Jimmy Toucan (+ The Flipout)
Superstar
'They should just give us album of the year...right now.'
Joined on: Aug 7, 2016 17:04:33 GMT -5
Posts: 727
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Post by Jimmy Toucan (+ The Flipout) on Aug 30, 2016 6:09:27 GMT -5
He was entertaining, and did a lot with a little. That lot though was entertainment and not wrestling though.
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Post by Escape The Rules on Aug 30, 2016 8:54:09 GMT -5
His split from The Miz should've been a lot bigger than it was, what a waste.
But I can't say that I was bothered by his release, the bloom had been off the rose for a long time. The team with Curtis Axel was beyond stupid.
He's a good guy though and I hope he does really well in TNA.
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Post by alexgg on Aug 30, 2016 9:54:35 GMT -5
His feud with Cody Rhodes over the Money in the Bank Briefcase was amazing and at the time I honestly thought it was the feud to elevate both men to the top of SmackDown. I don't blame Cena, but with the brand split ending and the Championships unifying they had no chance at the top like a lot of Superstars.
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Post by hCo.Bro™ [brandon_lee] on Aug 30, 2016 11:00:51 GMT -5
He was def under utilized when they dropped the original Sandow gimmick... But He's been around forever, I actually loved his Idol Stevens gimmick much more from OVW. There have been so many other under utilized guys come and go, I don't really think there was any value lost unless y'all wanted him around as a glorified jobber?
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Deleted
Joined on: Mar 29, 2024 4:30:15 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2016 12:18:07 GMT -5
He was SUPER SUPERbecause the fans hate MIZ not becausE HES A HEEL because he wrestles like a coward... Wwe soft style.
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PattyRickRick
Mid-Carder
Joined on: Jun 6, 2015 13:35:06 GMT -5
Posts: 432
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Post by PattyRickRick on Aug 30, 2016 12:30:05 GMT -5
I didn't care he was released.
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Post by k5 on Aug 30, 2016 12:42:51 GMT -5
So now the dust has settled, and Damien Sandow Stunning Steve Austin has arrived in TNA ECW much to the surprise of literally nobody. Of course he was a 'high-profile' casualty of the roster cuts earlier in the year. I say 'high-profile', he really wasn't. But his release certainly commanded an emotional response from fans online fans considered smarks. ....I would like to know why? Like, seriously. Why? I made this point in the controversial opinions thread, but never got a response.. why was everybody so up in arms over Sandow Austin's release?? Aside from the 'Stunt-Double' 'Stunning' gimmick which shot him to viral-levels of wrestling admiration, did he ever show much? As I said, that could have been ANYONE in that role, and I'd bet most midcarders would have probably nailed it even better than he did. And Sandow Steve definately nailed it! He was pretty good during the intellectual gimmick Hollywood Blondes, but let's face it, it was straight out of Rock + Wrestling. It was stale before it debuted, he simply ran with it until he could run no more. As soon as it flirted with the main event, the gimmick flopped. Then of course, there was the ]post-Miz post-wcw "Hi I'm the guy the bookers don't book and I've got no gimmick anymore, love me internet smarks!" promo on RAW ECW which pretty much sealed his release. Not for anything he personally did or said of course, but there's not a clearer msg sent than when a wrestler is told to stand in the ring and bemoans a lack of kayfabe in a promo. WWE WCW were done with him. Then his actual release, it came during a time where WWE WCW were pushing AJ Styles Vader, debuted Shinsuke Nakamura The Giant, promoting NXT Smoky Mountain talents and making the most of their homebred stars (albiet injured Rollins, Reigns, Ambrose Rick Rude and Ricky Steamboat).... and Sandows Austin's release was met by overblown levels of surprise and frustration, but worse of all, multiple people actually claimed WWE WCW could suffer without his caliber of breakout talent... REALLY?! I don't tend to buy into these bandwagon acts until they personally impress me, and Damien Sandow Steve Austin certainly impressed me... but he was never a main eventer, he was never worthy of carrying MITB The WCW US Championship (infact he discredited it to the point of almost no relevance, idiots will blame Cena Dusty Rhodes for that, but that MITB US Championship lost all prestige weeks before Sandows failed cash in Austin's win). A talent? Yeah, but who doesn't have that same potential in WWE WCW these days? It's hardly the days of Tugboat and Nailz Fat 70s wrestlers that looked like someone's uncle. Going purely by the roster WWE WCW had when they released him, was he ever a loss? Is he even a loss now? Do you think Vince Bischoff is watching Impact Hardcore TV with envious eyes whilst Aaron Rex 'Superstar' Steve Austin or whatever he's called adds his name to TNAs ECW's "butthurt on screen wwe shoot promo" list? ....on the other hand, who thinks this could be a GOOD move for Sandow Steve? Akin to Christian Cage Lex Luger establishing himself in TNA WWE before returning to WWE WCW with serious leverage for a singles run? I side more with this theory. It's not that I think Sandow Austin isn't a talent, he is. I just think there was always better talents, he wasn't a loss to WWE WCW.. and his best days are still ahead of him because, regardless of what a neutral may think upon reading his overblown popularity, his career has barely started. The over-the-top fanfare he receives for being 'that released guy' is pathetic, straight from the 2006 bag of clichés and I really can't stand that type of fake-fan crap. If anything ever holds him back in the future it'll be that.
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ohernan6
Main Eventer
'Cause That's How I Roll!
Joined on: Jan 20, 2009 17:40:44 GMT -5
Posts: 1,670
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Post by ohernan6 on Aug 30, 2016 12:47:15 GMT -5
He had a good 15 minutes when he debuted with the Genius gimmick, but in general, he sucked. I wasn't surprised when he got let go because there wasn't anything really special about him — Admit it, people!
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Deleted
Joined on: Mar 29, 2024 4:30:15 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2016 14:02:02 GMT -5
So now the dust has settled, and Damien Sandow Stunning Steve Austin has arrived in TNA ECW much to the surprise of literally nobody. Of course he was a 'high-profile' casualty of the roster cuts earlier in the year. I say 'high-profile', he really wasn't. But his release certainly commanded an emotional response from fans online fans considered smarks. ....I would like to know why? Like, seriously. Why? I made this point in the controversial opinions thread, but never got a response.. why was everybody so up in arms over Sandow Austin's release?? Aside from the 'Stunt-Double' 'Stunning' gimmick which shot him to viral-levels of wrestling admiration, did he ever show much? As I said, that could have been ANYONE in that role, and I'd bet most midcarders would have probably nailed it even better than he did. And Sandow Steve definately nailed it! He was pretty good during the intellectual gimmick Hollywood Blondes, but let's face it, it was straight out of Rock + Wrestling. It was stale before it debuted, he simply ran with it until he could run no more. As soon as it flirted with the main event, the gimmick flopped. Then of course, there was the ]post-Miz post-wcw "Hi I'm the guy the bookers don't book and I've got no gimmick anymore, love me internet smarks!" promo on RAW ECW which pretty much sealed his release. Not for anything he personally did or said of course, but there's not a clearer msg sent than when a wrestler is told to stand in the ring and bemoans a lack of kayfabe in a promo. WWE WCW were done with him. Then his actual release, it came during a time where WWE WCW were pushing AJ Styles Vader, debuted Shinsuke Nakamura The Giant, promoting NXT Smoky Mountain talents and making the most of their homebred stars (albiet injured Rollins, Reigns, Ambrose Rick Rude and Ricky Steamboat).... and Sandows Austin's release was met by overblown levels of surprise and frustration, but worse of all, multiple people actually claimed WWE WCW could suffer without his caliber of breakout talent... REALLY?! I don't tend to buy into these bandwagon acts until they personally impress me, and Damien Sandow Steve Austin certainly impressed me... but he was never a main eventer, he was never worthy of carrying MITB The WCW US Championship (infact he discredited it to the point of almost no relevance, idiots will blame Cena Dusty Rhodes for that, but that MITB US Championship lost all prestige weeks before Sandows failed cash in Austin's win). A talent? Yeah, but who doesn't have that same potential in WWE WCW these days? It's hardly the days of Tugboat and Nailz Fat 70s wrestlers that looked like someone's uncle. Going purely by the roster WWE WCW had when they released him, was he ever a loss? Is he even a loss now? Do you think Vince Bischoff is watching Impact Hardcore TV with envious eyes whilst Aaron Rex 'Superstar' Steve Austin or whatever he's called adds his name to TNAs ECW's "butthurt on screen wwe shoot promo" list? ....on the other hand, who thinks this could be a GOOD move for Sandow Steve? Akin to Christian Cage Lex Luger establishing himself in TNA WWE before returning to WWE WCW with serious leverage for a singles run? I side more with this theory. It's not that I think Sandow Austin isn't a talent, he is. I just think there was always better talents, he wasn't a loss to WWE WCW.. and his best days are still ahead of him because, regardless of what a neutral may think upon reading his overblown popularity, his career has barely started. The over-the-top fanfare he receives for being 'that released guy' is pathetic, straight from the 2006 bag of clichés and I really can't stand that type of fake-fan crap. If anything ever holds him back in the future it'll be that. Making any sort of comparison between Sandow in 2016 and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the mid nineties was my exact motivation behind this thread. Internet reference away, nobody is gunna convince me that they lost sleep over Sandows release! And if you saw any sort of main event caliber in Sandow, akin to Stone Cold, it's a good job you don't book a wrestling show. And Mr 'comparison to Christian' guy. 'Christian chose to leave and Sandow was fired" may be true in whatever fudged interview or source you've come across but it's pretty much black and white: if WWE wanted to keep Christian that badly in 2005, they would have. And he likely would have stayed if promised something worthwhile. He was told they had nothing left for him, so he left. And they didn't stop him. Does it not come across a bit double standard to think he left WWE to spite them for not booking him, only to return within 4 years and happily go back to square one for the opening 12 months of his run? Also see Bubba/Dvon/Rhyno etc.. it's TNAs rinse and repeat back story for anybody ex-wwe! Ya'll buy into it. The idea that midcarders leave WWEs cushy pay-cheque behind "TO SPITE THE BOOKERS" is the most embarrassing trait of most online discussion regarding releases. Sandow is a brilliant example, he only got bitter when he got released, never before.. Working the odd house show and making sporadic battle royal appearances kept him happy and paid. He was deemed surplus to requirements. The utter bull crap that Ryback is spouting lately proves that point. Those guys know they're doing nothing for months on end.. They either stay consistent and show enthusiasm for their (low) position on the card, such as Zack Ryder and Heath Slater, and eventually be rewarded with a mini push... or they pander to the internet about it, like Sandow, but not before they're released. Wade Barrett was a good example. He remained positive and worked hard even on the way out of the door. He was rewarded with an awesome moment at WrestleMania, and no doubt the door has been left open to work together in some capacity in the future. They told him they had no plans for him, so he chose to leave on good terms when his contract expired. He's not bitter, he's not burning all his bridges and pandering to the internet. He's taking a break altogether... But apparently, in modern WWE where fans still consider 'booking' to be a bigger motivation than their 5 or 6 figure annual salary, wrestlers walk away from that to work and earn $500pa on purpose, and out of spite. Of course they do........... They even throw in the odd YouTube shoot interview on purpose too, because who needs a retirement fund huh? I think Alberto Del Rio was the one who showed all the fans who thought they knew the business just how little fans actually know about the goings on behind the scenes, particularly when it comes to contracts/releases/post WWE conduct etc. Christian returning to WWE when he did is all you ever needed to know regarding the circumstances of him leaving for TNA. If anything it was probably done by design so that he could get to main event level without WWE having to adjust or hinder Cena and Edges meteoric rise to the top at the time! You're all so quick to assume WWE chew up and spit em out, but Christian is likely going in the hall of fame within the next 5 years or so and he's living a comfortable retirement at a young age... C'mon now. As for Sandow, he could come back and give the intellectual savour gimmick another go one day, or he could stay in TNA forever... I'm simply not pathetic enough to pretend I care about him, certainly not whilst we still have Styles, Owens, Rollins, Cena, Y2J, Ambrose, Zayn etc on our screens twice weekly. ...at least not until he cuts a John 316 promo anyway.
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Post by k5 on Aug 30, 2016 14:37:13 GMT -5
Making any sort of comparison between Sandow in 2016 and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the mid nineties was my exact motivation behind this thread. Internet reference away, nobody is gunna convince me that they lost sleep over Sandows release! And if you saw any sort of main event caliber in Sandow, akin to Stone Cold, it's a good job you don't book a wrestling show. And Mr 'comparison to Christian' guy. 'Christian chose to leave and Sandow was fired" may be true in whatever fudged interview or source you've come across but it's pretty much black and white: if WWE wanted to keep Christian that badly in 2005, they would have. And he likely would have stayed if promised something worthwhile. He was told they had nothing left for him, so he left. And they didn't stop him. Does it not come across a bit double standard to think he left WWE to spite them for not booking him, only to return within 4 years and happily go back to square one for the opening 12 months of his run? Also see Bubba/Dvon/Rhyno etc.. it's TNAs rinse and repeat back story for anybody ex-wwe! Ya'll buy into it. The idea that midcarders leave WWEs cushy pay-cheque behind "TO SPITE THE BOOKERS" is the most embarrassing trait of most online discussion regarding releases. Sandow is a brilliant example, he only got bitter when he got released, never before.. Working the odd house show and making sporadic battle royal appearances kept him happy and paid. He was deemed surplus to requirements. The utter bull crap that Ryback is spouting lately proves that point. Those guys know they're doing nothing for months on end.. They either stay consistent and show enthusiasm for their (low) position on the card, such as Zack Ryder and Heath Slater, and eventually be rewarded with a mini push... or they pander to the internet about it, like Sandow, but not before they're released. Wade Barrett was a good example. He remained positive and worked hard even on the way out of the door. He was rewarded with an awesome moment at WrestleMania, and no doubt the door has been left open to work together in some capacity in the future. They told him they had no plans for him, so he chose to leave on good terms when his contract expired. He's not bitter, he's not burning all his bridges and pandering to the internet. He's taking a break altogether... But apparently, in modern WWE where fans still consider 'booking' to be a bigger motivation than their 5 or 6 figure annual salary, wrestlers walk away from that to work and earn $500pa on purpose, and out of spite. Of course they do........... They even throw in the odd YouTube shoot interview on purpose too, because who needs a retirement fund huh? I think Alberto Del Rio was the one who showed all the fans who thought they knew the business just how little fans actually know about the goings on behind the scenes, particularly when it comes to contracts/releases/post WWE conduct etc. Christian returning to WWE when he did is all you ever needed to know regarding the circumstances of him leaving for TNA. If anything it was probably done by design so that he could get to main event level without WWE having to adjust or hinder Cena and Edges meteoric rise to the top at the time! You're all so quick to assume WWE chew up and spit em out, but Christian is likely going in the hall of fame within the next 5 years or so and he's living a comfortable retirement at a young age... C'mon now. As for Sandow, he could come back and give the intellectual savour gimmick another go one day, or he could stay in TNA forever... I'm simply not pathetic enough to pretend I care about him, certainly not whilst we still have Styles, Owens, Rollins, Cena, Y2J, Ambrose, Zayn etc on our screens twice weekly. ...at least not until he cuts a John 316 promo anyway. for someone who attempts to laugh at fans that think they know the business, you sure do seem to be one. and my point was that no one saw anything in sandow - just like austin in wcw. that was the only comparison i was drawing between the two. both were heralded as great workers that were held back and left their first major promotion in shaky terms. one major difference though, is one went on to an environment where he was able to rise above the glass ceiling and excel. and he did. unfortunately tna isn't really on the map enough and it's creative outlet has it's own countless issues, so sandow may not be given that opportunity to show if he does or does not have that. but the point is giving the opportunity - something the wwe in no way did for sandow as they continuously pulled the rug out from under him. and it's not just internet fans - the guy was over. house shows, random fans tuning in, etc. the guy could work.
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Post by Cassa Nova Kid on Aug 30, 2016 16:58:37 GMT -5
Damian Sandow was a Mid Carder and did just that, maybe he should have got a mid card title but that doesn't really matter, he did his job and was never going to do more.
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Deleted
Joined on: Mar 29, 2024 4:30:15 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2016 17:08:50 GMT -5
I think he deserved better.
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Post by Triple S: POOR on Aug 30, 2016 17:18:20 GMT -5
Sandow was decent with his Savior of the Masses gimmick, but that was only going to go so far. There's no way he was going to be a main event player with that gimmick.
Everything else he did was a comedy act. Which was also never going to get him far.
He's the epitome of a mediocre worker. Nothing more, nothing less.
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TeamratedCDS
Superstar
Joined on: May 12, 2014 20:11:12 GMT -5
Posts: 858
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Post by TeamratedCDS on Aug 31, 2016 4:05:08 GMT -5
Could've worked well on SmackDown but hey its not like it's a major loss
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Deleted
Joined on: Mar 29, 2024 4:30:15 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2016 4:30:35 GMT -5
I cared. I really like Damien Sandow, and I think he could of been right there on RAW last week in Big Cass's place. It's a shame he had to go to a different company to get a proper push.
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