USA Network officials are said to be upset with WWE over Tough Enough. First, they feel like the popularity of pro wrestling is going down because of the recent drop in ratings.

They also think that the format of Tough Enough being taped and live doesn’t work because the judges don’t have enough time to make fair decisions. Fans are only given a few minutes to vote instead of a day or a week. USA believes this leads to poor word-of-mouth.

USA enjoyed the last season of the show because they felt Steve Austin was a “dynamic presence” with enough charisma to carry the season. It’s believe that Chris Jericho “comes off as a game show host”. USA doesn’t blame Jericho, they feel that it’s because of the format of the show. They think the show itself looks like a game show instead of a reality TV competition.

USA is also worried that the last two winners of Tough Enough, Daniel Puder and Andy Leavine, were released by WWE before ever doing anything. They feel like winning the show means nothing, which is why fans don’t seem to care.

Credit: The Wrestling Observer via Rajah

^well the "winning doesn't matter" part is true...
You see... Maven, Nidia, Jackie, Kenny King, Ryback, Matt Morgan, Matt Cappotelli, Daniel Puder (a winner) Andy Leavine (another winner), Luke Robinson (runner-up), Nick Mitchell ("Mitch" from Spirit Squad), The Boogeyman (who was EVEN disqualified) and Cameron (who managed to be eliminated in the first round). All these were either Winners that ended up "released", runner-ups that ended up released OR hired, or "eliminations" that got hired (for fuck knows why) or are either relevant in the WWE or in other promotions.

And then we have The Miz: a Runner-up that even had the WWE title and headlined Wrestlemania. Again: A Runner-Up, not a winning contestant.


The only "winner" that stood out and could make the actual T.E. seem "relevant" could be John Morrison. He's the only one that ended up winning the thing and being relevant for some time, despite WWE dropping the ball several times with him. IMO the best wrestler they've created through Tough Enough.

I honestly can't see any of the current roster being relevant five years from now. I'd love for them to prove me wrong, but even the stand-outs from this season feel like people WWE would give up on before they ever got a real chance.