Former WWE Star Aron Stevens Discusses Origin Of Damien Sandow Character

Former wrestler turned manager Aron Stevens has certainly had an eventful career in the wrestling business, though most will agree his greatest success came during his run in WWE as Damien Sandow. Debuting under the name in 2010 WWE's developmental promotion FCW, the Sandow character eventually evolved into that of a pompous intellectual, which catapulted him to some main roster success before he was released from the promotion in 2016.

Appearing on "Developmentally Speaking," Stevens charted the course for how he ended up taking on the Sandow persona, after he had spent years wrestling under the names Aaron "The Idol" Stevens or Idol Stevens. The former WWE Tag Team Champion and Money in the Bank winner revealed that Sandow all began because Stevens was upset with his current situation, and that he got help along the way from wrestling legend, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.

"I was pissed off," Sandow said. "And I was watching Rip Rogers, and I decided 'I'm going to grow a beard, wear pink tights and whatever.' Someone from WWE who was not qualified to be in the position they were in, but were nonetheless, said some things, evaluated me as a talent. And Dusty was pissed. He got hot. And [he was] like 'Okay. That's it. This is what we're going to do.' So we did it. And the rest is history. It's that simple."

Oddly enough, Stevens would later team up with Rhodes' son, future Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes, on the main roster. The duo would form the team Rhodes Scholars in the fall of 2012, though they later split up in 2013 after Stevens won the Money in the Bank briefcase by throwing Rhodes off a ladder. The two would briefly feud after, with Rhodes coming out on top.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Developmentally Speaking" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription