How the MITB briefcase is helping Damien Sandow

Damien Sandow

The biggest event of the summer is getting ever so close and feuds are getting hotter. While the top two feuds as always are receiving the most attention, one mid-card feud that is turning out to be impressive with every show is the one between Sandow and Rhodes. Every PPV has a special slot that it allots for young wrestlers to excel and SummerSlam is no different. This year, several deserving talents like the Wyatts, Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston are participating in huge matches that could help them reach new levels in the company.

But the point of discussion here is another upcoming talent, Damien Sandow. His feud with Cody Rhodes is without doubt the biggest feud of his career so far, and there is very less to complain as far as performance is concerned. Sandow and Rhodes have had a fairly simple feud with not much flavour to it. Rhodes is furious about Sandow’s betrayal in the MITB ladder match, but Sandow believes he was fair, and the difference in opinion has led to the growth of this feud.

Sandow’s rise to the top is the best example of the returns one gets by constantly working on his character, but this old school process involves a lot of patience and one must deal with difficulties and criticism that come by. Unlike wrestlers today who come in like a ball of fire and get extinguished after one single run, Sandow has learnt the importance of becoming familiar among the fans. Apart from this, one other factor that sets Sandow apart is his persona and charisma on the mic. No matter how brutal or strong one is inside the ring, it is ultimately the words that make greater damage, and Sandow has ability on the mic that can be compared to the best in the business. This ability is what has led him to win the MITB briefcase.

Every time a wrestler wins the MITB briefcase, the first thing that everyone is keen about knowing is when the case will cashed in, and it’s exactly what happened to Sandow. But WWE masterfully used the feud between Rhodes and Sandow to keep the bigger picture at bay.

Sandow and Rhodes at the moment are still learning to live their character on stage, making it necessary for Rhodes, and more importantly Sandow, to be part of a feud that will help them develop their own persona. The great thing about this feud is that it allows them to stay busy with something, while most of us concentrate on the bigger matches. This has distracted us from the thought of Sandow cashing in.

For Sandow, holding the contract as of now isn’t a very important thing, because he isn’t considered a huge threat by the fans. What is important is how he uses the contract and improves his stand as a top performer in the company. Sandow is a wrestler whose attitude clearly defines a heel; he has the humour, looks and a demeaning nature. For such a character to grow, the case will surely be a huge advantage on his side. The fact that he has been given the contract so early is reason enough to understand how much the WWE values him.

Sandow has grown intensively in his feud with Rhodes and at the end of it, both these wrestlers will have a lot to gain. But it is Sandow who I believe will make it to the main event picture. The main concern, however, will be how the fans accept him as a Champion, especially since he has been in quite a few memorable comical roles.