Andy Leavine's Release - Did Tough Enough Get It Wrong?

[SFC]

Andy Leavine, who won last year's edition of WWE Tough Enough, has reportedly been released by the company.

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/253553-breaking-news-wwe-releases-tough-enough-winner

This comes as little surprise to many, as Andy had already been suspended 30 days as per the wellness policy, and did not appear to be making much noise in FCW.

Many believed that Luke, Jeremiah, Martin, A.J., or several others should have been victorious throughout the series, but Leavine surprised many by winning (and subsequently not selling the Stunner). I myself have interviewed A.J. before, and he stated all of them were shocked Andy won in the first place.

Now while it is understandable that not every signed prospect makes the big leagues, to me it feels like this particular Tough Enough was more of a failure than some in the past. There was some good talent in the other guys (and some gals) passed on in favor of Andy, who was extremely green from the start and failed to follow through.

What are your thoughts?

 

[AwesomeRko]

I'm in no way surprised by the release, Andy did not stand out for me throughout the whole program, other than his size and ok athletic ability relative to it I don't think he had too much going for him.

Jeremiah who was a tremendous athlete, had great natural charisma and was an excellent talker, in spite of being very green would have been a much better pick in my view. Martin was also very talented and his in-ring ability stood out throughout the whole process, I think he would have won were it not for the unfortunate injury. Even Luke would have been a better pick than Andy, he consistently outperformed him, was more charismatic and had a better look.

I've never understood why WWE didn't take steps to sign Jeremiah or Martin upto FCW post-program, as they clearly had talent and big potential.

 

[#hamler]

I haven't ever read anyone who originally had Andy winning Tough Enough in 2010. His look was the only thing going for the dude. As you mentioned, there were tons of other guys on the Tough Enough roster who seemed to be more qualified to win 2010's season like AJ, Jerimiah, or my favorite - Luke. I feel sorry for Andy, maybe he can make an impact on the Independents but WWE isn't for you; especially given their current direction. It certainly doesn't help that he didn't sell the Stunner when fucking Vince was in the ring with him. Remember Andy, you can never get another first impression. If you can tell, I don't care that he's gone. He hasn't made any amount of impact on me other than winning Tough Enough. But he does have a family to take care of and those Independent checks probably won't take care of them.

 

[SFC]

A lot of the Tough Enough guys actually do shows together now, and I've watched a lot of them online. They are very entertaining. Luke and Martin put on a hell of a match in Salt Lake City, as did A.J. and Eric.

At least Ivelisse (sp) is with FCW.

Unfortunate he didn't pan out, but I highly doubt many expected him to actually get there.

 

[dudedudedude]

Two words: Wellness policy.

Seriously. He doomed himself from day one for failing just after winning. It was only a matter of time

 

[Lewis617]

I'm not surprised. The only Tough Enough competitors to ever make any noise in the WWE was John Morrison and the Miz. Also WWE complains that they have no talent from the young up and coming guys........well what was all that noise HHH was making about sending veterans (I.E.: Undertaker) down to the Indy leagues to mentor and better guys comin up into the WWE. All of the other attempts to make superstars have flopped.......except NXT Season 1. They formed Nexus and almost all of them are still somewhere on the WWE roster. The other NXT seasons......no one has impressed or stood out. And Tough Enough has been and will still be a joke. They need to step it up the same way they did on the seasons where the Miz and JoMo were involved. I don't know where they are finding these guys, but they need to find better participants......or better judges to determine who should even be in the running for the competition if they even ever do another one.

 

[Death Before Disco]

I'm not surprised he was released either. His move set was limited from the beginning and I didn't see much improvement as Tough Enough progressed. I thought Luke or Matt was going to win after the first episode of Tough Enough. Andy should cut his teeth a little bit more in the indies and see if he really wants the wrestling lifestyle. I wouldn't if I had two young children, but to each his own. Regardless, he seems like a nice guy and I hope things work out for him.

 

[BASSER911414]

Tough Enough was in my very very honest opinion, scripted from start to end. Andy knew that r truth was coming out and the reason he didnt sell the stunner was because he thought he had to leave quickly. Which quite honestly is a fair thing. But since he knew r truth was coming he knew he was going to win.

I liked andy much better than luke. Luke is like every cocky heel in the WWE. Andy could have had something going for him but I dont think he was given the chance nor did he fight for a chance.

I would have like to see Jeremiah though. I dont buy the hes green talk for a second because like I said. I believe tough enough like all wwe shows hell like most reality shows was scripted. U had on one hand a guy who wanted the rock star lifestyle of the wwe and on the other hand a family man who is willing to give up his family for this dream. I think it was clear who the crowd wanted as a winner. All the competitors probably got a nice paycheck to come and act. And those with good ability were signed. And those with not so good (rima fakih) are looking to be signed.

I think it was more that he didnt make a good first impression with the fact he violated wellness policy altogether with management not really knowing what to do with him altogether got him released. Maybe in the future wel see him in the WWE again. He could play big yet technical wrestler in my opinion but lets see. I really hope we see him in a wwe ring. At least id rather see him more than luke.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

The guy had a 'look' and it didn't pan out with his personality. No-selling the Stunner doesn't do you any favors either.

But apparently he violated the Wellness Policy while in FCW and he wasn't doing a whole lot to get himself over in FCW. I think he simply didn't pan out the way he should have and the WWE simply wanted to cut ties with him.

What this does for Tough Enough is make it less and less credible as a 'talent show'. I mean, you pick the winner, then the winner doesn't pan out and ends up being released? The system doesn't work. And to be honest with you, if I were Vince McMahon, I wouldn't green light another Tough Enough competition.

 

[J.D Lethal]

Any surprise Hell No,Yes Andy made a good feel good story of a guy low on his luck to finally make it to the wwe but he was never a guy that i thought would do anything...and the way the wwe is built TE->FCW->NXT->Superstars->RAW/Smackdown it would of been awhile till we saw the guy on the tv anyways and would of been forgotten...i personally thought Luke and Martin would of been hell of better in the final 2 hell i would pulled signed both of them.

Andy will be a larger bust than Maven,Andy will be a Larger bust than Greg Oden...i do wish this man a chance to make a name for himself but he should do it somewhere else like PWG,JWC,CZW,Chikara DSW, or any one of the NWA territories.

 

[SydTinDad]

Here's been my take on it, and always has been................

1) "TE" is a reality show. That's all it is. It's to make money with sponsors, stay main stream, and get ratings. It is NOT..............and the Rock means...............NOT to "find new talent". If talent is located, it is by accident. Sure, if they can find lightning in a bottle like Miz/Morrision, then great. But it is not the primary objective.

2) Andy sucked. PERIOD! I get so sick of the words "he has a great look". What, a roided jacked up juice head? Well, I guess that's not a far stretch considering the talent evaluators are Preperation H and VKM. Andy was useless; plain and simple. I want to see new WRESTLERS developed, not big oafs that can't get out of thier own fucking way (we already have Khali........isn't that enough useless oafs?????)

So sick of it.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

I don't think Tough Enough went wrong... I actually picked Andy at the beginning, based on his look, and I'm happy they went with him.

I thought it was a breath of fresh air that they took a chance on Andy instead of going with a bland cookie-cutter heel like Luke who would get injected in the midcard for six months before jobbing every week to JTG on Superstars.

Honestly, that show was Martin's to win, and as soon as he got injured second place became good enough.

 

[HBsam31]

Was never really sure why Andy won in the first place. There were others that seemed to be a lot more talented than him. It kind of makes me agree with another poster on here that said TE is for ratings, and they would only happen on a new superstar by luck. He was big and that's about it. Maybe he will go to the indys and work hard at it and get another chance someday, but as of now I can't see him entertaining me on WWE tv. Was probably better to just get rid of him now and not waste anymore time if he didn't have it.

 

[theBec2101]

i dont agree that it was failure. They couldn't help that Martin got hurt, he was more then likely going to win it all anyway. Just because he got hurt doesnt mean the show was going to stop. I thought overall the top 3(not including Martin) were all just ok. They all had downfalls that were pretty significant. But Andy gave them the best way out. Jeremiah was kind of wreckless and was a danger to work with, understandable. the way Luke acted and his character on the show was kinda like the Miz, which we do not need another one of. He also didnt seem humble during the whole thing. But Andy had a size they could of used and he wasnt still for his either. But anyway Martin would of won.

 

[Paralyzer Z]

It certainly doesn't help that he didn't sell the Stunner when fucking Vince was in the ring with him. Remember Andy, you can never get another first impression.

And that my comrades is why he goes by the name H.A.M.

I'll admit I was a sucker for the whole "I'm doing it for my family" and "Silent Rage" thing he had going on Tough Enough. He certainly wasn't as talented as Luke, Jeremiah, or Martin but he had that underdog aspect (not in size but in personality). Once we got to the finals I figured that if Luke were to win we would get a Lucky Cannon or Heel Alex Riley gimmick out of him so I was pleased to see the took a chance. Well that blew up in Andy's face needless to say, it's been nearly a year and the most impact he's made is getting a wellness policy violation (so much for family man huh?). Like H.A.M said he no-sold a stunner in front of both Vince McMahon, Stone Cold (to some extent) and the live Raw audience.

With the lack of impact he made I can safely say that his suspension after a long period of silence his suspension foreshadowed his release. Sorry Andy maybe you'll do well someplace elsewhere. Luke was the safer choice as it appears to be woefully obvious now. The thing that suck the most: The chances of another season of Tough Enough was just reduced by plenty.

 

[The Crock]

Not much of a surprise here. Look, the guy had passion and size, but he just wasn't very good. That's what it boils down to; Andy Leavine lacked the talent -- and experience, to a degree -- to be a success. I was stunned when he was pegged as the winner, as he was leagues behind Luke, not to mention Martin. I'm sure the WWE saw something in him, but he was very rough around the edges -- too rough, to be honest. There's only so much they could have done with him, but they finally decided to cut the dead weight, and I don't think anybody should be all too surprised. Andy was probably not even ready to be in FCW at this point, you had to see this coming.

A few years down the line, after working some indy promotions and (hopefully) improving, maybe he can rejoin the WWE. It's amazing what experience can do for you. That being said, I just don't think he's ever going to reach that level again. He never seemed to be all that good in the ring, even for how low my standards were. He just didn't understand how to work. Being a big man doesn't necessarily guarantee success, but it most certainly cover up the glaring flaws in a wrestler -- that was the case with Andy. He had no really redeeming qualities (wrestling-wise). Sure, he may have been humble and he showed some fire, but guys like him are a dime a dozen in shitty independent dives. He was nothing to gawk over, and I guess the WWE's patience finally ran out with him.

 

[Jenna.]

You know what's funny to me? TE almost convinced me in thinking Andy was actually a good wrestler. I mean Luke was just clearly better than him in every aspect, yet somehow TE started hyping Andy up at the end. The fuck was a Silent Rage? Seriously.

I mean Luke was a typical heel character, but he had something about him regardless. He had a personality that you could actually mold and watch progress nicely.

Really not surprised. Just shows how sometimes the all time greats can't necessarily pick and evaluate talent. (Ex: Michael Jordan and the Bobcats)

 

[KNPKH2ster]

Did Tough Enough went wrong? I think it did. For all of the reasons, Andy Leavine wasn't really ready for the big time. Leavine was athletic, but he had no personality whatsoever. I think spending time working in the indies, and honing his craft in places such as Mexico and Japan might help him in the long run. Who knows, if he gets enough experience, WWE might consider hiring him back.

 

[akathelaw]

There wasn't anyone on that season of Tough Enough that impressed me more than an indy or ROH wrestler. It's really a shame that WWE doesn't work more closely with small promotions because I think TE would've benefited from having a few ROH, TNA, AAA and indy wrestlers who are closer to what actually works in the WWE.

Andy was just the best out of a handful of bad prospects. TE was a mediocre reality TV show and failed to generate interest in the shows.

 

[Davi323]

Some guys have "it", and some guys don't, regardless of how long they train. Andy Leavine fits into the second category. I am still amazed that Andy won. There were at least three TE competitors that were more skilled. Luke, Jeremiah and Martin would all have been better choices, even taking into account injuries, attitude or inexperience. Andy simply didn't have the skills to be a capable professional wrestler. They gave him plenty of time to improve his skills, and he didn't.

That doesn't mean the entire Tough Enough concept was wrong, just that particular winner. Assuming the entire thing wasn't 100% scripted from the beginning it just means that Stone Cold, Booker T, Trish and Bill DeMott got this one wrong. Okay. They took a chance, and it didn't pan out. Lots of #1 picks in the NFL draft don't work out either, despite having good combine numbers, good Wonderlic scores, etc. Does that mean the entire NFL Draft should be scrapped? Of course not.

If Andy Leavine ends up being the Tough Enough equivalent to JaMarcus Russell, so what? Sometimes gambles don't pay off.

 

[SixMovesOfDoom]

I have always considered the Tough Enough series to be a set of failures. Outside of the Miz and Morrison, I am unaware of anyone who has won any titles or was in the main event picture for any period of time. And to top it all off Miz actually lost in the season he was in! So for Andy to be gone this suddenly and be a footnote in WWE history, it surprises me not.

Although some on the following list of former participants in TE found at this site are actually quite surprising:

http://prorasslin.com/2011/04/04/10-most-successful-tough-enough-alumni/

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Not surprising. The guy already completely screwed himself before he ever even really got out of the gate. On the surface, at the very least, there were others that did seem better overall.

I can't remember all of them but there were some viable reasons why some of the favorites didn't win.

If I'm not mistaken, isn't AJ the one that had to drop out due to a pretty bad foot injury? Isn't he the one Bill DeMott kept calling a Donny Osmond lookalike? If it's the guy I'm thinking of, he did show some real promise but, hey, what can you do. He got hurt and had to quit.

Jeremiah was someone that had a lot of guts but no common sense. He took a ton of risks without considering the consequences to himself or whomever he might be wrestling. He even said so in the various confessional style interviews that all the contestants gave that he just went out and did it. He threw caution to the wind and it seemed like he didn't care if he got hurt or not, or even if he hurt someone else. There's a difference between being brave and being stupid. Jeremiah might've seemed gutsy but, to me, he came off as a guy that seemed like he didn't give a shit whether he or whomever he worked with walked out of the ring ok or not. He has slammed WWE several times afterward and I think it really shows his real character. There are any number of viable reasons not to want some reckless hick as part of the roster.

Luke was a guy that did seem to have it all in terms of a good look, solid charisma & athleticism. The only thing that really hurt the guy was that he definitely had something of an immature attitude. He came off like a little bitch whenever something went down on the show that didn't happen to go his way. To me, Luke came off as a guy that thought he would just waltz in there and Stone Cold & the other trainers would just drop to their knees and praise him as the next wrestling god. I think Luke was good but, all in all, he wasn't as good as he thought he was, the trainers let him know that and he'd whine about it afterward.

 

[cmedge]

I'm surprised everybody forgot about a certain guy named Matt I think. He definitely had the most experience since he wrestled all over the indies and even in ROH if I'm correct. It's rumoured that Austin Aries tried to join but he was way to over experienced (WWE sign that guy!)

Talent wise Luke, Martin, Andy AJ, Jeremiah, Skidmarks, Ivelise, Alicia's Foxx's sister we're all pretty good even signing Rima who had potential would've been even beneficial.

I'm surprised that other than Ivelise and Alicia's sister none of these guys are in FCW yet the girl who was eliminated first who started watching the WWE the summer prior who's favourite match of all time was Melina and Alicia Foxx over everybody else was hired pretty mind boggling don't you think?

WWE FOCUS ON THE FUTURE!

 

[H33LTurn]

This doesnt surprise me. Andy didnt offer much to the table. That what you get when you judge a person by criteria that has nothing to do with wrestling. Imo Stone Cold gave him way too many 2nd chances. Luke was clearly the more talented individual. Tough Enough shouldnt be for a contract because lets face it, how many Tough Enough winners are actually relevant today? It was a step in the right direction as far as non wrestling programming for WWE. They have a good platform to make more reality shows and with the WWE Network coming soon I think we deserve another tough enough.