WWE News: Damien Sandow & Curtis Axel Talk Life After The Meta Powers [Photos]
After laying low for a few months, WWE superstar Damien Sandow made his return to the ring at the SmackDown taping in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Tuesday night. As reported by WhatCulture and other online news outlets, Sandow made his comeback by resurrecting his huffy persona, sporting his blue robe and wearing pink tights.
Jonathan Carpenter, founder of the 41,000 member Facebook discussion forum, the Wrestling Fan, spoke to us regarding Sandow’s return. Carpenter attended the show and shared photos and reports from Damien Sandow’s return. He advised that Sandow addressed the live crowd on the mic, expressing enthusiasm to be working as his established in-ring character.
“I’m baaaaaack!” roared Sandow to the Little Rock crowd. “And no, I’m not a stunt double. I’m back as me!”
Damien Sandow worked a lengthy stint as comedic “stunt double” Damien Mizdow in late 2014 and early 2015, often receiving a better crowd reaction than his partner, The Miz. After parting company with Miz, Sandow teamed up with Curtis Axel as “The Meta Powers,” an homage to the 1980s “Mega Powers” team of Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Curtis Axel, who worked as a doppelganger of Hulk Hogan, was forced to drop the gimmick after WWE dropped Hogan in the midst of controversy earlier this summer. The Meta Powers subsequently slipped into obscurity.
Sandow’s return to the ring as his “classic” character was met with enthusiasm by the live crowd on Tuesday night, according to Jonathan Carpenter. Having worked as “the savior of the masses” and “the voice of common sense” as a sinister heel in years past, Sandow appeared to woo the crowd this time around. He worked a non-televised match against “Party Pooper” Adam Rose, picking up the win for the night.
Carpenter spoke briefly with Damien Sandow later that night, advising this writer that he learned Sandow’s appearance on Tuesday was a “last-minute” decision by WWE staff to gauge the crowd’s reaction. Damien told Carpenter that everyone behind the curtain seemed pleased by the reception he received.
Curtis Axel was also in town for the show, and he also chatted with The Wrestling Fan’s Jonathan Carpenter after the show, telling Carpenter that he was disappointed that he had to drop the aforementioned Hulk Hogan gimmick because he was having a lot of fun with it. Axel said he expects to return to his “Better Than Perfect” gimmick in the near future.
During their run as The Meta Powers, Damien Sandow and Curtis Axel feuded with The Ascension, but they did not break into the upper echelon of contention for the WWE tag titles. Although their antics were enjoyed by fans, it appears as though both grapplers are headed back to midcard singles competition for the foreseeable future.
[Image via WWE]
