Courtesy of Damien Sandow-WWE Facebook
Damien Sandow and Dirk Ziggler had a match last night that involved country music instruments. They did not play them, but they used them as weapons. They were hurled around, sore backs slamming against hulking cellos set up on the ring post, bodies bruised with fiddles — at one point, a series of percussion instruments was broken over Sandow’s unforgiving skull.
All of it was very entertaining, except that both wrestlers moved around these instruments very awkwardly as the ring bell sounded. These matches are rarely seen in WWE anymore and these two wrestlers proved why last night. But this aside, it leads me to a bigger question. What are they doing with Sandow?
He was one of WWE’s projects. He was the rising star from NXT, a home-grown wrestler produced from the fertile fields of WWE’s new training ground. But what is he now to the business?
Every time I think that he is getting a push, there comes someone else. Now Big E Langston has the Intercontinental belt. He’s a rising star and potential top talent, but Big E has been nothing except a bodyguard for Ziggler and AJ. He has not been put through the fire that they seem to be putting Sandow through.
Since last year, Sandow had his Money in the Bank briefcase thrown in the sea by Cody Rhodes after an act of betrayal by the former. He then lost the contract when he got humiliated by a battered John Cena, and now he is the clownish character that gets a drum slammed over his head.
Is Sandow done? If this is true, then it is a shame and a waste of WWE talent. He is excellent on the microphone, taunting the less educated crowd and being a very believable heel. Where others haven’t convinced me, Sandow has entertained me with his segments on Smackdown, drawing out the best from guys like Cody Rhodes and Sheamus and showing in-ring ability.
But this has given him nothing but comical heel scenes and getting to watch everyone surpass him as a star. Cody Rhodes is now tag team champion, John Cena beat him with one arm, and now he is a punching dummy for Ziggler.
I am dropping the “elbow of disdain” on whoever is responsible for this!
