Almost 10 years ago, the then WWF had a novel idea. With business at a peak, risk could be taken, so they tried a concept that had never been done before. Amidst the reality TV craze came wrestling's version, Tough Enough.
Conceptually, the idea was sound. Put a bunch of wannabe wrestler's on TV and have them compete in competitions with the winner receiving a developmental contract. With TV contact in hand, it all seemed to be a great idea.
Of course, much like American Idol and other competition shows, there is always controversy with the winner, and it's not always the person who wins that ends up shining. In fact, the first winner was Maven, who was hotshotted to TV, but due to his lack of experience was off within 2 years and never heard from again.
The concept lasted about 4 years and was finally put to rest. Now, much like the kayfabe lives of the Undertaker and Paul Bearer, the dead will rise again!
Speculation had run rampant that the Tough Enough concept would be returning to the WWE Universe, but until today, that couldn't be confirmed. Now we have the details.
"LOS ANGELES – USA Network has given a 10-episode order to “WWE Tough Enough,” a non-scripted series in collaboration with World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. and Shed Media US. “WWE Tough Enough,” slated to debut April 4, 2011, will feature a group of 12 individuals looking for a once-in-a-lifetime shot to become the next WWE Superstar or Diva. The grand prize winner will be awarded a contract with WWE, joining its roster of talent.
“WWE Tough Enough” will premiere at 11/10 p.m. CT the day after WrestleMania XXVII and immediately following USA’s ratings juggernaut Monday Night Raw. It will then move to its regularly scheduled slot, Mondays at 8/7 p.m. CT, starting on April 11th.
The diverse group of men and women will live and train together in a house in Los Angeles. To see who has what it takes to be the next WWE Superstar or Diva, the contestants will battle it out each week in a series of unique challenges designed to test for such characteristics as showmanship, creativity, athleticism and desire, just to name a few. Each episode will feature a current WWE Superstar, who will introduce the contenders to a quality that they must possess to make it to the top of the sports-entertainment world. Along the way, viewers will witness the trials and tribulations of what it takes to be one of the best in the world’s greatest sports-entertainment organization. Each episode will conclude with the elimination of one of the hopefuls who is left outside of the ring, while those that remain will move one step closer to their dream. In the final episode, the remaining contestants will battle it out for the grand prize."-from WWE.com press release As you can probably tell, the 10 episode order signifies a trial run for round 2 of the Tough Enough concept. Will it work the second time around? Quite honestly, I wasn't a big fan of the first incarnation. I'm not a big reality show guy (other than the biggest loser, which would be great to do a wrestling version with guys like Viscera, Samoa Joe, Mark Henry, etc.), but as far as a wrestling reality show is concerned, it's a weird concept. WWE still in some ways believes that some people think what they do is real, so doing a "reality" version of what should be "real" seems kind of off. Also, while Tough Enough introduced wrestling viewers to such talents as Matt Morgan, Skip Sheffield (Ryan Reaves at the time), and others, I'm a bit old school in believing that for the most part, guys are more successful when they have to pay their dues the old fashioned way. Work the bingo halls and the 50 person arenas before getting noticed, then bust your ass in devleopmental before getting the call up and then bust your ass some more once you are finally on TV. I know that many who did participate in the show worked very hard, but I still would rather see guys get in the business the old fashioned way. Maybe it's irony or maybe it's planned, but the announcement for the new installment of Tough Enough comes on the day that two former Tough Enough Contestants battle it out for the WWE Championship. John Hennigan (John Morrison) won season 3, while Mike Mizanin (The Miz) came in second in season 4. Both are definite success stories, but that is more the exception than the rule. Morrison is actually the only winner still wrestling, while only a couple of competitors outside of the Miz are actually still wrestlers. Perhaps this new show will find us the next Miz or Morrison, but if NXT didn't work with guys who are actually signed to WWE and have notable talent, I'm not sure I see this working. I'll give it a chance, but I don't hold out high hopes. It still takes a unique talent to make it, and whether that talent gets on TV for 10 episodes on a reality show or not, I don't think it matters. Work your ass off, it's the only solution in "reality".
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