I’m reluctant to even categorize this as news, because really, it’s more like anti-news. As you know, WWE has pulled out all the stops in securing an all star cast of trainers for the newest season of Tough Enough. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin – arguably the greatest entertainer to ever step foot in a WWE ring. Booker T – a six-time World Champion. Trish Stratus – THE greatest women’s wrestler in the history of the industry. Well, news broke yesterday of who the fourth trainer on the series will be, and it comes as bit of a shock to me.
Bill DeMott, better known to many of us as Hugh Morrus. Hell, some of you might even prefer General Rection. He’s worked for WWE as a trainer in their Deep South territory, and sure, he was even one of the trainers on Tough Enough during the show’s initial run. But, I don’t know, it just seems like a drastic step down from the other announced trainers. The return of Trish on Sunday was truly exciting, and I was really looking forward to seeing who else might take up the reigns as Tough Enough trainers – whoever they were, they’d be top notch talents for sure. This just seems anticlimactic. If there’s a fifth trainer, I’d like to think it could be a Chris Jericho or a JBL, but after this announcement, I feel like we’re just as likely to get a Chavo Guerrero Jr. or a Maven. Sigh.
The only logic I can find in this is the fact that DeMott might be the only true trainer among the group. I doubt Austin or Booker really want to teach the rookies how to perform an arm bar. The 3 other trainers are superstars, so having DeMott gives the contestants a less intimidating mentor. While underwhelming to a degree, it should improve the quality of the show and the talent in the long run.