Tough Enough was a reality series in which WWE searched for a new star, and over the years the company hosted six different seasons of the show, with a total of 10 winners as certain seasons had multiple winners, with that mostly being one male winner and one female winner.
These victors would earn contracts with WWE, and some of those went on to have an on-screen career with the company, though that wasn’t always the case. It is interesting to have a look back at those who won the competition and to see what exactly happened to their stints in the company. It was often the case with Tough Enough that the standouts who didn’t win ended up having better careers.
10 Maven
Maven was the first male winner of Tough Enough, and he was quickly called up to the main roster following his victory in the competition. Maven would play the role of underdog very well, and even scored an infamous Royal Rumble elimination over The Undertaker.
He lasted a few years in WWE with some good moments here and there, winning the Hardcore Championship three times, though became an undercard wrestler before being released in 2015. Maven has sporadically returned to the ring over the years, and has since pursued other ventures such as finance and recently started a YouTube channel too.
Date Of Birth | First WWE Match | Tough Enough Season | Notable WWE Moments/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|
11/26/1976 | Vs. Josh Matthews (WWE Byte This Tough Enough Special, 09/06/2001) | Season 1 (2001) | Hardcore Championship x3 Eliminated The Undertaker From The Royal Rumble |
9 Nidia
Alongside Maven, Nidia also won the first season of Tough Enough. It took her a little while longer to debut on the main roster. When she did, she was alongside Jamie Noble in a storyline relationship. She slotted into the underused and mistreated women’s division too, being involved in all the typical nonsense that the division was subject to at the time.
One of her most notable moments came with a three second loss to Trish Stratus when challenging for the Women’s Title. She was released in 2004, and wrestled sparingly before leaving the business in 2005. In an interview with Fightful in 2020, she explained how she prefers to be off the grid, with details surrounding her being quite hard to find in the present day.
Date Of Birth | First WWE Match | Tough Enough Season | Notable WWE Moments/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|
03/12/1979 | Vs. Josh Matthews (WWE Byte This Tough Enough Special, 09/06/2001) | Season 1 (2001) | N/A |
8 Jackie Gayda
Jackie Gayda’s Tough Enough season 2 win led to being on the main roster almost immediately, being thrown to the wolves so to speak. She struggled given her inexperience, and was demoted back to developmental. She would have a few different storylines after involving Rico and also feuded over being on the cover of Playboy with other women’s wrestlers.
She was involved in some terrible storylines before her release in 2005, when WWE decided that enough was enough. She continued wrestling here and there but stepped away from the ring over a decade ago. There isn’t much to know about her today aside from her going into the world of real estate.
Date Of Birth | First WWE Match | Tough Enough Season | Notable WWE Moments/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|
11/03/1981 | Vs. Al Snow (WWE Tough Enough, 05/30/2002) | Season 2 (2002) | WON Worst Worked Match Of The Year |
7 Shaniqua
Shaniqua was a co-winner of Tough Enough season 2, pursuing a WWE career after a previous one in basketball.
Her WWE run wasn’t all that notable, with the only thing of note was her role as the manager of The Basham Brothers as a dominatrix. She only ever had a handful of matches, competing just once after her 2004 release. She went back into the world of basketball as a college referee.
Date Of Birth | First WWE Match | Tough Enough Season | Notable WWE Moments/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|
08/28/1978 | Vs. Ivory (WWE Tough Enough, 05/30/2002) | Season 2 (2002) | N/A |
6 John Morrison
Arguably the most successful winner of Tough Enough, John Morrison went on to have a tremendous professional wrestling career. Whether it be in WWE as Johnny Nitro or John Morrison, winning six sets of tag team gold, the ECW World Title and Intercontinental Championship, or elsewhere finding success in IMPACT, Lucha Underground, and more, he is now a household name.
He was an instant natural and has showcased his incredible athletic ability in the decades after. Morrison is now wrestling in AEW under the ring name of Johnny TV, continuing on his career in the business.
Date Of Birth | First WWE Match | Tough Enough Season | Notable WWE Moments/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|
10/03/1979 | Vs. Matt Cappotelli (WWE Raw, 01/27/2003) | Season 3 (2003) | Intercontinental Championship x3 ECW World Championship WWE Tag Team Championship x4 SmackDown Tag Team Championship World Tag Team Championship |
5 Matt Cappotelli
Matt Cappotelli was a co-winner along with John Morrison, though the story of his career is more tragic than the rest. Shortly after winning the competition, he would go on to OVW and even win the OVW Championship. However, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor which led to his time in the ring coming to an early end.
He battled with cancer over the years, eventually passing away in 2018. Cappotelli’s professional wrestling career will always be a “what if”.
Date Of Birth | First WWE Match | Tough Enough Season | Notable WWE Moments/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|
12/11/1979 | Vs. John Morrison (WWE Raw 01/27/2003) | Season 3 (2003) | OVW World Heavyweight Championship OVW Southern Tag Team Championship |
4 Daniel Puder
Daniel Puder certainly had some ability, and he did have a legit fighting background, but his WWE career is one of the more controversial out of all Tough Enough winners. He had a shoot fight with Kurt Angle on TV, and nearly made him tap out, leading to some backstage heat. Puder was entered into the Royal Rumble and was given a brutal beatdown by many in the ring. He left WWE soon after, deciding to not sign a developmental deal.
He would go on to compete in ROH and NJPW briefly over the next few years, but never found his feet in the business and ultimately left it. He has started several businesses and is a MMA trainer too.
Date Of Birth | First WWE Match | Tough Enough Season | Notable WWE Moments/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|
10/09/1981 | Vs. Kurt Angle (WWE SmackDown, 11/02/2004, Shoot Wrestling Match) | Season 4 (2004) | Nearly Made Kurt Angle Tap Out |
3 Andy Leavine
Tough Enough returned in 2011 after a several year absence, and the competition was won by Andy Leavine. He didn’t do too much in WWE, with his most notable moment coming when he was stunned by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on Raw.
After a year in developmental he was released. He went on to compete in the independent scene for a few years before retiring altogether.
Date Of Birth | First WWE Match | Tough Enough Season | Notable WWE Moments/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|
12/27/1987 | Battle Royal (FCW, 08/19/2010) | Season 5 (2011) | N/A |
2 Bronson Matthews
Tough Enough made another comeback in 2015, and Josh Bredl or “Bronson Matthews” was the male winner of the competition. He had the size and look of a WWE superstar, but received some heat after a tweet in which he called the Social Outcasts “jobbers”.
He was kicked out of the NXT locker room after just a few matches, and was released in 2017. He has mostly gone off the radar ever since, not pursuing a professional wrestling career.
Date Of Birth | First WWE Match | Tough Enough Season | Notable WWE Moments/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|
01/28/1991 | Vs. Cesaro (WWE Tough Enough, 08/25/2015) | Season 6 (2015) | N/A |
1 Sara Lee
Sara Lee was the female victor in the most recent season of Tough Enough. She joined WWE developmental not long after, competing solely on live events. After a year, she was released from the company.
She would marry fellow wrestler Wesley Blake (now Westin Blake) and the pair would start a family. Unfortunately, it was announced in 2022 that Lee had passed away. She was a very popular name during her time in Tough Enough, with fans voting her to victory.
Date Of Birth | First WWE Match | Tough Enough Season | Notable WWE Moments/Accomplishments |
|---|---|---|---|
06/07/1992 | Vs. Alicia Fox (WWE Tough Enough, 08/25/2015) | Season 6 (2015) | N/A |
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