Stone Cold is the New Host of Tough Enough

[Jsaturn14]

From EW.com:

"EW has learned exclusively Tough Enough, the back-from-the-dead WWE reality contest series, has its new host: Stone Cold Steve Austin. The show will premiere April 4, after Monday Night Raw.

Sigh. I was so hoping there’d be some way to get Al Snow back, but I guess I will just have to, er, toughen up. Steve Austin is one of the WWE’s crossover stars — even non-wrestling fans like me are pretty familiar with him, and he obviously has plenty of on-screen experience. What I liked so much about Snow as the mentor, though, was his ability to turn off that in-ring persona and be a strict teacher, a focused father figure, and occasional goofball. I’m hoping Austin has that same knack, and isn’t just Stone Cold Steve Austin TM with his mentees; I hope sometimes he’s just a regular dude.

Does the presence Stone Cold Steve Austin make you more likely to tune in, PopWatchers?"

Thoughts peeps? Personally, I think this is a fantastic choice. Though he hasn't wrestled in a while, Austin still has a ton of knowledge that he can pass on, and is one of the smartest wrestling minds ever. Plus, it will be sweet to see Stone Cold get in the ring again and mix it up with the rookies. I think Tough Enough has doubled its ratings at least.

 

[The_Reptile_]

Holy crap! I-I, I don't know how to react to this. I mean, I've never been been a big fan of Austin, but WOW. I might actually have a reason to watch Tough Enough now!

 

[Disturbed]

I hope this is more than just a rumour because I have never heard of EW.com and I don't know if it is a reliable source or not. However, if this is true than that's pretty cool. I'm glad they are going with him instead of Al Snow. I think he would make a perfect host and will get the show ratings. I think it will be way better than NXT if it's the same was it was before. I love Tough and am glad it is returning. I will be even more excited if this is true because Stone Cold is tough and will be tough on the kids it will make it even more interesting. Is this season of Tough Enough having women on it too? I didn't think so since they are returning the diva search.

 

[Jsaturn14]

EW.com, is Entertainment Weekly, which in my book is a pretty reliable source. Though they don't normally do wrestling news, they are the leading Entertainment website/magazine in the world (I assume) so I am taking this as more than rumor, and actual fact.

 

[Dr. Stinger A. Zoidberg]

I hope this is more than just a rumour because I have never heard of EW.com and I don't know if it is a reliable source or not.

EW is short for Entertainment Weekly which reports a lot on the life of celebrities, so they're actually a very reliable source.

As for Austin, I'm extremely happy that he'll be hosting Tough Enough. Not only will the WWE Hopefuls learn from such a legend like Steve, Steve may have the drawing power to get the ratings of Tough Enough up to a safe point. Getting your ratings to a safe point is a crucial aspect of any new or returning show's existence. I'm very happy that Steve has decided to take the time out of filming movies to host Tough Enough.

 

[triple_b2k]

This is great news! Of course Austin won't be in character giving the wrestlers the finger and giving stunners to the people who suck BUT it will be entertaining none the less.
He can teach them a lot about the industry from basic wrestling skills to mic skills. I remember Al Snow was the host/coach on the show. He was a good choice at the time because he knew the industry pretty well but it wasn't that entertaining to watch. Austin could bring so major star power to the show and give people a reason to at least check it out just to see their old favourite back in wrestling.

 

[shattered dreams]

PG Stone Cold playing Ryan Seacrest? Ugh. I guess depending on what they mean by host it could be interesting but this is not how I want to see him. It kind of kills the character to use him like this IMO. Somewhat surprised that Austin would be reduced to this or that Vince would want him used like this. Regardless of my reservations about this it will be a big help for launching the show. People will tune in to see Stone Cold, hopefully what they see when they do will not be disappointing.

 

[DPete]

http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/austinhoststoughenough

Saw there was some questions on the reliability of EW.com. The link above is straight from wwe.com.

I, for one, never saw the original TE series. At the time I did not have MTV. I think Austin is a great choice for host. I fear that by the label "host" they mean he won't be to heavily involved with the competition. In fact, he may not even be required to be at the recordings. He might just be a talking head. They have him record a few lines, like "This is Stone Cold Steve Austin and welcome to Tough Enough".

In my view, with Austin busy with his movie career, I do not see him having much involvement with the cast. Hopefully, I am wrong and he will be in the ring each week with the crew.

I believe what will drive the ratings more so then Austin, is the choice to air it right after Raw. Hopefully, all the folks that tune in for Raw will stick around to catch Tough Enough

 

[brighamosity]

Dude I don't even care about Tough Enough, but this is seriously gonna make me check it out. I'm surprised he signed on to this, but I'm sure he's being paid well, and I'm sure it's a much lighter schedule than the average WWE superstar does. I believe they're just in a big house for a few weeks, right? Anyway, I'm looking forward to this.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

PG Stone Cold playing Ryan Seacrest? Ugh. I guess depending on what they mean by host it could be interesting but this is not how I want to see him. It kind of kills the character to use him like this IMO. Somewhat surprised that Austin would be reduced to this or that Vince would want him used like this. Regardless of my reservations about this it will be a big help for launching the show. People will tune in to see Stone Cold, hopefully what they see when they do will not be disappointing.

Seeing him like what? He's going to be playing Stone Cold Steve-fucking-Austin. He's a wrestler being a wrestling trainer. What are you expecting?

Anyway, I'm pretty psyched for this. This is a wildly better idea than what NXT turned out to be, and I hope we can see some actual wrestling training, rather than "RUN AROUND THE RING AND PUSH STUFF AROUND!"

 

[sTyLnK]

On Steve Austin's twitter he said he has some good stuff coming up. I have to admit I wondered somewhat what it was because he always tweets what his next movie is going to be and things like that. I had no idea it would be for the host of Tough Enough, but I knew it was something other than a movie.

 

[mral82]

I think it's cool plus Stone Cold gets a lil lead way by USA and WWE when he's on cause his character is a "Beer Swelling, A$$-Kickin, Stomp a Mud Hole In You, Foul Mouth, Hell Raising, Stone Cold Stunning, Lou Thesz Pressing, Toughest Son Of A B!tch" kind of person u can't really neuture his character cause of that.

 

[lancir]

steveaustinBSR Steve Austin
thanks for all of your congratulation tweets!! i am very excited about hosting WWE Tough Enough. and thats the bottom line cause i said so.
-Steve Austins Twitter account.

Incase anyone is unsure here it is from stone colds mouth himself...Now i really want too watch tough enough

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

Well there is nothing but positives from this situation, Stone Cold would probably be one of the top mentors that anybody would have the pleasure of having. He will be an excellent mentor and hella entertaining to watch. He possess such experience, and did i mention he is one of the most popular superstars of all time. Just Sayin'.

 

[d_henderson1810]

So, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin could be the host of "Tough Enough".

I find this strange. I don't really remember Austin putting young guys over in the ring. In fact, he often dictated who he won and lost to. So, I wonder if he would be right in training youngsters when he didn't put them over. One bright note, at least it isn't Triple H hosting it.

Secondly, I don't think that Austin has that "human touch". What I mean is, when Al Snow did it, he not only was a teacher to them, but was also like a father figure, and I remember that he and Maven (Season 1 winner) became good friends out of it. I don't know if Austin would show that "soft side" when needed. Also, even if he did, doesn't it then kill his in-ring persona?

What would Austin teach them? How to drink beer? How to flip the bird? Will he show them how to walk out the door when you don't get your own way? Also, maybe he should indicate who is eliminated by giving them the bird a dn then giving them a Stunner. LOL!

On a serious note, If Austin is host, as in top-and-tailing the show, then that could work. Having Austin provide the links, or do the narration, while others train may be a good way to do it. Also, maybe Austin could be a judge on the show, and decides who advances and who doesn't.

 

[No Count Pup]

I know that I am more likely to tune in to Tough Enough. Steve Austin is one of the all time greats. He is also a ratings draw, and that can only benefit the show.

I just wonder what a host does on Tough Enough. It might not be the same as being a trainer. Nonetheless, it is great that Austin will be on Tough Enough.

 

[MonkeyRko]

stonecold was his character and hell of a good one but steve austin does know some good wrestling skills so i think he can teach them, and ya if he was a judge then he could be there to be so dam entertaining...im also very shocked that he even agreed to do anything with the wwe coz i thought he was done and was working on movies.... maybe he realize his movies arnt as good or been seen as any movie the rock has done.. anywho it would be kinda cool if he trained someone to be the next stonecold... which i doubt anyone could be since the wwe is PG.... it would hella funny if he gets mad and just gives them all stunners and just drinks beer......
oh and this got me thinking.... wouldnt it be better that if stonecold was the host for NXT instead coz isnt it almost the same thing as touch enough??

 

[MizterColemine]

Wow I'm surprised... Not that Steve Austin is hosting Tough Enough, but that you guys are so surprised, or think that this will get in the way of his character or vice versa. If you never saw Tough Enough, it's like the pro wrestling version of The Ultimate Fighter. I thought it was a very good show. It's where we first met the man who would become John Morrison. I think Stone Cold is a great addition to the show. Yes he has a heart, no he's probably not gonna be in pouring beer on the contestants. I'm sure he's honored to be hosting the show. He'll probably only host the first new season and then goes back to shooting movies. He probably cares for the industry enough to be passionate about who is taking it seriously and will do a good job weeding out the insincere and the ones with b*tchassness. Why do so many of you sound like you think Stone Cold is too big to host Tough Enough? (The Rock on the other hand would be a surprise.) Stone Cold is the perfect candidate.

 

[nbrew2119]

For me, I'm kinda surprised that Austin is going to be doing this. With him leaving wrestling, and going to the movies, I would have thought that he was "above" doing something like this.

Not that I'm complaining though, because, I personally think that, WWE would have gone under if it wasn't for him "blowing up" during the Monday Night Wars.

It is kinda nice to see someone with some loyalty though. Tough Enough should be a good one, I kinda missed it.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

PG Stone Cold playing Ryan Seacrest? Ugh. I guess depending on what they mean by host it could be interesting but this is not how I want to see him. It kind of kills the character to use him like this IMO. Somewhat surprised that Austin would be reduced to this or that Vince would want him used like this. Regardless of my reservations about this it will be a big help for launching the show. People will tune in to see Stone Cold, hopefully what they see when they do will not be disappointing.

Dude how does PG affect the Stone Cold character anymore? He is now a legend of the business and does not need to show others a finger to stay over. Stone Cold will be playing Stone Cold who is now not just a beer drinking redneck but a legend of the business. Did HBK play a ladies man in his final days? No. His character did not need a gimmick like that for he had already become a legend and that is what he played on screen. Same applies for Stone Cold Steve Austin.

As for Stone Cold hosting Tough Enough, I cannot be any more pleased by this move. Stone Cold is not only a legend but also one of the sharpest minds in the business. Plus he struggled for a lot of years before finally becoming huge and so he will relate to the rookies pretty well. He is one of the greatest promo cutters ever and was also a damn great wrestler irrespective of the number of moves he knew. He is one of the most popular superstars of all time and so he is going to draw in a huge number of fans to the show merely by being present on the show. I can see nothing but positives coming out of this move.

 

[Blueshirt]

I really don't understand how anyone can be anything other then completely ecstatic by this news. It's a win-win for both the WWE, its fans, and Stone Cold. WWE has virtually guaranteed good ratings for, at the very minimum, its first episode, new and old fans should want to see Stone Cold (how he handles the hosting duties, if he allows more of his real personality to shine through, or if he decides to just use his rattlesnake persona), and Austin gets major weekly exposure.

Also, Austin is HOSTING tough enough, nowhere have I read that he will be training the potential superstars. So, the comment made as to whether or not Austin would put the trainees over become even more ludicrous. Austin is being paid to interest both the wrestling world and casual fan in this show and I think the WWE picked the perfect host to do so.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I see nothing but positives coming from this. Austin hosting the show, doing whatever it is that he's actually going to do, will all but guarantee that the debut episode will draw a huge rating even though it'll air at 11 pm after the first Raw after WrestleMania.

As a WWE Hall of Famer, multi time World Champion and arguably the overall biggest star in wrestling since Hulk Hogan, Austin lends the show some more credibility. If they avoid doing the stuff that sometimes dragged down NXT, such as mostly lame and meaningless challenges, I see a bright future for the show. It's on a network that's firmly behind the WWE, the overall format of the show is one that I've always found interesting and they have a huge wrestling star as the hosts. They're definitely heading in the right direction thus far.

 

[H33LTurn]

I think its a great choice. I mean, who better to learn from than Stone Cold Steve Austin? I also think that his recent acting career will draw people who arrent frequent wrestling watchers and will create a fan base that is more understanding of what kind of trainning the superstars have to endure to get to where they want to be. WWE was spot on when making this choice, and I'm really looking foward to this revived version of Tough Enough.