Will Damien Sandow Reach the Next Level in WWE?

There are a lot of assumptions in pro wrestling—one of which is that Damien Sandow will develop into a top WWE superstar one day.

But you know what they say about assuming, right? When you assume, you make “an (non-PG word) out of you and me.”

Perhaps we should stop assuming about “The Intellectual Savior of the Masses” then.

Anytime you read a wrestling blog or news site, you’re bound to hear something good about Sandow. Some say Sandow “is the future” while others think “he’s ready to be in the main event.”

Whether or not he actually lives up to that hype, however, is a bit of a mystery.

After all, there have been countless superstars who have walked into the WWE, made an instant impact and been labeled a future breakout star. Only, we usually see those stars fade to the bottom of the card or even leave the company altogether.

A guy like Drew McIntyre was labeled “The Chosen One” only a few short years ago. Now, he’s slipped into near irrelevancy as an overlooked member of the comedic stable 3MB.

Similarly, who thought that Ted DiBiase would fall so far down the totem pole that he doesn’t even appear on TV these days? Better yet, who thought after Kofi Kingston’s 2009 feud with Randy Orton that he’d still be stuck in the midcard in 2013?

McIntyre, DiBiase and Kingston serve as proof that—no matter what you think a certain superstar will accomplish—nothing is a given in the WWE.

That’s true for Sandow, too.

Yes, he certainly appears to have all the tools. He’s got a unique gimmick, a charming personality, charisma, a good look and the ever-so-important in-ring skills as well.

But as we’ve learned from so many superstars in the past, that guarantees nothing in the constantly changing WWE.

Superstars who aren’t all that great, such as Ryback, can get pushed to the top of the card. Meanwhile, superstars who are incredibly talented, such as Cody Rhodes, can sort of just float around in the midcard.

Sandow should be used in the main event picture or at least at the tip top of the upper midcard. But after seeing how he’s been used over the last six-plus months, the chances of that actually happening seem highly unlikely.

Unsurprisingly, Sandow has been used just like most of the WWE’s other midcard heels: as someone who puts over the company’s biggest babyfaces.

It’s honestly difficult to even recall the last time Sandow won a singles match. Ditto for him in tag team competition, where he and Cody Rhodes have really served as nothing more than a team for Team Hell No to beat.

As a result, the WWE has turned Sandow into a loser of a heel in a company that’s already full of them. That can’t bode too well for his future.

Even though the WWE doesn’t want to realize or admit this, booking a superstar to lose too much hurts his appeal. That’s why Ryback is in a major slump and why—despite being one of the most talented superstars in the company—Antonio Cesaro is essentially a joke these days.

Sandow is no different from Cesaro or Ryback.

He loses all the time, and the more he loses, the less accepting the fans will be of him as a top-tier superstar. It’s simple logic that says that.

WWE officials can be “high on Sandow” all they want. They can think he’s a future star, they can have huge expectations for him, and they can try to make him seem important.

The fact remains, however, that Sandow will only be treated like and receive the reactions of a top superstar when the WWE chooses to truly push him like one. Now, though, the company has to dig Sandow out of the hole he’s been buried in for the better part of a year.

Until that happens, Sandow won’t reach the next level in the WWE.

Instead, he’ll just be another guy who should have made a huge splash, but—thanks to the creative team—ultimately never did.

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter!