As we know by now, WWE has decided to bring back WWE Tough Enough for a new season. The original idea in 2014 was to bring it back as part of the WWE Network . WWE loved the idea for the show, as fans seemed into it years back on USA Network. However, WWE didn’t do another, despite USA asking for another season. The show turned out no one of note, barring the WWE Diva we know now as Cameron. The winner, Andy Leavine, was released by WWE within a year of “winning” the show. The interesting part is that he was already under a WWE developmental deal, as were a few others on the show.
WWE fans saw right through this, as the show seemed rigged from the beginning. However, the format of the show is said to be changing. According to Daily Wrestling News , the show is going to be more like the American Idol TV series. Don’t worry though — there won’t be singing and judging panels that make no sense. Rather, the show is said to based on live voting, like Idol . So instead of the show taking people out on Steve Ausin’s call, America will vote on who goes home in the end as well as who wins.
We did get to vote on the winner in 2011, but the show had a catch: Austin would see America’s vote and judge based on it. He could always go another way. He obviously went the other way, as runner up Luke Robinson was the big favorite. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon wanted Andy Leavine to win, and thus, he did.
This season, the show will be featuring a lot of live segments. So we might get to see live matches to help decide on who we want to see featured for another week. This report is held up a lot due to what the USA Network previously claimed about the show. USA Network President Chris McCumber had this to say about the return of WWE Tough Enough last week.
“I am pleased to announce that USA is bringing back ‘Tough Enough,’ the action-packed competition reality show from the ratings juggernaut, WWE, The show will have a completely new format, with live elements that will truly make this event television.”
A lot of the show will be shot in the WWE Performance Center, which means we might see a lot of the NXT trainers. Bill Demott will certainly be a main part of the show, and it is said that Stone Cold will come back to host. Like the past season, the contestants will still live in a house together. However, the show won’t be as rigged this time around. WWE will be trying to get Indy workers in like before, but they also want people with no experience, like the original concept. Having people already under developmental deals join the show would be see-through, as fans know them from any work they might do in NXT.
A talent can still be signed whether they win or not. As we’ve seen before with Tough Enough and the WWE Diva Search , the winners of the show aren’t the only ones who might get an opportunity. John Morrison didn’t win, and neither did Melina or Ryback. Notable TNA talents like Matt Morgan and Kenny King also had appearances on the show. So Tough Enough can be a launching pad even for those who get voted out.
It seemed like WWE wanted Andy Leavine to win because they promised a WWE contract to the winner. With Andy already under contract, it was easier to have him win than have another person added into the mix. So the entire season was wrong to fans, and if they get the chance to vote, WWE cannot screw fans out of the people they want to see.
The show is expected to be back on the USA Network relatively soon, as it is said that filming has already begun. So most would imagine it would start post- WrestleMania , but we won’t see any live segments for a while. Similar to American Idol, we might have periods of time where we have to sift through certain people to get to a final 10 or so. Then live segments can begin.
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