10 Original Failed WWE Pushes You Completely Forgot About

5. Damien Sandow - Idol Stevens

Honky Tonk Man Hulk Hogan
WWE.com

The picture above finds the future Damien Sandow flashing an eerily similar grin to the face he pulled on his Impact Wrestling debut. Could this be a tell - a "this ain't it, chief" -from a steadfast professional that knows the the difference between sinking under and getting over?

Idol Stevens categorically wasn't the moneymaker for the future 'Intellectual Saviour Of The Masses'. Alongside fellow developmental prospect KC James and manager Michelle McCool, Sandow made up the numbers in a rudderless mid-200s SmackDown tag team division anchored by the excellent Brian Kendrick and Paul London.

The pair of disillusioned cruiserweights were en route to setting records as blue brand doubles stewards, but referring to the run as a push would be overstating the ordinary - they held the belts because they could be relied upon to have excellent matches without the creative team needing to work hard for them. Stevens and James were - like several others - just losers waiting in line to lose.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett