WWE News: Update On Why Damien Sandow Was Released From WWE
Former WWE Superstar Damien Sandow happened to be a fan favorite due to his great work from 2014 and 2015. While he was once known as the Intellectual Savior of the Masses as well as a Rhodes Scholar in his team-up with Cody Rhodes, he might be best known as a stunt double for The Miz. This was able to get him over very well, and fans absolutely loved the gimmick. After he decided that being a stunt double and not a leading man wasn’t for him, he decided to turn on The Miz and go out on his own.
The fans blew up when he did at WrestleMania 31, as he threw The Miz over the top rope to be one of the last people left in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. While he would be eliminated by Big Show, the eventual winner, he did come out as a star that night. It was at this point we all wondered what Sandow would do next. It seemed obvious a rivalry with Miz was coming, but it didn’t last long. In fact, there was really no major storyline that came from it.
Sandow then went down to the jobber square yet again and decided he would imitate others as a gimmick, which he did before with the stunt double thing. Eventually, he settled with Randy Savage, and fans would then not see him often after the Hulk Hogan racist comments got out as he teamed with Curtis Axel, who was imitating Hogan and tagging with Sandow.
It seemed obvious that WWE could go back to Sandow’s first gimmick and maybe allow this role to be his last while allowing a face turn.
Then, right when this was happening seemingly, WWE released him. It was sad to see, as fans wanted more of Sandow. Fans wanted to know why Sandow as released, as clearly the fan base was there for him. According to PWInsider, WWE released Sandow due to the “new era” thing. WWE wanted to go in a different direction and freshen things up. He didn’t do anything wrong, but this direction did not seem to have room for him. Sandow is not the only one who had this happen. Some were let go for not being of use any longer.
It was a surprising release not just for fans but for many in WWE. However, the use of Damien Sandow for so long led fans to wonder if he would be released eventually. Some on the roster were just not of use, and Sandow happened to be a person who could be great away from WWE rather than with it at this point. He has had no trouble finding work since his WWE departure and has landed a few independent bookings.
Global Force Wrestling managed to grab a great deal of the released Superstars and are cleverly marketing the people as “former (insert WWE name here),” which is kinda legal.
Many believe that Damien Sandow has more than enough ability to get over well outside the WWE and get hired back. He did not leave on bad terms and has not spoken negatively about WWE, although he always could. Sandow is 34-years-old and was let go by WWE in the past. He found his way back, and he could always do it again. While WWE may be going in a different direction now, he could be part of this in the future if he can do well outside of WWE.
Alberto Del Rio is a good example to follow, as not only did he keep his name out there upon his departure from WWE, but he also managed to get more popular around the world. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon likes to see things like that and knows he can market it well. The thought is that Damien Sandow may get picked up by another major promotion eventually, but he could simply work on appearances for a while. As we’ve seen, he is not having a hard time getting booked.
[Image via WWE]
