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Recently, Aron Stevens - formerly known as WWE fan-favourite Damien Sandow - revealed that he's landed a role in NBC drama Midnight, Texas on Barnburner’s No Holds Barred podcast.
Stevens hasn't wrestled since 2017, last appearing for Impact Wrestling as Aron Rex where he was the first ever Grand Champion, and is most warmly remembered for his roles as Damien Sandow and Mizdow characters.
Stevens has since moved to California, where he's been trying his hand at acting and bagged a role in Midnight, Texas - adapted from a Charlaine Harris book, much like the hugely popular show True Blood.
So, how has Stevens found the transition to acting? And will he ever return to the ring? We reached out and spoke to the man himself.
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Hey, Aron. Thank you so much for speaking to us. So, let's not hang about - the reason I'm speaking to you today is because you've recently landed a role in the hit TV show Midnight, Texas. How did that come about?
Pretty much that came about by a friend that I had met in Malibu who had another friend who was the stunt co-ordinator and one thing led to another. I don't want to spoil too much about the role, I want to keep people having their eyes peeled for me, but my background in wrestling was kind of a natural... I don't know if preparation is the right word, but it was just natural to transition on film with a little bit of physicality and the theatrics as well, so it all just lined up.
I'm really, really lucky because I'd only been at it for a short time and, to get an opportunity to be in a show like Midnight, Texas for a couple of shows, I'm really blessed.
Now, this isn't your first acting role. Of course, you were in Public Disturbance and the 5th Quarter, starring as a wrestler, I believe. How much of a step up is this for you?
It's huge. I got to work with a few great directors. The cast was amazing, and I just got to see how a show of that level of production is done. It's also important, when I mention directors, to mention another film I done with Jonathan Banks (Mike Ehrmantraut in Breaking Bad, Better Call Caul) so I did a film with him for Hollyweird Films. That's going to be out in 2019, and that was amazing. It's similar - when you're learning how to wrestle, you have guys who have been around for years and years, and you just learn from being around them - I had that with Jonathan and that was really cool to me.
Coming up... Aron speaks about his WWE career, including favourite opponents and dropping the Money In The Bank briefcase.
NEXT: Aron opens up on transitioning from WWE to acting and his OTHER new venture
You played some really iconic roles over the years in wrestling - most notably as Damien Sandow and, of course, Mizdow - do you think that set you up nicely for acting, or have you took up any training ahead of your latest venture?
It was funny, I was almost the real actor-wrestler and I went through so many roles without being repackaged. It was just a sort of natural evolution or mental breakdown on television.
I think wrestling is some of the best preparation you'll ever find. We have one take to do things. You're in front of a live crowd, so there's a Shakespearean or theatrical element to it. You're having to think on your feet, you're having to adapt, and when I left wrestling, I said, "Look, if I'm going to go into this new world, I have no aspirations of being Anthony Hopkins overnight. I want to learn everything. I want to learn the structure of the theatre, I want to learn everything." Acting started in theatre, so I studied Shakespearean acting, then I progressed and worked my way up.
I intellectualised it a lot, and then once I intellectualised everything I want to, I just let it all go and was completely right-brained, which I believe is the creative side, but you don't forget what you've learned. It's like wrestling - you learn the moves and it's very much a science, then when the moves are down, it becomes an art, and that's when it becomes fun.
Of course, you're not the only wrestler to have ventured into acting. There is, of course, the Miz, and the likes of The Rock and Batista - and even Vito LoGrasso and Wade Barrett. Do you look to any other wrestlers for inspiration, or even any actors, or are you just doing your own thing?
Well, it's 50% going out there and doing my own thing, but Daniel Day-Lewis, I absolutely look up to. Anthony Hopkins. Robert Redford is one that I really have a lot of respect for. Jonathan Banks is one in the project that I got to do with him, he has really helped me so much and those are to name a few.
You also have a new show, Ask Me Anything, on BarnBurner which follows SmackDown every week. How did that come about? Is radio something you've wanted to try for a while?
Here's the trick, if you follow me on social media, this is no secret - I am probably the worst social media person in the world. I don't know what I'm doing. The tweeting thing - okay, when I was with WWE and Impact Wrestling, I'd tweet out and it'd be fine.
But the Instagram thing, it's like, "All right, who cares what I had for breakfast? I don't need to put out a picture of it." But I'm learning kind of the 50/50 how to balance that out because, believe it or not, your Instagram followers can affect some of roles you get in acting, so I said, "Look, I'm going to post once a week on Instagram, and I'll post the show's logo and people can ask me anything. From wrestling to current events and sports, anything, so long as it's tasteful."
I got called a couple of months ago by the BarnBurner people to give my opinion on wrestling, but the truth is I don't watch wrestling that much - but there'd be a world issue or something and I'd be a guest on the show and help contribute, but it's a way to keep me engaged with fans because I was living under a rock in Malibu and now I'm emerging and trying to be in the public eye again. It's just a good way to get out there and interact with fans because I really miss that fan interaction.
NEXT: Aron reveals his favourite wrestling memories and opponents.
You spent a lot of time in the business - 15 years I believe - do you still watch WWE or any wrestling?
I just kind of got out of it. It's not like I said, "I'm not going to watch wrestling any more. I hate the business." Quite the contrary. The business is responsible for the lifestyle I am still allowed to lead today and I got a lot of good things out of it, man, not just the financial rewards but the friendships and connections, and a lot of good practice for acting.
It wasn't as much, "I'm not going to watch wrestling", my attention just shifted to, "Okay, I'm going to start acting now, so I've got to start reading Shakespeare and watching all the old classics."
For my role in Midnight Texas, I watched the original Hunchback of Notre Dame. I'm very studious. I like to learn and soak up as much information as I can. When I dive into something, I dive completely in. Then when they yell, "Action," I just forget everything, just like in wrestling.
What's your favourite memory from your wrestling career?
You know, God, there's just too much to say one particular thing. My God, everything from the Battle Royal that me and Miz did at WrestleMania to the countless house show matches that I've had with so many good people that will never be seen on TV, but the ones that are there enjoyed it.
Believe it or not, because of the lack of attention on television it got, not a lot of people seen, but my feud with Brodus Clay - we had some house show matches where the building was just absolutely shaking and we'd be saying, "Man, this is why we got into this." It was great.
Even before I was in WWE, a lot of memories I had in Puerto Rico that, for good taste, I won't go into detail on but a lot of the memories, the blood and guts brawls, I had a lot of fun. As much as the fans hated me, they were so great. I really do miss them and Puerto Rico will always have a special place in my heart.
You mentioned Brodus Clay, but do you have any other favourite in-ring opponents?
Him and I were like the best unsung, unheard of feud I think I've ever had. Obviously Dolph [Ziggler] is great in the ring, The Usos are great, the Miz was amazing to work with, but I really enjoyed working with Big Show. We never got to do a lot of knockdown, dragout matches, but we did a lot of entertaining stuff, segments, especially on house shows. Mark Henry is another one, just having fun but they were just good guys.
NEXT: Aron speaks out on his run with the Money In The Bank briefcase
One of the biggest missed opportunities, in my opinion, EVER in wrestling was you dropping the Money In The Bank briefcase. Do you think things would have been different had that not happened?
It would have been different, but when I was told, "Look, this is what's going to happen..." - look, this goes for life, you have one of two choices when faced with a circumstance that you don't particularly like.
You can say, "Oh, that really sucks," and you can whine about it or you can say, "Can I really do anything to fix this circumstance? No, but what I can do is use this circumstance to my advantage."
I'm like, "All right, I've got to put in the performance of my life. I had to cut the promo of my life and wrestle the best match I could. They gave us three segments so, at that point in my life, shame on me if I couldn't deliver. I think I did and to me it was like, after the fact, I don't think they had any plans of what to do with me.
I could only do what was written for me to the best of my ability and I felt like I'd done that. Then it was, "Okay, you're going to be dressing up as someone new every week," then, "You're going to be with Miz." "You're going to be with Miz for a second week," and then I started wrestling the invisible man.
Without dropping the case, there would not have been a Mizdow. Would it have been kind of cool to win the belt? Yes, but at the end of the day, I'm remembered for doing something no-one else has done.
They haven't had the temerity to try it on TV or do it, I was just in a place where I said, "I'm going to go for it, so there's always an up side to everything.
Pertaining to the look of the briefcase, it looked exactly like... Well, a briefcase! Was that your idea in terms of how it looked?
That was kind of, when I won it, it was funny because the blue briefcase matched the blue robe but I think it was one of the writers or guys who worked in the props department who told me I was going to get a customised briefcase. "Oh, okay, cool!"
The Sandow character was such a strong character and when I saw that thing, I just went, "Oh, my God, it's beautiful!"
NEXT: Aron reveals whether he'll ever wrestle again.
Back to the acting. If you could cast yourself in the perfect role in any movie, what would it be?
Ooh! Ooh, ooh, ooh. You know, looks-wise, they may have to do a fair amount of prosthetics work, but one person I would love to play is George Washington. I'm always going for something different so the Count of Saint Germain. A very interesting figure throughout history, I'd love to dive into that.
Not a remake, but something like Indiana Jones. I like the intelligent, calculating but smarky... I love the character of Indiana Jones, and some movies you shouldn't touch. I believe Indiana Jones is that. Something similar to Harrison Ford, but not exactly.
Do you ever see yourself returning to the squared circle?
Never say never. For enough Instagram followers, I could put spandex on again!
No, never say never. I do know that when I was over in the UK for WhatCulture, they treated me amazingly, I think that's a great company. There's a lot of other thriving companies in the UK I know now. Again, if it was not for a full time wrestling thing, but I'd be open to doing commentary, I'd be open to doing a guest spot, I'd be open to doing a Q&A - but maybe if the circumstances present themselves, I'll have to put my tights on.
You never know, and with my show, Ask Me Anything, it's just a great way for me to interact with the fans.
Thanks to Aron Stevens for speaking with us, you can keep up with him on Instagram and Twitter, and check him out in Midnight, Texas here.
