Haddad started wrestling in 2001, and began appearing for WWE in 2002 asAaron Stevens onHeat. From 2003 to 2006, Haddad wrestled in WWE'sdevelopmental territory,Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). In 2006, Haddad reappeared on the WWE main roster asIdol Stevens, teaming withKC James and allying withMichelle McCool. In 2007, Haddad was released from WWE, first embarking on a return to OVW, no longer WWE's official developmental territory, in 2008 and then from 2009 to 2010, wrestling in Puerto Rico forWorld Wrestling Council (WWC).[9]
Signing again with WWE in 2010, he was assigned to a developmental territory,Florida Championship Wrestling, where he adopted the Damien Sandow moniker. In April 2012, Sandow returned to WWE'smain roster as an arrogant intellectual. In July 2013, Sandow won theMoney in the Bank match for aWorld Heavyweight Championship opportunity, and became the first to lose the cashed-in title match. In 2014, Sandow became a comedic impersonator, leading up to an alliance withThe Miz, serving as hisstunt doubleDamien Mizdow. The duo won theWWE Tag Team Championship before the team split in 2015. He briefly teamed withCurtis Axel, shortly before returning to singles action, and was released in May 2016. He acted in the 2023 independent filmThe Oath.[10]
The two teams beganfeuding, with London and Kendrick bringing inAshley Massaro to counteract McCool.[26] The feud briefly encompassed the team ofJamie Noble andKid Kash, who also wanted a Tag Team title shot.[27][28] Stevens and James got their WWE Tag Team Championship shot atNo Mercy on October 8, but failed to win the titles.[29][30] Soon after, both Stevens and James were taken off television and sent back to Ohio Valley Wrestling.[1]
After being removed from theSmackDown! roster when Michelle McCool was hospitalized, Stevens returned to OVW. He lost to Charles Evans upon his return and no mention of his tag team venture with KC James was made.[1] On March 14, 2007, he defeated Paul Burchill to win theOVW Heavyweight Championship.[31] On May 9, after title defences againstCody Runnels andMike Mondo, Burchill defeated Stevens to regain the OVW Championship.[32] The championship was vacated and Stevens lost toJay Bradley in a three-way match including Burchill. On June 8, Stevens defeated Burchill in a Number One OVW Heavyweight Contendership match.[33]
He got his title match in a three-way match, again including champion Jay Bradley and Paul Burchill. The match was not only for Bradley's title, but also Stevens's car and Burchill's house. Bradley defeated both men and won all the stakes.[34] His last match for OVW before his release was a two-ring steel cage flag match, which, along withAl Snow, Atlas DaBone, Chet The Jett andColt Cabana, he defeated Michael W. Kruel, Ramon, Raul, The Belgium Brawler andVladimir Kozlov.[34]
Idol Stevens in 2008
Stevens was officially released by WWE on August 6, 2007.[35]
In February 2008, OVW ceased to be WWE's developmental territory.[42] Stevens returned to OVW on November 12, 2008, losing toOVW Heavyweight Champion Anthony Bravado in a non-title bout.[43] The following week, the two were featured in a triple threat match withJacob Duncan that went off the air before the match could finish.[43] Stevens and Bravado faced off again in a match for the title on November 26, which Stevens won, becoming a two-time champion.[31][43] On December 3, 2008, he teamed up withU-Gene to take part in OVW Southern Tag Team Championship number one contendership tournament, in round one they defeated Theta Lampda Psi.[44] A week later, they lost to Anthony Bravado andThe Buck.[45] Stevens lost the title to Vaughn Lilas at the January 14, 2009 television taping.[46] In February 2009, he lost to Mike Mondo in anOVW Television Championship match which also included Johnny Punch.[47] His last match for OVW was on February 11, a rematch for the championship which Mondo again won.[34]
World Wrestling Council (2009–2010)
Idol returned to Puerto Rico, but in a different promotion, theWorld Wrestling Council, where he was the "protegido" of Jose Chaparro and a member of the "American Family". He debuted on February 28, 2009, defeating Angel. He defeated BJ for theWWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship,[9] before losing it toShane Sewell. On August 15, 2009, Stevens andShawn Spears defeatedThunder and Lightning to become the newWWC World Tag Team Champions. Stevens later feuded with Shawn Spears, which ended at Euphoria 2010. Stevens won the WWC Tag Team Champion with King Tonga Jr. by defeating Thunder and Lightning.
On October 31, Stevens and Spears lost the Tag Team Championship back to Thunder and Lightning. On February 20, 2010, Chicano named Stevens his new Tag Team Championship partner to replace Bryan. On March 13, Thunder and Lightning defeated Stevens and Chicano to win the titles. After Stevens regained the titles with King Tonga Jr., the duo lost them to Los Aerios (Carlitos andHiram Tua) on April 24.[48] Stevens regained the Tag Team Championship from Los Aerios on June 11, this time teaming with Abbad, and lost it to Thunder and Lightning in a three-way match involving BJ and Chicano on July 11.[49] His last match for WWC before signing with WWE came on July 31, losing to Joe Don Smith.
Haddads main roster character upon his return, Damien Sandow, was described as a "braggart, condescending intellectual heel".[57] After his second WWE run ended, Haddad said that his initial purpose in building the 'Intellectual Savior of the Unwashed Masses' character was "to do anything I could to stand out". Given "freedom to execute the character", Haddad stopped shaving, began wearing a bathrobe (proposed byDusty Rhodes for a robe likeLou Thesz's) to "present" his pink trunks when the robe was taken off, and using the "Hallelujah Chorus" as his entrance music. Haddad also creditedMike Rotunda,Triple H andBrian James for their help in guiding him.[58]
On the April 6, 2012 episode ofSmackDown, Sandow appeared in a pre-taped interview denouncingpopular culture and extolling his virtues.[59] After weeks of vignettes, Sandow made his WWE in-ring return under the new gimmick on the May 4 episode ofSmackDown, but refused to compete againstDerrick Bateman, claiming that the audience would neither learn nor benefit from him facing an inferior opponent.[60] On the May 18 episode ofSmackDown, Sandow refused to wrestle againstYoshi Tatsu, but Tatsu accused Sandow of being a coward and Sandow assaulted him. On the May 25 episode ofSmackDown, Sandow defeated Tatsu in his debut match.[61] The following week, he refused to faceEzekiel Jackson, and despite Jackson forcing the match to begin, Sandow won. On the June 8 episode ofSmackDown, Sandow went to attackHornswoggle but was intercepted byTyson Kidd before he could do so. The following week onSmackDown, Sandow defeated Kidd.[62]
On the June 29 episode ofSmackDown, Sandow defeatedZack Ryder to qualify for theWorld Heavyweight ChampionshipMoney in the Bank ladder match atMoney in the Bank.[63] However, the match was won byDolph Ziggler.[64] On July 23 atRaw 1000, Sandow interruptedD-Generation X (DX) and claimed that their sophomoric and disgusting behaviour had brainwashed society; he also declared that he would be amartyr if DX disposed of him, and DX assaulted him regardless.[65] Sandow then began a feud withBrodus Clay on the July 30 episode ofRaw, attacking Clay when he laughed at a video of Sandow's beatdown at the hands of DX.[66] Sandow and Clay finally faced off on the August 20 episode ofRaw, where Sandow won after a roll-up, but was attacked by Clay after the match.[67] On the August 31SmackDown, Sandow had his first singles loss after being intentionally counted out againstWorld Heavyweight ChampionSheamus,[68] who would later hand Sandow his first pinfall loss in October.[69]
Damien Sandow addressing the crowd in his robe
On the September 21SmackDown, Sandow aligned himself withCody Rhodes, and they started a feud withWWE Tag Team ChampionsTeam Hell No (Daniel Bryan andKane).[70][71] The duo, which adopted the team name of Team Rhodes Scholars (a play on theRhodes Scholarship), entered a tournament a week later onSmackDown, and defeatedthe Usos to advance.[72] Team Rhodes Scholars defeatedSantino Marella and Zack Ryder in the semi-finals,[73] and thenRey Mysterio andSin Cara in the finals to earn a shot at the tag titles.[74] Team Rhodes Scholars got their title opportunity against Team Hell No on October 28 atHell in a Cell, where they won by disqualification, thus Team Hell No retained the titles.[75] This led to a title rematch on the November 14 episode ofMain Event, which Team Hell No won.[76] During the match, Rhodes suffered several legitimate injuries, placing their partnership on hold.[77]
On the November 23 episode ofSmackDown, Sandow unsuccessfully challengedKofi Kingston for theIntercontinental Championship, his first singles title opportunity in WWE.[78] From December 2012, Sandow began a regular segment in which he unsuccessfully searched for an 'apprentice' by quizzing members of the audience.[79] Sandow and Rhodes reunited on the December 10 episode ofRaw and won a fatal four-way tag team elimination match,[80] earning them the right to face Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara in a number one contender Tables match atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs six days later, which Team Rhodes Scholars won.[81] Team Rhodes Scholars received their title shot on the following episode ofMain Event, but were again defeated by Team Hell No.[82] On the January 7, 2013, episode ofRaw, Team Rhodes Scholars defeated Team Hell No in a non-title match to earn another shot at the WWE Tag Team Championship.[83] The title rematch took place on January 27 at theRoyal Rumble, where Team Rhodes Scholars once again failed to capture the tag team titles.[84]
On the February 1 episode ofSmackDown, Sandow and Rhodes briefly dissolved Team Rhodes Scholars while remaining "best friends",[85] only to reunite on February 17 at the pre-show ofElimination Chamber in a loss to the team of Brodus Clay andTensai.[86] Sandow and Rhodes then aligned themselves withThe Bella Twins in a feud against Tons of Funk (Clay and Tensai) andthe Funkadactyls (Cameron andNaomi).[87][88][89] The two teams were originally booked to face each other in an eight-person mixed tag team match on April 7 atWrestleMania 29,[90] but their match was cut due to time constraints.[91] The match instead took place the following night onRaw, where Tons of Funk and the Funkadactyls emerged victorious.[92]
Sir Money in the Bank and demotion to lower-tier status (2013–2014)
On the May 15 episode ofNXT, Sandow unsuccessfully challengedBig E Langston for theNXT Championship.[93] While Sandow hosted a series of mental challenges onSmackDown, Sheamus repeatedly interrupted Sandow and tried to solve the challenges. However, when Sheamus failed to solve the puzzles, he instead resorted to physical violence by attacking Sandow.[94][95][96] On June 16, during thePayback pre-show, Sandow was defeated by Sheamus.[97] The following night onRaw, Team Rhodes Scholars defeated Sheamus in a handicap match after Sandow pinned him with a roll-up.[98] The rivalry culminated in a Dublin Street Fight on the June 28SmackDown, where Sheamus defeated Sandow.[99]
Sandow in November 2013
The July 14Money in the Bank pay-per-view marked the beginning of the end for Team Rhodes Scholars. Both Rhodes and Sandow entered the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank ladder match; just as Rhodes was about to win the match, Sandow threw Rhodes off the ladder and retrieved the briefcase himself to earn the opportunity to challenge for theWorld Heavyweight Championship at any time of his choosing within the next year.[100][101] Despite winning the briefcase, Sandow went on to lose many matches before his cash-in,[102] with a total of 1 win and 12 losses onRaw andSmackDown.[103] The split of Team Rhodes Scholars was confirmed the next night onRaw when Rhodes attacked Sandow.[104] Rhodes dominated the feud between him and Sandow; throwing Sandow's briefcase into theGulf of Mexico,[105] which forced Sandow to introduce a new custom-made briefcase; thwarting Sandow's attempt to cash-in on a vulnerableAlberto Del Rio;[106] and defeating Sandow twice in singles matches, one of which was atSummerSlam.[107][108]
After moving on from his feud with Rhodes, Sandow went on to lose to the likes ofR-Truth,Santino Marella andDolph Ziggler.[109][110][111] On the October 28Raw, Sandow confronted World Heavyweight ChampionJohn Cena; stating his belief that Cena's arm was still injured following Cena's match againstAlberto Del Rio atHell in a Cell, Sandow assaulted Cena's arm and then cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, but Cena won the match by pinfall.[112] This made Sandow the second wrestler to fail to win a title upon cash-in (after Cena himself),[113] and the first to lose a cash-in outright.[114]Forbes wrote in 2016 that Sandow's 2012 intellectual character "quickly won over the fans and showed his potential as one of the top heels on the main roster", but his "career never recovered" from losing the Money in the Bank cash-in.[115] Haddad later said, "I absolutely did think I was going to take that [next] big step" after his character won Money in the Bank, but "circumstances dictated otherwise". Despite being scripted to lose to Cena, Haddad was "very proud" that he delivered "a performance of a lifetime" that night.[58]
After Sandow's cash-in, he was noted to have become more generic as he stopped doing cartwheels and started wearing plain black ring attire.[116] Sandow's misfortune continued when he challenged Intercontinental Champion Big E Langston to a title match atTLC and lost.[117] In January 2014, Sandow entered the2014 Royal Rumble and was the first eliminated, courtesy ofCM Punk.[118] He then started a losing streak that lasted until May,[119] which included him losing to the likes ofDarren Young,[120] being pinned in an eight-man tag match,[121] and losing toSin Cara in one minute.[122]
On the April 28Raw, Sandow dressed asMagneto to confront guest starHugh Jackman (who playsWolverine in theX-Men film series) and Dolph Ziggler, which resulted in Sandow being attacked by both Jackman and Ziggler.[123] On the May 12Raw and its pre-show, Sandow started deliveringworked shoot comments displaying his apparent dissatisfaction at his position in WWE, resulting in his microphone being turned off.[124] Sandow later made comments with allusions to being handcuffed.[125]
Sandow then transitioned into a comedic impersonator,[126] and from May 20 he started to dress as a different character every week, sometimes wrestling as them. These characters includedSherlock Holmes,[127]Bruce Springsteen,Abraham Lincoln,Paul Revere, arapper called D-Sizzle and aninterpretive dancer. He also mimicked other wrestlers, such asShawn Michaels,Bret Hart, andVince McMahon.[128] Haddad reflected after his release that when he was "dressing up as someone new every week", "other guys said I should be doing something else", but back then he was willing to "go with it" to capture "attention", though he said, "I didn't know where or how it was going to end up".[58]
The renamed Damien Mizdow (right) as the stunt double forThe Miz
From August, Sandow formed an alliance withThe Miz, whose persona was that of an arrogantmovie star.[129][130] Sandow was 'hired' by Miz to be his "stunt double", which initially entailed him takingbumps for Miz and later expanded to him mimicking every move Miz made during his matches, as well as Miz's mannerisms when not wrestling.[129] During this period, Sandow's ring name was tweaked toDamien Mizdow to reflect his new role.[131] Haddad later detailed how he was initially not aware whether being the stunt double was a "one-time thing" like his previous impersonations or a long-term storyline, and that WWE only decided to make it a long-term storyline "about two or three weeks" into the Mizdow act.[58] Haddad also said that mimicking Miz's actions in the ring was a "completely on the whim" improvisation, with him and the Miz never rehearsing any of their actions.[58]
AtNight of Champions in September, Mizdow's interference helped Miz win theIntercontinental Championship from Dolph Ziggler.[132] Miz lost his title back to Ziggler the following night in a rematch onRaw.[133] Mizdow's antics soon endeared him to WWE fans and he became popular with live audiences, who would often boo Miz during matches and chant "We want Mizdow!".[134]
"[...] reminding me of Damien Mizdow... an unlikely hero gettingover by sheer force of entertainment".
Pro Wrestling Dot Net analyst Darren Gutteridge in 2015[135]
On the December 29 episode ofRaw, they lost the titles to The Usos. On the same night, they were defeated by the debutingAscension.[138] Miz and Mizdow then began to show dissension, with Miz becoming angry at Mizdow's positive crowd reactions and accusing Mizdow of trying to 'upstage' him.[139] On the February 2 episode ofRaw, The Miz relegated Mizdow from being a stunt double to a personal assistant.[140]
Mizdow turnedface when he finally split away from The Miz atWrestleMania 31 in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but the "red hot babyface in waiting" (as described byForbes)[115] was the last wrestler eliminated, courtesy ofBig Show. Haddad described WrestleMania 31 being one of his "favorite memories in the WWE", due to "feeling the surge of 83,000 people chanting" for him when he split from Miz, a "genuine, 100-percent real emotional response on a grand stage" that would eclipse any "award" or "accolade".[58] Post-WrestleMania, Mizdow (now accompanied by The Miz'sThe Marine 4: Moving Target co-starSummer Rae) then feuded with The Miz over the next several weeks, trading victories onRaw[141][142] before challenging Miz to a match for the rights to the Miz brand on the April 20 episode. The Miz won the match after Summer Rae betrayed Mizdow by raking him in the eyes, allowing Miz to hit the Skull-Crushing Finale and pick up the win.[143] As a result of the loss, Mizdow returned to his former name, Damien Sandow. The manner of the breakup between Miz and Sandow was extremely criticized by critics for poor storyline writing which made Sandow look like a fool post-WrestleMania and also diminishing the feud to an "afterthought".[144][145][146]
"I think it's just a case of someone in the company seeing [Sandow] as a comedy guy and nothing more. The audience tried to tell them that they wanted to see him in a better role but were ignored".
Pro Wrestling Insider analyst Mike Johnson's opinion of WWE'sbooking of Sandow, in June 2015[147]
Returning to the Damien Sandow ring name on the April 27 episode ofRaw, Sandow was thanking fans for their support when he was interrupted byCurtis Axel.[148] Sandow began to parrot after Axel, who had been mimickingHulk Hogan. Sandow won the ensuing scuffle with a Hogan leg drop.[149] On the April 30 episode ofSmackDown, Sandow parroted ring announcerJoJo before facing and defeating Axel.[150] In May 2015, Sandow began impersonatingRandy Savage as Macho Mandow, while he and Axel suffered attacks byThe Ascension to start a feud. Mandow and Axel's alliance was known as The Meta Powers, a parody ofThe Mega Powers. AtPayback, the Meta Powers were defeated by the Ascension.[151][152][153] Various critics expressed disappointment that Sandow was still restricted to doing comedic impersonations.[154][155][156] The Meta Powers stopped their respective impersonations from July 24, after WWE severed ties with Hulk Hogan.[157]
Final storylines and departure (2015–2016)
The end of The Meta Powers marked a further decline in Sandow's fortunes. TheWrestling Observer wrote that "Sandow had been used sparingly since then, usually in an enhancement role or in battle royals";[158] whilePWInsider described that "Sandow never recovered nor had a regular storyline beyond that point", yet "his appearance would get a big reaction from fans at live events".[57] From July to October 2015, Sandow never wrestled a televised match, being restricted to wrestling dark matches or at live events.[159]
Mizdow in March 2015
Sandow returned to television on the November 11, 2015 episode ofMain Event as his original "Intellectual Savior" character, defeatingHeath Slater.[160][161] Following that, Sandow never won another televised match for WWE.[162][163] At the2016 Royal Rumble kickoff, Sandow andDarren Young failed to qualify for the Royal Rumble match when they lost a four-way tag team match.[164] In February, after Sandow posted a tribute to his grandmother on Twitter,[165] possibly indicating her recent death, WWE allowed Sandow to take time off to spend time with family.[166][167] AtWrestleMania 32, Sandow was quickly eliminated from the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal byShaquille O'Neal.[168] Sandow returned toRaw on April 25, but his match againstBaron Corbin never started due to Dolph Ziggler attacking Corbin; withPro Wrestling Torch describing that Sandow's appearance "got one of the best reactions of the night".[169][170] Corbin defeated Sandow in under two minutes on that week'sSmackDown.[171] On the May 2 episode ofRaw, Sandow competed in a battle royal for a shot at theWWE United States Championship, but was eliminated early in the match;[172] theWrestling Observer wrote that "his elimination was one of the louder reactions in the match".[158] Then, Sandow's final two televised matches for WWE saw him lose to Titus O'Neil onMain Event and Darren Young onSuperstars; Sandow wrestled the latter match as a heel.[173][174]
"... these releases bum us out a little, especially Sandow's. The guy will forever be remembered as wasted WWE talent."
On May 6, 2016, Sandow was released from WWE.[176] His release caused him to become a top 5 Twitter trend in the United States.[177] Mike Johnson ofPWInsider described Sandow's release as "mind-boggling" and "shocking" due to "the level of popularity that Sandow has with fans". Johnson listed more of Sandow's positives: "Sandow had size, could talk", and "no matter what role he was in, he received a big reaction": "fans recognized was vastly underutilized by the company and pushed for him to have a bigger role".[57] Meanwhile, theWrestling Observer described Sandow as "a popular undercard wrestler who always got bigger crowd reactions than his push",[158] whilePro Wrestling Dot Net reported that Sandow, a "popular undercard wrestler", "has been in career tailspin mode for some time" up to his release.[178]Forbes lamented in reference to the releases of Sandow andWade Barrett: "... it's a hard pill to swallow when you realize that two stars who could have been World champion never got the chance to".[115]
Rolling Stone interviewed Haddad within a week of his release. Haddad was "grateful" for a "great" second run in WWE where he "traveled the world" and "had a bunch of fun". Given that his main aim as a performer was "to get the audience to feel something, to evoke some kind of emotion", Haddad had no regrets leaving since he felt he "took the audience through the whole spectrum of emotions in four years": first "there was an extreme feeling of dislike towards" the Sandow character upon its debut, and years later, the Mizdow character was cheered to a point that "there are guys that are in the main event that don't get cheers like that". As for his release, Haddad was "not really" surprised as he thought he "had gone through the gamut" with the impersonator character. Describing himself as an empathetic individual, Haddad had "no problem" with WWE giving other wrestlers television time at his expense so that they could "show their craft" and become popular, while he was already popular whatever "spot" WWE put him. Although there were several alternate options of using Haddad, including "repackaging" his character, "doing a parody of current events", or becoming a commentator, ultimately, Haddad did not "fit" into WWE's plans.[58]
Return to the independent circuit (2016, 2019–present)
After being released from WWE, Haddad announced on his officialTwitter account that he would once again be taking independent bookings, returning to his Aron Stevens ring name.[179][180] He said he "took select dates" for wrestling, wanting to "say thank you to the fans", "to meet them, and have a chance to talk to them".[58] His first independent appearance was on June 11 at a co-promoted show organized byGlobal Force Wrestling (GFW) and WrestlePro, where he defeatedColt Cabana.[181] Haddad also made appearances at Warriors of Wrestling and Tier 1 Wrestling events.[182] On June 14, 2016, Haddad signed for What Culture Pro Wrestling (WCPW) and was scheduled to debut the weekend of July 27–28, 2016. He was victorious in his debut match, where he defeatedDoug Williams to become the #1 contender for the WCPW Championship.[183]
After a two-year hiatus, he made his return to the ring in July 2019 under a new gimmick, the Millennial Slayer.[184] On July 18, Sandow wrestled his first match back, at a Battle Arts Academy show under the name Aron Stevens.[185]
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling/Impact Wrestling (2016–2017)
On August 10, 2016,Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) released a promo teasing the acquisition of Stevens.[186] On the August 11, 2016 episode ofImpact Wrestling, Stevens made his debut under the ring nameAron Rex, cutting a promo in the ring and confronting the ImpactWorld Heavyweight,X Division andKing of the Mountain ChampionLashley at the end of the show. A week later, he announced that he would be the special guest referee in the No. 1 contender's match betweenEthan Carter III andDrew Galloway. At the end of that match, he was attacked by Galloway over his frustrations due to losing the match.[187] The next week, after Galloway explained his actions, Rex interrupted him and brawled with him before being separated by officials. Rex then entered himself in the inauguralImpact Grand Championship tournament and had his debut match on the September 15 episode ofImpact Wrestling, defeatingTrevor Lee. The next week, he defeatedEli Drake in the semi-finals and faced rival Drew Galloway in the finals of the tournament atBound for Glory. Galloway was replaced byEddie Edwards due to an injury. Rex won the tournament and the championship by split decision. On December 1 episode ofImpact Wrestling, during an Open Challenge for the championship,Moose defeated Rex.[188] Moose successfully retained his title against Rex in a rematch the following week.
After a hiatus, Rex returned on the January 12, 2017 episode ofImpact Wrestling debuting aLiberace-inspired character, with a new clean shaven look and sporting plucked eyebrows, lip gloss, a fur coat, naked trunks and oversized rings on all fingers, along withRockstar Spud as his new manager.[189] On January 19 episode ofImpact, Rex and Spud defeated the team of Robbie E and Swoggle in his last professional wrestling match to date.[190] On April 4, 2017, Stevens announced that he was no longer with the now renamed Impact Wrestling and that he would be taking a break from wrestling to focus on acting.[191]
On March 19, 2022, during night one of theCrockett Cup, Stevens teamed withThe Blue Meanie to compete in the namesake tournament, losing to The Dirty Sexy Boys (Dirty Dango andJTG) in the first round.[200] On the April 26 episode ofNWA Powerrr, Stevens fought Trevor Murdoch in an attempt to beat some respect out of him, but was defeated.[201] The following week, he formally announced his retirement from professional wrestling.[202] On June 11, atAlwayz Ready, Stevens lost to Murdoch in what was dubbed "Aron Stevens' Swan Song". After the match, he grabbed the mic and told the fans, "You're welcome!"[203][204] Since his in-ring retirement, Stevens has remained with the NWA as the on-screen manager of the tag team Blunt Force Trauma, composed ofRodney Mack andMarshe Rockett, as well as an agent.[205]
Haddad practicedWah Lum Kung Fu from the ages of 5 to 16, when he abandoned it in favor of wrestling.[215]
Haddad has been takingacting classes, including Shakespearean acting. He is considering acting in films, but has not ruled out television or stage acting.[58]
^Mezzera, Jon."5/11 WWE Raw Hits & Misses".pwtorch.com. RetrievedJune 27, 2015.Enter Damian Sandow whose breakup with The Miz has been totally wasted. I liked what they did at first with him continuing to impersonate The Miz after they broke up, but I would not have continued his doing impersonations after his feud with Miz ended. The crowd certainly did not seem into his Macho Mandow gimmick at all.
^Herzog, Kenny."'WWE Raw': Daniel Bryan Goes Home".Rolling Stone. RetrievedJune 27, 2015.Is this really where Damien Sandow's headed after finally extricating himself from months of pretending to be somebody he's not? Were the Ascension really just asked to job that segment rather than it being a victim-less opportunity to begin their push up the tag-team ranks in earnest? Cheap comedy-pop value of having Sandow and Axel reenact the Mega Powers formation notwithstanding, did that fiasco accomplish anything for anyone, including the fans?
^Gleed, Haydn."Gleed's WWE Payback preview and predictions".prowrestling.net. RetrievedJune 27, 2015.There really isn't a lot to say about this match, except it's such a shame what has happened to Damien Sandow once again. Has he done something to offend someone, or is it ironically because he's too good at making the "old man" happy that he gets put in comedy positions?
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