Let me start this by prefacing two facts about myself:
1) I didn't see any of the original Tough Enough series due to not watching wresting at the time (shocking I know!)
2) I am not a fan of reality TV
With that in tow, you'd think there's no way I'd enjoy Tough Enough right? Actually, you'd be wrong.
As you probably know, I watch Raw at my buddy's house, a tradition we started back in 1998. These days, with both of us into adulthood, the end of Raw signals my cue to head on home. This week had Tough Enough on right after Raw so I figured I'd miss a bit. Lucky for me, USA was showing it 3 straight times!
I watched it the second time around so I could get the full effect of the show and it was quite interesting to say the least.
For starters, the star power in this incarnation was infinitely greater than the last. Even if I was avidly into wrestling in 2002 (I had taken a break due to having my intelligence insulted), I'm not so sure that Bill DeMott and Al Snow would have drawn me in. Thus, choosing Stone Cold Steve Austin to host the show was a great idea by the WWE and gives this incarnation instant credibility.
And he's funny too!
What's great about this show is that Stone Cold gets to be loud, crude, and honest. It makes things feel real and he steals the show in that manner. Of course, there's still Bill DeMott who is your typical bully with a great sense of humor. The staff has shown that humorous to the audience and tough on the kids makes for a greatly entertaining show.
As for the cast, it's certainly a good thing that most of them have some wrestling training. To watch people learn the basics would probably be boring, but watching them master the craft and get ragged on for dogging it is much better. I don't love the cast in the sense that most of them don't LOOK like stars, but at least you can see that most of them have some sort of training in the ring and that helps.
Of course, there's people like Ariane who thankfully was eliminated already. She was obnoxious and just had the wrong attitude for the show. This is why I hate reality shows, I always find people on them that just piss me off! With that said, I'm excited to see how these people progress moving foward.
I could do without the house stuff though. I hate that about all other reality shows and I don't want to see it here. Give me the stuff in training, give me the pros talking about who to eliminate and give me the elimination. If there's more than two minutes of footage from the house, I won't be a happy camper.
Overall though, I found this show to be very entertaining. It was fun and certainly something different to watch while still relating to wrestling. The problem I have moving forward is that it airs at 8PM and I work then! I've heard it will air at 11 after Raw as well and if that's the case, I'll talk about it every week. If not, it will be tough for me to follow but I am going to do it. This show, unlike the newer incarnations of NXT, is worth following and I recommend it to everyone. If a guy like me can like it, I think most people can. Go and watch it!
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