Tough Enough: Part 2

PRO WRESTLING ALARM! THEY ACTUALLY WROTE A TWO-PART ARTICLE ABOUT THIS SHIT!!!

Earlier this week, we talked about the first two season of Tough Enough (HERE). A show on MTV that recently returned on the USA Network. To recap, the first two season produced 6 different personalities and zero dollars. More of the same came from Season 3 and a colossal loss of money was on tap for Season 4.

Season 3
Winners: John Hennigan and Matt Cappotelli

This could be the most successful season from a wrestling perspective. It did terrible in the ratings and led to the show's MTV cancellation. John Hennigan is the most successful winner of Tough Enough period. John Hennigan became Johnny Nitro. Johnny Nitro won many tag team titles with Joey Mercury as part of MnM. Later, an executive noticed John looked a lot like "Doors" singer Jim Morrison. He was repackaged as John Morrison when MnM broke up and came out to a Doors-esque theme song and slow-motion effects as his long hair blew in the wind. Morrison has won many titles since Tough Enough and remained with the company until 2011 when he wished the company it's best in its future endeavors and left. He's currently only wrestling on a "whenever you're willing to pay me way too much" basis.

Matt Cappotelli is a different story altogether. Cappotelli looked like a can't miss prospect and easily won the Tough Enough fan vote. But on one memorable episode Cappotelli got the living shit beaten out of him. Bob "Hardcore" Holly was brought in as a guest trainer and was working with Cappotelli. Hardcore was showing him how to work in the corner and believed that Cappotelli didn't protect himself enough. Hardcore, being the bastard that he is, taught that lesson by kicking Cappotelli in the face. Repeatedly. Before the lesson, the recruits were told that they could not hit back. Hardcore gave the kid a concussion and he looked like a bitch on TV.

Cappotelli was brought into the minor league federation, Ohio Valley Wrestling for more training before he could debut on TV. Hardcore was brought in to test whether the two could work an angle on TV. Hardcore beat the living shit out of the kid again and Cappotelli has not been seen on TV since.

Season 4
Winner: Daniel Puder
Notable Contestant: Mike "The Miz" Mizanin

More fun in store for potential trainees. The winner of this contest gets $1,000,000. More money than 75% of the active roster will make in their careers and all you have to do is win this popularity contest. And make no mistake, this was a popularity contest. This "show" took place during Smackdown. It was given half an hour of Smackdown's run time. Stories surfaced about trainees running until they threw up and putting in 12 hours a day of training. We never saw that. The fans got to see trainees play Capture the Flag or take a bodyslam from the Big Show. Then the trainees pander to the crowd for votes.

Daniel Puder was an MMA fighter with the goal of winning a million bucks. He had the best build and won the contest. A popularity contest. Nothing based on wrestling ability. Then the WWE decided to turn the guy who won Prom King into a heel. They turned him bad. Fans gave him 1 million dollars and he was to turn against them?! Puder was quietly fired months later and paid a handsome sum of money to fail. (EDITORS NOTE: Puder also embarrassed Kurt Angle on Smackdown by nearly breaking his arm with a kamura in a "shoot" wrestling match, this played a role in his dismissal)

The Miz finished second in this contest. Miz was on "The Real World" and has competed on several "Real World/Road Rules Challenges". He was a popular competitor because of his goal to become a professional wrestler and he tried harder than anyone to make it so. He was given a shot as an announcer/host and worked his way onto the roster due to his speaking ability and charisma. Miz accomplished his dream of winning the World Title and main-eventing Wrestlemania against John Cena. Miz and Morrison are the only feel-good stories to come from this show. Leave it to the WWE to fail, fail again, fail/succeed, and impressively fail before finding some people they can market.