Aron Stevens

[4.0] "Absolute proof that sometimes, WWE's right about a guy's ceiling. And they were dead right about Aron Stevens. The guy got over by association with The Miz, then, after leaving, squandered his "show 'em how they messed up" chances on bad character and angle after bad character and angle. It's a shame, because he's not bad in the ring, but...he's just not "the" guy."

[5.0] "For those of us lucky enough to watch OVW around 2005, Aaron Stevens was a recurring name that drew attention with his Sex Guru gimmick, and I'd dare say that's where we saw his peak. The character of Damien Sandow was charming because of Aaron's skills on the mic, but he never had any direction... sometimes he was a manager, sometimes he was a cowardly heel, sometimes he was a world championship contender, sometimes he was a comedian (along with the fact that, in 2014, he stopped caring about being in shape). His time in TNA was promising, personally I loved his character of Aaron Rex, as it hid his limitations and allowed him to shine in the various roles that WWE couldn't direct him in... unfortunately Aaron never found himself in TNA. And what can I say about Aaron in NWA POWERRR in 2019... wonderful! Aaron was a great wrestler who simply didn't have the patience to define himself with a gimmick that would define his career. and the years passed and the opportunities simply went away... he could have been a successor to Mr. Kennedy (in terms of having a character that will never be forgotten) but in the end he had 20 characters, all of them forgotten."

[8.0] "This man is a lot better than he was given credit for by WWE and the fans alike. He was hot as hell in FCW and was above par in the ring and stellar on the mic and with crowd work. For whatever reason Vince McMahon decided that he hated him and threw every single monkey wrench in the book at him. But it speaks volumes about Stevens' talents that he was able to get incredibly over almost every time. The man single-handedly made people not hate the Miz and was the hottest act on Raw as a damn stunt double. He was also incredibly fun, and he was over as Macho Mandow in the Mega Powers tribute act with Curtis Axel. Damian Sandow/Aron/Idol Stevens is the king of turning dog shit to gold, One has to wonder what he would have looked like in WWE if Vince saw the greatness in him like so many others did."

[4.0] "He was alright. Right guy at the wrong time imo, would've been great in the 80s but mid 2010s the gimmick just didn't work. His most noticeable work was being the stunt double of Miz, which just goes to show really what the crowd was like during those times... preferred comedy characters over somebody super serious like Sandow. I find it crazy how they put the MITB on him... was never going to be at that level, was always destined to be an IC or US champ. In-ring he was very average... which I think didn't help him either, to be honest. Boring gimmick and boring in-ring, not exactly a recipe for success."

[8.0] "This guy could have been a top Upper Midcard Performer but never went anywhere and it is such a shame, he is a good character worker and has charisma oozing out of him, Seeing his current work as a manager for BFT he fits the character perfectly, he could have been so much more on the indies as he was over as hell around 2016. But as he is in his early 40's he is in a great spot for someone of his skillset."

[7.0] "Aron Stevens is a character actor - he is by far at his best when he's being given an established gimmick. This was highly visible when he got incredibly over as both Damien Sandow and the stunt doublt Damien Mizdow. Unfortunately, it's also been visible when he got badly exposed in situation such as when he abandoned Damien Mizdow in WWE and then tried to do the typical "I was in WWE and didn't like it" gimmick in TNA. In those situations he's just boring. Perfectly serviceable in-ring, great when he's able to play to his strengths (but not when he's not)."

[9.0] "A Current king in the indies, really went down underapreciated for all his run, had an amazing career and can go in the ring made unwatchable gimmicks watchable and in overall a great wrestler."

[6.0] "Another guy who was getting over in the WWE because he had an interesting character, and they freaking cut him after burying him because he wasn't getting over on their terms."

[6.0] "I still remember when we were being sold that this guy was going to be the next King of the Indies. Impact, WCPW, NWA, all that stuff and yet never came true. Just not at the level, entertaining but nothing more"

[6.0] "I was around for the Sandow hype during the early to mid 2010's and it was understandable: while the gimmick had a ceiling, Stevens was very good with working with limited material and knew how to get over obvious filler (the "Rhodes Scholars" shit which didn't really go anywhere important) and was very entertaining. That said....it was obvious that he was a man that could only get where he was with more over talent carrying him to that position. The Miz, for one, as his consistent abuse and heel antics alongside his mistreated stunt double was a gimmick that people HATED with a passion when it was first showcased, but got over because Miz worked crowds marvellously and got them hyped up whenever Sandow would go out of line and tease the inevitable breakup. Of course it eventually happened, and without the dynamic Sandow quickly floundered as a generic babyface, thrown into goofy gimmicks over and over. He still did fine with them but it was obvious that said ceiling would prevent any big development. Of course we had the MITB situation, which had him lose to a essentially one-armed Cena in probably one of his most known and best matches. Would he have made a good World Champion? It's definitely hard to say as he really wasn't of that quality workrate wise as well. Should he had at least a chance with the belt? Most definitely. That said, I think it was conclusive that his ceiling was ultimately a mid-carder who was harmed by being wildly hyped by a rabid fanbase, to the point where any downgrade from those expectations only harmed his prospective chances more. He's a good entertainer but anyone who acts and talks his way out of the WWE and into low-rent indies and a no-momentum NWA definitely made some wrong decisions. I don't think he's bad, but it was obvious that he was nowhere near as good as people thought he was, and his work post-Mizdow only really showcased that completely as he struggled to get that one great gimmick again like his Intellectual Savior days. Solid comedy worker though."

[7.0] "a wrestler with a lot of charisma but is correct in the ring. He should have had a reign as USA or Intercontinental champion."

[7.0] "Aron Stevens is a very charismatic person, maybe he is not the best in the ring, but his promos were quite good, he is also a wrester who has a great connection with the public."

"Not the greatest in-ring wrestler by any stretch of the imagination, but the man deserved far more than what he got. Incredibly entertaining performer who made any gimmick thrusted upon him work."

[9.0] "The Intellectual Saviour of the Masses , Damien Sandow was amazing as a heel. He truly made me hate his guts as a heel , but not to the point that I would change the channel when he came on. Then when he became Mizdow , I loved him so much that even though he was a heel , I couldn't help but cheer for him. He could play the audience like a fiddle. Truly an amazing competitor."

[6.0] "Average as far as actual wrestling is concerned but literally always manages to make the absolute best of what he's given from creative."

[7.0] "Poor dude. Although not amazing in the ring, Sandow elevated his standing with the fans in WWE with his amazing mic work and effortless charisma. Recycling aspects from the Genius and various other wrestlers, Sandow truly crafted a great, niche character. But that was really the problem. He was a bit too niche. To be honest, I sort of wish he never won the Money in the Bank briefcase, because let's be honest, he was never gonna win a world title. Do you really think WWE would let some loudmouth in pink underpants hold the top belt in the company? Although Sandow was never gonna be a world champ, he could have been a strong IC or US champ. Instead his only gold in WWE was a blink and you miss it tag title reign with the Miz and a Slammy or whatever. Things never really got better for him either, as when he went to TNA, he held the Grand Championship for like a week and then turned into a drag queen. This man is talented but has never had the chance to fully show it on a grand stage."

[5.0] "I thought there was something there with Sandow when he came in with his intellectual gimmick, but for whatever reason, Vince pulled the rug out from under him in a big way after he won the MITB briefcase. He quickly tumbled into a comedy performer. I know he won a lot of people over with his act with Miz, but I hated it & found it really dumb. I just can't look back on Sandow & think favorably on it."

[10.0] "Damien Sandow was one of the most charismatic persons in WWE. His gimmick as Mizdow and as Intelectual Savior are one of the most memorable performances of 2011-2016."

[3.0] "Sure, he is pretty charismatic. He is entertaining on the mic. He plays his comedy role quite well. However, as a wrestler, he was terrible. Very bland, soulless in the ring. He wasn't much a waste of a talent and quite overrated by many fans. In tna, he was completely exposed as a very weak performer."

[8.0] "Horribly misused by WWE. Carried his gimmick very well and was solid in the ring too. Like a young HHH."

[6.0] "A very rare case of someone actually getting worse after leaving the WWE. I thought he was misused when he was there, but man, was he exposed in TNA or what. He peaked with the Intellectual Savior gimmick, and he was pretty good as Miz's stunt double, but now that he's been put higher up on the card, it's showing that he's not that good at anything other than on the mic."

[6.0] "He was severely misused by WWE. He's excellent on the mic and solid in the ring and could've been an excellent midcarder or upper midcarder."

[6.0] "The only reason I am giving him a 6 is because I loved his gimmick as an intelligent superior guy and his gimmick as Mizdow. On top of that this guy could cut the best promos."

[5.0] "It is possible to say that WWE misused Damien Sandow, and that Aron Stevens isn't exactly star. Stevens after a long road of developmental, including a quick stint in a tag team with KC Stevens, was given a golden gimmick of Damien Sandow. Sandow, a pompous intellectual allowed Stevens to carve himself a great mid to uppercard gimmick where he was entertaining on the mic. Decent in the ring, it was Sandow's character and acting that got him over with the fans and seemed to prime him for a comfortable uppercard gig with a MITB win. After losing to Cena, the wheels fell off the bus, as he was booked on a losing streak and then transitioned into a comedy jobber who imitates wrestlers. Yet, Sandow's character work continued to maintain overness, which explained his success as Mizdow, Miz's stunt double. Ultimately, Stevens broke away from Miz but WWE mishandled the momentum that could made of a Miz/Mizdow fued. Ultimately, he was released and the star has dimmed with Aron Rex. Rex isn't a character, he's not something that Stevens can add his mic work and exaggerations to, which hurt him. Maybe the WWE mishandled Damien Sandow, the character rather than Aaron Stevens, the wrestler? Time will tell, as Rex struggles to regain the post WWE hype."

[3.0] "Sandow's ring-work is horrible and he can't have a good match with anyone pretty much. I find him charismatic, but he's really overrated by many fans. Wasn't really a wasted talent, probably would floped."

[5.0] "As charismatic as he is, Rex/Sandow isn't known for being a great wrestler. He always has the crowd in the palm if his hands, and cut's great promos, along with having excellent character work, but beyond that, none of his matches stand out to me. As Mizdow, he was interesting because he took what he was given and worked a tremendously entertaining character out of it."

[4.0] "Although we all know WWE misused Sandow, him making himself as great of a character he was both during and before his Mizdow persona, he has lost a lot of his star power and entertainment value since joining TNA."

[4.0] "I was of the camp that the once Damien Sandow was a tremendous wasted opportunity on WWE's part. That he was awesome on the mic, able to inject charisma into his character in a way that felt natural (he even made the Mizdow gimmick work), and for that matter, his gimmick itself was fresh. And to a certain extent, I still think he could be more. But his short time on the independents has really done a lot to sink his stock. Following the Mizdow gimmick, WWE let him go out and be himself for a promo, and it sure didn't look very good. Well, freed from WWE's creative control, he's continued being himself, and it's incredibly boring. He looks like a boring, average guy. He speaks like a boring, average guy. He sure doesn't wrestle like he's anything special. Unlike most wrestlers, he's floundering without WWE's creative control over him."

[6.0] "Sandow has a good amount of charisma, decent at wrestling and was very over in WWE, but post that Sandow has found himself stuck in a lull of mediocrity."

[10.0] "From the first moment I heard Damien sandows mic skills I was very impressed his intellectual saviour of the masses gimmick was very entertaining"

[2.0] "Damien Sandow is a guy who was completely misused by the WWE. I was not necessarily a huge fan of his, but there is no denying the level of overness he had with the crowds during his run as The Miz's partner - Damien 'Mizdow'. His work on the mic was quite good, his delivery was always confident. His in ring work never really stood out to me, and the only singles match of his that was memorable was the MITB Cash In vs. John Cena. All in all, Damien Sandow is a solid talent, but really nothing special - in my opinion."

[6.0] "Sandow is naturally funny, likeable, and a good worker -- though I never saw him as the A-level star many hoped he would be, he certainly deserved more than the terrible booking he received. I suppose I can sympathize with Vince McMahon in that I don't really see what makes him so popular -- but the guy got over, and if I was running WWE, I would have shrugged my shoulders and ran with it. What does my opinion matter if people are clamoring to see Sandow on TV? Anyway, I always found him a serviceable hand in the ring, if nothing too special. He has a good flair for drama, though, and plays to the audience well. Comedy is his greatest talent, I think -- you can tell he doesn't take himself too seriously, and he does better when he's allowed to show that."

[10.0] "It's a shame that WWE never really capitalized on this guy. He took anything that they gave him & managed to get it over."

[8.0] "The most underutilized man on the roster. He is so charismatic and needs to get another shot. He should be the guy that takes the IC title from the Miz (as much as I love Zack Ryder, I'm more compelled to go with Sandow)"

[8.0] "When people tell you that WWE is the pinnacle of wrestling and that they know talent (perhaps to detract from the success of WWE alumni in other promotions), just look at Damien Sandow and how they essentially fell asleep on the endless possibilities of this man."

[10.0] "He is one of my favourite wrestlers, he have good ring skills, he is good in mic, he can wrestle, he can do comedy skits, he can be entertaining and one of most important point is he can do any gimmick to perfection. I am happy that he hold the tag team championship but he was very much underrated by wwe. He have to get a fair chance because he deserves it."

[10.0] "10 rating, one of WWEs most under rated stars of today's generation. This is a superstar who should highy"

[10.0] "God knows why WWE refuses to make any use of this man, but he is absolutely great. Whether he's working a silly character or playing a semi-threating force, he never fails to entertain one way or the other. I wonder if he wouldn't benefit from leaving WWE and working with a few other promotions. Might be able to do more than waste his prime years sitting on the shelf."

[9.0] "It's a shame that the Mizdow angle never got a legitimate payoff, as it was one of the best comedy gimmicks in recent history. Strong worker."

[6.0] "Who would of thought one of Michelle McCool's "teacher pets" in Idol Stevens would become Damien Sandow in 2015? While his 2015 character with him parodying other wrestlers isn't exactly unique as I've seen Charlie Haas do that in 2008, Damien has had a pretty decent career all things considered."

[6.0] "He's going to have a tough time from now on. Sandow is a very funny and entertaining wrestler. He's a good in-ring worker and has good mic skills. But breaking up with The Miz might leave him without a path from now on and, although he's entertaining and funny, WWE is caring less and less about funny wrestlers and WWE's fans are loosing patience for comedy acts. Finding a purpose now for Sandow will determine the path of his career. A mimicking gimmick where he stole his opponnents finishers could be refreshing for him and get him to show (and improve) his wrestling skills."

[8.0] "This guy is just awesome. He has taken what seemed like a terrible gimmick and made it one of the few things fans get into about WWE these days. When he finally breaks away from The Miz, he is going to have one hell of a run as a babyface."

[9.0] "Damien Sandow is comedy gold with the Miz. coming off what is one of the worst runs in recent history for a character as talented as Himself I was shocked to see how he went from, Mr Money in the Bank too Mr. job to adam rose. The stuff with Miz has been the right step to his resurrection. With the crowd behind him going into 2015. 2015 might just be his year."

[6.0] "Decent Wrestler, ok mic skills which would usually add up to about a 4 or 5 but as he was great as a comedy character and as playing mizdow I can see that he is just a naturally funny guy and I actually quite like his team with the miz as they are both viewed so differently by the audience. One (Mizdow) who is quite over and the the miz who has quite alot of go away heat so I think they work well together."

[7.0] "Rather c him more than The Miz. Sandow isn't like The Miz just coming from a reality show and just decides to be a wrestler. This guy should be the 1 to own The Miz."

[8.0] "People underrate him, I don't know, why. Master of reincarnations, that can make match funny, and interesting to see. He not eligible to be a champion, but this character must be in every wrestling promotion."

[5.0] "A very stale ring work incorporated with a monotonous one-key gimmick don't make things very interesting."

[9.0] "Does a great job playing his character at all times, I love the way he can flip an aggression switch when the bell rings, I think he is a very good worker overall who does a great job of targeting areas of opponents who's unfortunately been put in really bad situations in booking recently."

[5.0] "Plays his character really good, solid look (although seems to have developed a gut), good on the mic but unfortunately rather average in the ring (only his cash-in on Cena was memorable)"

[10.0] "Great wrestler, great character and a fantastic entertainer. Unfortunately ith the title unification he will have less opportunities to become a main eventer (that is what he should be! )."