Damien Sandow On If He Was Surprised When WWE Released Him And More

Damien Sandow was released last week and no one was happy to see him go. Sandow was one of the most popular wrestlers on the roster despite the fact that he hadn’t been on TV very much recently. He recently spoke with Rolling Stone about his WWE career, what the future holds and more. You can check out the full interview here along with some highlights below.

If he was surprised when he found out he was getting released:

“Not really. I had some conversations with them before, where I had said that I think, as a character, we had gone through the gamut. What more could I do with that character? Some people say, “This company should have done this, or that.” No, the company gave me a platform, and I maximized my opportunity. That’s all I can ask for. In maximizing it to the point that I did, as a character, sometimes all you can do is get a new coat of paint. As a television show, the WWE, they have so many talented performers there. There is so much talent in the WWE. I have no problem with them needing time to let the other guys show their craft. I am not selfish in that respect. When I was on TV, they knew they’d get a reaction. When you look at it, if you know you can plug me in any spot, and you don’t have to invest the TV time, then it makes sense to give TV time to guys who need to build their reactions. Just look back at the Royal Rumble in January, when I was on the preshow. I was in the ring for the first time in months, and fans were chanting my name, when I was just standing on the apron. That, to me, means more than any title I could have won in WWE. That means the world to me.”

His first thought when he found out he was going to be working with The Miz:

“Honestly, my first thought was, “Oh my god, I hope I don’t have to pay for all the clothes that he buys.” Luckily, we had the black coats, and that was the M.O. for a while [laughs]. No, really, I was wondering if this was going to be a one-time thing or if we were really going with this. After about two or three weeks, when they finally decided that we were going to be together, I really got to dig into it. From there, I remember we were on Raw, he fell down in the ring, and I had the notion, “Oh, what if I fell down.” I did it, and then boom, off to the races.”

If he will plans on returning to wrestling full time:

“When you say full-time, full-time in the WWE is very different than full-time elsewhere. I am not going to rule out anything. I don’t want to limit myself. It’s not like when I finish up my “Thank You Tour,” I’m going to be burning my boots. It is an aspect of performance, and if I can use whatever avenue to perform. If the fans want it, and they’re digging it, if it coincides with whatever project I decide to take, then I’m open to anything. It’s a very exciting time, and I’m not opposed to performing in a wrestling ring. You never know.”