Damien Sandow Aaron Steven Haddad ( April 3 , 1982 ) is an American professional wrestler . He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling as Aron Rex and also competes on the Independent circuit . He was contracted to WWE , working under the ring name Damien Sandow . He is a former FCW 15 Champion and FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with Titus O ' Neil . He previously appearanced on WWE ' s SmackDown ! brand as Idol Stevens , and he has also competed for Ohio Valley Wrestling and Puerto Rico ' s World Wrestling Council . Since his release from WWE , Haddad wrestles as Aaron Stevens . Career . World Wrestling Entertainment ( 2001 – 2007 ) . Ohio Valley Wrestling . Stevens signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) after receiving numerous try - out matches on " Heat " against opponents such as Stevie Richards , Team Angle , Johnny Nitro and Maven . He also worked an angle where he had his fingers " broken " by Raven on " Heat " . He later was reassigned to WWE ' s developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling ( OVW ) , dubbed Aaron " The Idol " Stevens . At a house show in 2004 , Stevens and Nova beat Chris Cage and Tank Toland to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship . On January 4 , 2006 , Stevens won the OVW Television Championship after replacing Ken Doane in a three - way dance with Brent Albright and then - champion CM Punk . Doane was injured halfway through the match and Stevens came out to replace him . After interference from Punk , who was eliminated earlier in the match by Albright , Stevens was able to pin Albright to win the title . At the March 8 television taping , Paul Burchill cost Stevens the Television Championship against Seth Skyfire . SmackDown ! On August 4 , 2006 , Stevens made his " SmackDown ! " debut as " Idol Stevens " when he was introduced ( along with KC James ) by Michelle McCool as one of her favorite " Teachers Pets " . The two went on to defeat Funaki and Scotty 2 Hotty with the help of McCool . The following week , Stevens and James defeated WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London and Brian Kendrick in a non - title match . On the August 18 show , Stevens and James ambushed the Tag Team Champions . The two teams began feuding , with London and Kendrick bringing in Ashley Massaro to counteract McCool . The feud also briefly encompassed the team of Jamie Noble and Kid Kash , who also wanted a Tag Team title shot . Stevens and James got their Tag Team Championship shot against the tandem at No Mercy on October 8 , but failed to win the titles . Soon after , both Stevens and James were taken off television and sent back to Ohio Valley Wrestling . Return to OVW and release . After being removed from the " SmackDown ! " roster when Michelle McCool was hospitalized , Stevens returned to OVW . On March 14 , 2007 he defeated Paul Burchill to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship . On May 9 , however , Burchill defeated Stevens to regain the OVW Championship . On June 8 , Stevens defeated Burchill in a Number One OVW Heavyweight Contendership match . Unfortunately , Stevens would not get to use his title shot due to being released only a few weeks later on August 6 . Independent circuit ; World Wrestling Council ( 2008 – 2010 ) . Idol returned to OVW once again on November 12 , 2008 surprising and defeating OVW Heavyweight Champion , Anthony Bravado , in a non - title bout . This win guaranteed him a title shot . On November 26 , he won the Championship , becoming a two time champion . He lost the title to Vaughn Lilas at the January 14 , 2009 television taping . Idol returned to Puerto Rico , but in a different promotion , the World Wrestling Council , where he was the " protegido " of Jose Chaparro and a member of the " American Family " . He debuted on February 28 , 2009 , defeating Angel . He defeated BJ for the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship , before losing it to Shane Sewell . On August 15 , 2009 , Stevens and Shawn Spears defeated Thunder and Lightning to become the new WWC World Tag Team Champions . Later Stevens feuded with Shawn Spears which ended at " Euphoria 2010 " . Stevens won the WWC Tag Team Champion with King Tonga Jr . by defeating Thunder and Lightning . On October 31 Stevens and Spears lost the Tag Team Championship back to Thunder and Lightning . On February 20 , 2010 , Chicano named Stevens his new Tag Team Championship partner to replace Bryan . On March 13 Thunder and Lightning defeated Stevens and Chicano to win the titles . After Stevens regained the titles with King Tonga Jr . , the duo lost them to " Los Aerios " ( Carlitos and Hiram Tua ) on April 24 , 2010 . Stevens regained the Tag Team Championship from " Los Aerios " on June 11 , 2010 , this time teaming with Abbad and lost it to Thunder and Lightning in a three - way match , also involving BJ and Chicano , on July 11 , 2010 . Return to WWE . Florida Championship Wrestling ( 2010 – 2012 ) . On July 14 , 2010 , it was reported that Stevens had signed a new developmental deal with the WWE , and had changed his ring name to Damien Sandow . On December 3 , Sandow won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship with Titus O ' Neill by defeating Xavier Woods and Mason Ryan in a match for the vacant championship . They lost the championship to Richie Steamboat and Seth Rollins on March 25 , 2011 . After losing the title , Sandow turned on O ' Neill and joined the group formed by Lucky Cannon , Aksana and Maxine . On September 22 , Sandow defeated Seth Rollins to win the FCW 15 Championship . On December 6 , prior to the " WWE SmackDown " tapings , Sandow was given a tryout dark match against Yoshi Tatsu , but lost . On January 13 , 2012 , Sandow lost the FCW 15 Championship to Richie Steamboat . SmackDown ( 2012 ) . On the April 6 episode of " SmackDown " , the character of Damien Sandow debuted in a pre - taped interview denouncing today ' s pop culture and extolling his virtues . After weeks of promos , Sandow made his debut on the 4th of May edition of Smackdown against Derrick Bateman but before the match got started , Sandow refused to compete against Bateman and claimed that he was a " ignoramus " . Sandow competed in the 2012 World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank match but did not win . Sandow also was present at WWE Hell in a Cell competing for the WWE Tag Team Championship along with Cody Rhodes against team Hell No . Feud with Sheamus ( 2013 ) . During the early half of 2013 , Sandow began engaging in a rivalry with Sheamus conducting a series of in - ring competitions ideally based on a theme of intelligence which he continued to illustrate during every appearance he made involving Sheamus . On June 17 , at Payback , Sandow lost to Sheamus in their pre - show match . The following night on " Raw " , Sandow teamed with his partner Cody Rhodes in a 2 - on - 1 match against Sheamus . During that same week on the June 21st episode of " Friday Night Smackdown " Sandow attended ring - side during the Cody Rhodes match against Sheamus . After the pin by Sheamus , Sandow ambushed him . On June 24 , during " Monday Night Raw " , Sandow and Rhodes teamed to face Sheamus and the returning Christian in a losing effort after Sandow tagged out to Rhodes , causing a confusing transition leaving Rhodes vulnerable to Sheamus ' " Brogue Kick " and pin . Sandow was announced to face Sheamus again in a " " Dublin Street Fight " " match on " Smackdown " . During the opening half - hour of the July 3 episode " WWE Main Event " , Sandow faced Christian in a losing singles match , preparing themselves for their matches at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay - per - view . Sandow , along with several other fellow " heel " wrestlers including Wade Barrett , Dean Ambrose , Jack Swagger , Fandango , Cody Rhodes , Antonio Cesaro competed in a " Money in the Bank Ladder Match " for a contract for the World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank . Sandow would go on to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match on July 14 . Money in the Bank and Losing Streak ( 2013 - 2014 ) . The following night on the July 15 episode of Raw , Sandow wrestled Christian in a losing singles match before being attacked by Cody Rhodes . that same week during the July 19 edition of " Smackdown " , Sandow went to the ring , offering Rhodes both forgiveness for Rhodes ' attack and the role of being " protector of the Case " referring to guarding the Money in the Bank briefcase . Rhodes rejected the offer and went on to attack Sandow again . During the opening hour of the July 26 episode of " Smackdown " , airing from Corpus Christi , Texas , Sandow faced Randy Orton in a singles match , which was intruded upon by Rhodes when he came to ringside and took Sandow ' s " Money in the Bank " briefcase . Sandow was distracted by this and lost the match to Orton while Rhodes walked out with the briefcase . For the duration of that night , Sandow went on to question every person backstage he could find , in his attempt to locate Rhodes and his briefcase . The night concluded with Rhodes tossing Sanow ' s briefcase into the " Gulf of Mexico " further solidying the feud between Rhodes and Sandow . They met at SummerSlam on August 18 , in a match won by Rhodes . The following night during the opening hour of Raw , Rhodes again defeated Sandow . On the August 26 episode of Raw , Sandow attended ringside during the intended Cody Rhodes vs Fandango match . After the distraction of The Miz and Rosa Mendes dressed as Fandango and Summer Rae , Fandango was defeated by Rhodes . Then Fandango attacked Rhodes , prompting Sandow to join in . The Miz helped fight off both men , leading to Raw GM Brad Maddox to declare an impromptu tag match between the opposing sides . Sandow was beaten after Fandango walked out on him , watching the match conclusion from the stage area . On the October 28 episode of Raw , Damien Sandow cashed in his money in the bank contract on Raw , on the World Heavyweight Champion John Cena , and lost . He became the first superstar ever to lose their cash - in match , becoming the second superstar to not win the title , behind Cena . On the December 2 edition of " Raw , " Sandow defeated Dolph ziggler to become the # 1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship . However , Langston was able to defeat him at to retain the title . At the Royal Rumble , Sandow entered the Royal Rumble match at # 3 and was the first man eliminated in the match by CM Punk . After the Royal Rumble , Sandow began losing quicker and more frequently going as far as to lose in a single minute to Sin Cara . This is noted quite frequently by commentator , JBL who brought to light Sandow ' s losing streak and downward spiral . This culminated on April 14 when he was scheduled to face off with Big Show , but opted instead to cut a promo on how he deserved and had earned the right to be World Champion and the admiration of the fans , he was quickly knocked unconscious with a single punch . Two weeks later , Sandow confronted both Dolph Ziggler and actor , Hugh Jackman ; who was promoting X - Men : Days of Future Past , dressed as main antagonist Magneto . Sandow professed his control over magnets and even tried to use telekinesis to lift the microphone from Jackman ' s hand — he was instead hip tossed and given a Zig - Zag . On the May 12 " Raw " and on its pre - show , Sandow started delivering worked shoot comments displaying his apparent dissatisfaction at his position in WWE , resulting in his microphone being turned off . Sandow continued to make similar comments with allusions to being handcuffed . After that , Sandow continued to role - play and wrestle as a different character each week , including as Magneto , Sherlock Holmes , Davy Crockett , a rapper called D - Sizzle , Lance Stephenson , and Pete Rose . Alliance with The Miz ( 2014 - 2015 ) . From August , Sandow formed an alliance with The Miz , who had a movie star persona . Sandow became Miz ' s " stunt double " , Damien " Mizdow " . At Night of Champions in September , Sandow ' s interference helped Miz win the Intercontinental Championship from Dolph Ziggler , but a day later , Miz lost his title back to Ziggler in a rematch on Raw . His portrayals of The Miz , which include performing every move The Miz does whilst he wrestles , has brought him a huge fan support , with " Miz - dow " chants evident throughout all of The Miz ' s matches . On October 14 , on Main Event , he expanded his repertoire , imitating Sheamus on Miz TV , handing over the United States Championship before The Celtic Warrior interrupted him . However , he continued to imitate Sheamus as he spoke , leading to a Clothesline and Brogue Kick . At Survivor Series , Mizdow and Miz won a Fatal 4 - Way tag team match by defeating defending champions Gold and Stardust , The Usos and Los Matadores to capture the WWE Tag Team Championship , making it the first ever title he has won in WWE . On the December 29 episode of " Raw " , they lost the titles to The Usos . In the same night he was defeated by the debuting Ascension . The WWE Universe quickly began to embrace the stunt double , chanting “ We want Mizdow ” during Miz ’ s matches , though , causing Miz to fire him after they lost the titles to The Usos and to rehire him as a personal assistant . Despite the demotion , Mizdow earned a spot in a “ Niagara ” commercial , inadvertently embarrassing his ” A - list ” boss in the process . At WrestleMania 31 , Mizdow stunned the WWE Universe by quitting his job as Miz ' s assistant and eliminating the Awesome One from the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal . He would then be eliminated by Big Show , who ultimately won the Battle Royal . Mizdow ( now accompanied by The Miz ' s " " co - star Summer Rae ) then feuded with The Miz over the next several weeks , trading victories on " Raw " before challenging Miz to a match for the rights to the Miz brand on the April 20th episode of " Raw " . The Miz won the match after Summer Rae betrayed Mizdow by raking him in the eyes , allowing Miz to hit the Skull - Crushing Finale and pick up the win . As a result of the loss , Mizdow returned to his former name , Damien Sandow . Teaming with Curtis Axel and return to singles competition ( 2015 - 2016 ) . On the April 27 edition of " Raw " , Sandow was thanking the fans for their support when he was interrupted by Curtis Axel . Axel , who himself had been mimicking Hulk Hogan , attempted to insult Sandow , only for Sandow to repeatedly parrot what he was saying , much to Axel ' s annoyance . Axel attempted to attack Sandow , only for Sandow to get the upper hand , hitting him with a Hogan - style big boot and leg drop and running him off . Sandow ' s parroting was further introduced as a part of his new character on the April 30 episode of " SmackDown " , as he repeated ring announcer JoJo ' s introductions before defeating Curtis Axel . He also began being referred to as the " new " Damien Sandow . On the May 5 episode of " Main Event " , Sandow began impersonating Randy Savage , calling himself Macho Mandow , in a match against Axel . The Ascension attacked Sandow and Axel during their match . On May 11 , Sandow formed an alliance with Axel ( parodying The Mega Powers ) after the Ascension again attacked during a rematch . The Meta Powers lost a tag team match to the Ascension at Payback . On the September 15 , Sandow defeated Adam Rose in a dark match prior to " Smackdown " . He came out wearing his old blue robe and ring attire . However , he wrestled as a face instead of a heel . On November 13 , Damien Sandow made his return on television on Main Event , this time having completely reverted to his ' Intellectual Saviour of the Masses ' gimmick and defeated Heath Slater . He was released from his WWE contract on May 6 , 2016 . Return to the independent circuit ( 2016 ) . After being released from WWE , Haddad announced on his official Twitter account that he would once again be taking independent bookings , returning to his Aaron Stevens ring name because the name Damien Sandow was trademarked by WWE . He said he " took select dates " for wrestling , wanting to " say thank you to the fans " , " to meet them , and have a chance to talk to them " . His first independent appearance will be on June 11 at a co - promoted show organized by Global Force Wrestling ( GFW ) and WrestlePro , where he will face Colt Cabana . Haddad is also booked to make his Warriors of Wrestling debut on August 6 and his Tier 1 Wrestling debut the following day on August 7 . In June 14th 2016 , Haddad signed for WCPW and fought on July 27th and July 28th , first fighting Doug Williams to become the no 1 contender for the WCPW Championship , in which he won and went against then champion Big Damo . Damo sucsefully defended the belt . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( 2016 – present ) . On August 10 , 2016 , Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) , released a promo teasing the acquisition of Stevens . On the August 11 , 2016 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Stevens made his debut under the ring name Aron Rex , cutting a promo in the ring and confronting the TNA World Heavyweight , X Division and King of the Mountain Champion Lashley at the end of the show . A week later , he announced that he would be the special guest referee in the No . 1 contender ' s match between Ethan Carter III and Drew Galloway . At the end of that match , he would be attacked by Galloway over his frustrations due to losing the match . The next week , after Galloway explained his actions , Aron would interrupt him and brawl with him before being separated by officials , thus igniting a feud between the two . Rex would then enter himself in the inaugural TNA Grand Championship tournament where he made his debut match on the September 15 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , defeating Trevor Lee . The next week , he would defeat Eli Drake in the semi - finals and go on to face rival Drew Galloway in the finals of the tournament at Bound for Glory . But due to Galloway ' s injury , his semi - finals opponent Eddie Edwards took his spot and faced Rex instead . Rex would go on to win the championship at bound for glory by split decision . On the October 20th episode of Impact during a segment of " Fact of Life " with Eli Drake , Rex showed signs of a heel turn by saying that he was the man on Impact , ( having defeated current world champion Eddie Edwards to win the Impact Grand Championship ) and insulting Jessie Godderz , steaming from a controversial win Rex had won the previous week ) . The segment was interrupted by EC3 who attacked Drake , during the struggle , Rex attacked EC3 , after being knocked down by the former in his attempt to attack Drake , confirming his heel turn . The double team attack was stopped however by Jessie Godderz who began fighting Rex . On December 1 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , during a Open Challenge for the Impact Grand Championship , Moose defeated Rex . Moose successfully retained his title against Aron Rex in a rematch the following week . New gimmick ( 2017 – present ) . After a hiatus , Rex returned on the January 12 , 2017 episode of " Impact Wrestling " debuting a Liberace - inspired character , with a new clean shaven look and sporting plucked eyebrows , lip gloss , a fur coat , naked trunks and over sized rings on all fingers , along with Rockstar Spud as his new manager . He would cut a promo before being interrupted by Robbie E where he would attack Robbie while claiming that the " # 1 rule to being ' Rexcellent ' is violence is not the answer . "