....? A recurring question between my regulars at PPV parties was "Who did Sandow make angry backstage?". I felt so bad for the guy. He even tried to make Damien Mizdow work, and dang did he make it work. Miming Miz's actions to the point of fighting invisible people and flipping around at ringside was comedy gold. They had a colossal face turn on the horizon when he was going to turn on Miz. And what do they do with it? Put him in the Andre Battle Royal on the pre-show where he loses to BIG SHOW. Mizdow/Sandow faded into obscurity after that which was another massive missed opportunity. The face turn if done right could have propelled him, at the very least, back to the midcard title scene. Sandow could have made it MUCH further but they, for whatever reason, didn't let him. I'd love to see him on Smackdown or NXT someday if he were ever to return but keep him away from Raw since Vince's "creative" team don't know how to book the guy.

 

[The Perfect Max]

The support he was getting was so overwhelming and I don't get why WWE won't gain advantage of it.

That right there kinda sums things up though. WWE do a lot of things contrary to what we as fans believe would be in their best interests. But in the end they always have another plan, and something else that they want to do instead. Whether or not the fans appreciate it is up for debate. At the time Sandow's career went spiralling down hill, Daniel Bryan's was on the ascension. It's give and take, but we as fans see each star for their individual potential. Sometimes WWE don't, and they see it for the business machine that they are. Even if that compromises talent like Sandow. And that is seemingly what happened here.

 

[Барбоса]

While Sandow caught some of the imagination on a couple of occasions, he could never back it up with anything above cookie-cutter bland in the ring.

Sure the office could have gotten behind him more as the "Intellectual Saviour of the Masses" and not sacrificed him to give the MitB briefcase some 'mystique' but anyone who thinks that Mizdow should have been pushed more is kidding themselves - it had a ridiculously short shelf life once he turned on Miz.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

But what's the issue with self made people? I mean that If I'm the boss, I would require my employee to make me money regardless of being self made or not. If Sandow was working great as a self made wrestler, what's the issue with it? As long as it's benefitting me, I don't see any issue.

And that is why you will never be the boss. You earn money regardless to that, you need somebody you made, protege who would follow instructions and do stuff that is told. Then you can say to other bosses how you made him and how you are great. You dont need somebody who you put in back office, follows his own rules and still rises. Makes you look bad and bosses hate that. In other words you need Cenas and Reignses of this world so you can say how you make so much greatness, not Ryders and Sandows who you shelved and they still rise on the occasion.