10 Things We Learned From Damien Sandow On Chris Jericho's Podcast

What Culture Pro Wrestling General Manager Adam Pacitti has already revealed a dizzying array of top talent for its opening shows and free agents don't come much bigger right now than Damien Sandow.

The former WWE superstar has been confirmed for not one but TWO shows in July! You can catch them in What Culture's native Newcastle on the 27th and 28th July (tickets can be purchased here). A Q&A event has also been added in London on the 26th July at Walkabout on the banks of the Thames (tickets for this event can be purchased here).

Damien Sandow was released from the WWE just a month ago and has already sat down with Chris Jericho for a fascinating Talk is Jericho Podcast. The two superstars discussed Sandow's poorly booked years in the WWE, his disappointing release, how Gorgeous George and Bob Backlund influenced his career, the legend that is Dusty Rhodes and the infamous Ottawa Screwjob!

Sandow is refreshingly humble and positive about the entire experience and talks unconsciously about the business, the fans and the biggest company in wrestling history - the WWE. It was here that he became the man with the midas touch who could turn creative !*$% into comedy gold.

Let's take a look at the ten juiciest picks from the man they couldn't help but cheer...

It has been somewhat of an exodus at WWE of late. Last month saw a purge of superstars leaving the company, swiftly followed recently by both Adam Rose and Cody Rhodes. Of all these exits, it has been Damien Sandow's departure that has had many insiders and fans alike shaking their heads, a topic that will be discussed fully across this article.

However, Jericho opens the show by marking another ex-superstar out for some special praise. His love for Santino Marella is well known, a subject he discusses in some depth in his 2014 book, The Best In The World (At What I Have No Idea). Here he tells a brilliant story about the decorated former wrestler having a bodybuilding competition with Cody Rhodes so bizarre that it led to Kid Rock leaving the buidling in disgust. He also says that Marella is one of the most beloved talents backstage, is a competitive speedwalker and one of the most sweary people you could ever share a karaoke stage with.

Y2J feels that as Santino had retired in the ring his release went under the radar but campaigns that he could be brilliant in a backstage role on current WWE television. For comedy alone, few could match him and it doesn't make sense for him to be released when he could be adding much needed entertainment to today's product.

Jericho was a particular sucker for Santino's Maserati Clutch, a spot where the wrestler would signal for his new devastating finisher, a "high-risk running top-rope submission maneuver". The joke was that by the time Santino had gone through the tortuous set-up he would always get cut off by opponent before he could deliver it. We never did get to see the Maserati Clutch. Sob.