10 Things We Learned From Damien Sandow On Chris Jericho's Podcast
7. Sandow Was The First Wrestler To Be Called Up From NXT
These days we take for granted talent rising up from NXT to the main roster. Current superstars like Seth Rollins and Charlotte have climbed all the way up from the development territory to the top of their respective professions.
Sandow states that he was the first to rise from the then fledgling brand. This can be a rocky road, for some it gives you the necessary time to evolve into a character that will make it when the brightest lights shine upon them while others get lost in the mix.
Gone are the days when most wrestlers would have many years experience under their belt before they would even get a sniff of the big-time. Nowadays the pressure to be the finished article as soon as possible is greater than ever.
Sandow had spent some time in WWE previously as well as stints in their previous developmental territories, OVW and FCW, before getting his proper relaunch onto the main roster in 2012. All of this experienced combined to great effect as Sandow would win over the fans, if not everyone in positions of power, over the coming years before his release in 2016.