Damien Sandow Interview – says it was time to leave WWE, starting “Thank You Tour,” what did he do after he was released?, more

In a long-form interview with Rolling Stone published one week after his WWE release, Damien Sandow sounded relieved that his run ended.

Sandow said he had done pretty much everything possible and was talking to WWE officials about putting him on guest commentary if they did not have a wrestling role for him. It came to the point where he was glad to have finality to his lengthy run. Now, he can explore other options he had in the back of his mind sensing he was on his way out.

“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,” Sandow told Rolling Stone’s Aaron Oster.

“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 he got the phone call last week that he was being released, Sandow says he was understanding and calm to the point of feeling like he wanted to clean out his shed without another tour to pack his bags for.

“The funny thing about that is, the first thing I did when I got off the phone was clean my shed out. I had been meaning to do that for years. With my schedule in WWE, I really hadn’t been able to do that. My girlfriend was ecstatic. I hadn’t been able to do anything around the house in years. So I thought I’d use the time positively. I cleaned the shed out, I played with the dogs, and then just relaxed,” Sandow said.

“That night, my phone was ringing a lot. I checked in with my family, who were wondering if I was okay. I was fine, I told them not to worry about it. Then I turned my Twitter on. I was amazed. I was shocked that people cared that much. In the entertainment world, it’s always about, ‘What’s the next big thing?’ It meant the world to me that people cared. It meant more than winning titles, to see the outpouring of emotions. And the feeling is mutual. It’s clichéd to say that without the fans, there’s no WWE. But it’s true. Without the fans, I wouldn’t be the performer I am.”

Sandow said he was planning to take time away from wrestling when he was released, but he decided to take select independent dates as part of his “Thank You Tour.”

“After I got the call last week, I was actually looking forward to spending time at home for a while. But, as offers started coming in, I took select dates, because I wanted to say thank you to the fans. I want to meet them, and have a chance to talk to them. I wanted to go out and thank them, in my own way. My career is because of the fans. WWE gave me the platform, and I’m eternally grateful for the WWE, but I’m here because of the fans,” Sandow said.

Sandow also reflected on arguably the peak of his WWE run when he cashed in his MITB briefcase for a WWE Title shot against John Cena. At the time, fans were concerned that it would be the end of Sandow’s time in the spotlight when he did not win the title. Sandow noted that happened, and forces behind-the-scenes led him away from the spotlight, but he’s not upset about it.

“I absolutely did think I was going to take that big step. Of course, circumstances dictated otherwise and there’s so much that goes into decisions, things that go way beyond what we as performers know about. When I had that match on Raw with Cena, I just went into it with the mindset that I was going to do the best I can. I’m going to give the performance of a lifetime,” Sandow said.

“You always ask ‘Why?’ The one thing I learned, over time, is that there’s a direction that you go, as a company. If the stream is moving one way, then you have to go in that direction. Whether that means you focus on certain characters, or a certain situation, then you have to follow it.

“If my future success wasn’t foreseen – and I’m being completely honest here – and they had other things to focus on, then I understand it. It was up to me, as a performer, to capitalize on whatever time I had. Thus, the dressing up as someone new every week. Other guys said I should be doing something else. Well, you know what? I’m the only one that’s dressing up as someone new every week, and getting attention. So let’s go with it. I didn’t know where or how it was going to end up, but I just wanted to hit a home run every week, and make them remember.”