An array of personas will take over the Bryce Jordan Center tonight during the WWE Raw World Tour.
One of these personas to take the wrestling mat at 7:30 p.m. will be that of an intellectual snob, played by WWE superstar Damien Sandow.
Sandow has adopted this persona to distinguish himself in the ring and educate and enlighten those who come to see him wrestle.
Tonight, Sandow will face off against Brodus Clay. But Sandow said he will engage not only in a battle with Clay, but also in a “battle with society, in a battle with the very moral values of our times.”
Sandow has been competing with WWE since April of this year, but he believes he has already made a considerable impact upon the organization.
Bernie Punt, BJC director of marketing and sales, wrote in an email that the WWE Raw superstars visited the BJC two years ago.
“We get hundreds of requests every month to bring back the WWE,” Punt wrote. “So by popular demand, here they are!”
Sandow said in recent years, WWE has become an “incredible fan experience” to attend a live event. Music, fan interaction and even celebrities have become a part of the WWE. Sandow said sometimes, viewers can use Twitter hashtags to vote for what types of matches they want to see next.
When attending the WWE Raw tour, “you never know exactly what you’re going to get,” Sandow said, “but you know you’re going to get more than what you paid for.”
Having previously competed on independent circuits, Sandow said viewers can’t equate WWE to other wrestling organizations, or even other forms of entertainment.
“There is no question that WWE is the absolute world leader in our form of entertainment,” he said. “WWE is a form of entertainment unto itself.”
In addition to Sandow’s match against Clay, CM Punk will face Big Show for the WWE Championship. Rey Mysterio will also face The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship.
Sandow, keeping persona for the duration of the interview, said he believes he has more at stake than the wrestlers who will compete in championship matches.
He said he approaches each town he visits with the “same zeal and tenacity” that he does with every other town.
“I try to better humanity as a whole. That is literally one town at a time,” he said. “Every night is the first night of my career. Every night, people’s lives are at stake. Every night, my crusade for enlightenment will be fought.”
Daniel Curry is one Penn State student whom Sandow will try to “enlighten.” He wrote in an email that he is looking forward to attending WWE Raw.
Curry (junior-information sciences and technology) said he always watched wrestling as a kid with his brothers and uncle and is most looking forward to seeing Rey Mysterio.
