First I want to start by saying that as much as I’ve always despised “reality based television”, I was totally opposed to Tough Enough, but after I watched the Casting Audition and the first episode, I actually liked it. However, what I do not like, and what I think might hurt the winners down the line, is the fact that in 2 ½ months or so, these contestants were trained to wrestle, and they were basically pampered, while it took guys like Mick Foley 15 years to become a WWF superstar, Tazz 13 years, etc. I mean these people were handed everything. But I’ll address that more a little later on.
All in all, things panned out pretty much the way I expected them to, especially with the women. Taylor, Nidia, and Paulina were the only women who showed any real desire or anything from the very beginning. Victoria and Bobbie Jo were both not cut out for it at all, especially Bobbie Jo. Paulina had the desire but she seemed clumsy and that eventually caused an injury she where she could not continue. On top of that, she reminded me way too much of Chyna, just her voice and whatnot, so I scratched her off early. Nidia and Taylor both seemed fairly tough, and they both definitely had the desire.
Both of those girls showed fairly even skills as far as wrestling, but I thought that Taylor’s toughness was more pronounced than Nidia’s, which would be a big plus for anyone wanting to be a wrestler, considering the injuries and such that are bound to occur, and most of the time have to be worked through. I also, quite frankly, found Taylor more attractive physically, which meant to me that I’d rather look at her on WWF programming, and also would mean more marketability once she is actually in the WWF. So, I was expecting Taylor to win, but Nidia will do fine. I just hope Taylor doesn’t give up; I want to see her go ahead and keep trying for it, through a wrestling school or whatever.
On the male side of things, I wasn’t as clear. I knew Daryl would be the first to go. I knew that Shadrick wouldn’t be far behind because he was hurting himself. I didn’t see the other Chris going too far and I wasn’t sure about Gregg since he wasn’t one of the original cast members. I knew that Maven and Josh would probably do pretty well, I knew Harvard Chris had the size, but I thought that Jason would get much farther than he did. Triple H got to him, and it’s a good thing too, he would have lasted as far as physically, and would have been a waste of time if he wouldn’t have accepted the lifestyle. I figured as the end drew near that it would be Josh or Maven, but I was pulling for Maven. However, I wondered if Chris’ larger size might have helped him since he was bigger than Maven or Josh. Fortunately, I was right, Maven won. Chris’ shitty attitude, at least in my opinion, is what screwed him over, and Josh’s size did it for him. Maven was the fan favorite, if you couldn’t tell by his name being chanted as he accepted the Tough Enough trophy. Good choice on the men though. I wouldn’t mind seeing Josh keep trying, but I hope Chris just disappears. I wish Tazz would have whipped out the Tazzmission on that bitch when he was interviewing him at the end of the show.
The future? Who knows. I foresee some possible tension with the winners in the locker room due to resentment. I mean honestly, if you were one of these guys who worked so hard for years and years to make it to the WWF, and especially if you’re struggling on the mid or lower card, wouldn’t you resent someone who had won a contract on a fancy game show? These contestants lived in a huge, nice house in a rich neighborhood. They got to meet established stars regularly, they were trained by established stars, and if they were even on the show they basically had instant name value. I mean, you ask someone who they’d rather watch wrestle; Essa Rios or Josh from Tough Enough, I think they’ll say Josh. Besides that, these kids got a fu**ing Caribbean vacation halfway through the training! How easy can it be?! I’m not saying they didn’t have to work hard, just not nearly as hard as the people who have come before them. But, everyone seemed to enjoy this show, and it’s possible that there will be little bitterness backstage toward the winners. Only time will tell. Will they be stars? At least for awhile. The thought of Tough Enough 2 already being basically underway irritates me, as it’s not like the WWF doesn’t have a full enough roster or like they need more talent. They could have let Tough Enough 1 be a one time thing for now, but no. We’ll see, I don’t know that it’s such a good idea to already have a sequel in the works.
All in all, I enjoyed Tough Enough, and I was pleased with the outcome, except for Taylor not winning. It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds not only just for the two winners, but the other three as well.
Until next time…
