The 10 Most Successful Tough Enough Alumni

WWE’s original reality series, Tough Enough, returns tonight after Raw on the USA Network.  This revival will be the show’s fifth season, and it’ll mark the first time since 2003 that Tough Enough has been its own series rather than being included as part of regular WWE programming.  The first time around on MTV was memorable from the outset, but lost a little bit of steam as it went along.  Regardless, the original run of Tough Enough churned out some good talent into the wrestling world.  So, I present to you, the ten most successful alumni of the show…

10. Maven

Maven was the first male winner of Tough Enough, and unfortunately for him, that designation carried with it a burden.  Forever, he’d wear the stigma of being a product of Tough Enough.  While other contestants were able to shake the branding, Maven came to the ring to Tough Enough’s theme music, was engaged in a feud with Tough Enough trainer Al Snow, and was pretty much the poster boy for the show.  He enjoyed a couple of Hardcore title reigns and even eliminated the Undertaker in the 2002 Royal Rumble, but Maven was never able to overcome his association with Tough Enough.  This ultimately led to a stale character and a release from WWE shortly after his initial contract expired.

9. Nidia

Like Maven, Nidia was a Tough Enough season 1 winner.  Upon her debut in the WWE, she initially suffered the same close association with the show that Maven was a victim of, even accompanying him to the ring on occasion.  Nidia, however, was able to cast off the Tough Enough shackles and develop a character on her own.  She worked as the valet and girlfriend of Jamie Noble, and the trailer trash couple were a staple of Smackdown for a while.  Perhaps best remembered for being blinded by Tajiri’s green mist,  Nidia has a longer and more successful WWE career than anyone could have forecast.

8. Skip Sheffield

Skip Sheffield, often referred to by the WWE Universe as the Cornfed Meathead, participated in the fourth season of Tough Enough, otherwise known as the $1,000,000 Tough Enough that took place on Smackdown in 2004.  He competed on the show under his real name, Ryan Reeves, and was one of the last contestants eliminated.  After the show wrapped up, Sheffield honed his craft in WWE’s developmental system until exploding on the scene as part of Nexus last year.  Unfortunately for Skip, he sustained an injury and wasn’t able to rise to the top with the rest of his NXT cast mates, but word is that Vince McMahon is a big supporter of him, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see Sheffield pushed upon his inevitable return.

7. Chris Nowinski

Chris Nowinki may not have won the first season of Tough Enough, but it didn’t make much difference.  He was a charismatic and talented wrestler, and as a result, he forced his way onto the WWE’s main roster anyway.  Nowinski’s career was cut short as a result of post-concussion syndrome, but one has to wonder what he could have accomplished if healthy.  To this day, he is the only Harvard graduate to ever compete in a WWE ring and the youngest Hardcore Champion in the record books.  Since his retirement, he’s authored a book about the dangers of concussions in athletes and founded the Sports Legacy Institute, an organization dedicated to research sports-related head injuries.

6. Kenny King

Kenny King, a product of Tough Enough season 2, has never wrestled in a WWE match, but he’s made quite a name for himself around the independent circuit.  Kenny was one of the four finalists on the second season of Tough Enough, eventually losing out to Linda Miles & Jackie Gayda.  Since then, he’s joined Ring of Honor and formed a successful tag team with Rhett Titus, known collectively as the All Night Xpress.  Together, they’re regular challengers for the tag team belts and are currently big fan favorites with the ROH audience.

5. The Boogeyman

Marty Wright, better known to the wrestling community as the Boogeyman, was originally chosen as one of the eight finalists for Tough Enough season 4.  When he revealed, however, that he was actually 40-years-old, 10 years older than the show’s cutoff, he was eliminated from the competition.  He still managed to find his way into the WWE though, adopting the bizarre gimmick of the Boogeyman.  As the Boogeyman, Wright was known for his eating of worms and his jerky mannerisms.  Maybe best remembered for biting the growth off of Jillian Hall’s face, the Boogeyman stuck around the WWE probably a little bit longer than he should have.  None-the-less, he’s got a WrestleMania win to his credit, and is one of the most successful Tough Enough graduates.

4. Josh Matthews

Josh Matthews has never wrestled a televised match, but that doesn’t mean he’s not one of Tough Enough’s greatest success stories.  Finishing a runner-up to Maven and Nidia in Tough Enough season 1, Matthews took independent bookings for a while before being contracted by WWE as a backstage interviewer.  He’s since joined the commentary team, and has worked his way up from B-shows to Monday Night Raw and even WrestleMania.  Matthews is the only member of the season 1 cast to still be living his dream in the wrestling industry, and that alone solidifies him a spot in the top five of this list.

3. Matt Morgan

The Blueprint Matt Morgan is the one that got away, as far as Tough Enough contestants go to WWE.  A Tough Enough 2 runner-up, Morgan spent some time on WWE’s main roster, but they were never able to utilize him to his potential.  During his first run with the company, he was a generic big man who was never really given the chance to shine, teaming with the likes of A-Train and Nathan Jones.  He was later given a stuttering gimmick, which was a disaster from its conception.  Morgan has since found his niche in TNA.  An ever-present World Title threat and a former tag team champion, Morgan is the epitome of what a big man should be.

2. John Morrison

John Morrison is what Tough Enough was designed to create.  In an ideal world, every Tough Enough contestant is a John Morrison waiting to happen.  Plucked from absolute obscurity, John Hennigan was selected for the cast of Tough Enough 3 after he submitted his second audition tape.  Impressing the judges with his unorthodox approach, which included a standing shooting star press, Hennigan won the competition along with Matt Cappotelli.  He’s since been on a fixture on every brand the WWE has produced, and has evolved from Johnny Spade to Johnny Nitro to finally John Morrison.  Morrison is a former ECW Champion, 3-time Intercontinental Champion, 5-time Tag Team Title holder, and a future World Champion.  He is easily Tough Enough’s most successful winner.

1. The Miz

While Morrison has proved to be Tough Enough’s most successful winner, The Miz is without a doubt the show’s most successful loser.  After failing to upset Daniel Puder in the finals of Tough Enough’s fourth season, the Miz refused to give up on his dream and continued to train with the hopes of getting into a WWE ring.  When he finally cracked the main roster, it was as a mere host, but The Miz’s determination would eventually pay off.  He’s been a tag team champion with three different partners (most notably fellow Tough Enough alum John Morrison), a United States Champion, and a Money in the Bank winner.  In November of last year, Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and won the WWE Championship, making him the first Tough Enough alumni to capture wrestling’s most prized title.  Last night, he won the WrestleMania 27 main event, likely establishing himself as a main event player for years to come.  There is no debating it – The Miz is the greatest success story to ever be birthed by WWE’s Tough Enough.

Let’s hope this season of Tough Enough pumps out some more talent of this caliber!  Tune into the USA Network tonight at 11 PM to catch all of the action.  You can even get a sneak peak at one of the contestants right here!