Tough Enough General Discussion Thread

[Rasha]

I'm enjoying the show more with every episode. I thought Austin showed a lot of class in how he reacted to Michelle's quitting and that was exactly the kind of message I'd want for the WWE to send to its fans and prospective wrestlers about the importance of parenthood. I was worried he might give her hell about it when they talked privately, but it ended up being my favorite moment from the show thus far.

I was really happy for Ryan this week. I never would've guessed he had the charisma to deliver that promo and he surprised me. It'd be great to see him start to turn things around and earn everyone's respect, especially DeMott's. Also was glad to see that Mickael idiot go. I've hated him from the first second he opened his mouth.

I only have one complaint about the show thus far; not enough utilization of the special guests. These appearances by Cena and Big Show have been very token and basically wasted our time. Just watch this clip from when Triple H appeared on the original season and you'll see the difference:

[YOUTUBE]6NLbNlPVuq4[/YOUTUBE]

I know that Austin being the host means he's taking up more TV Time than the old hosts did, but I'd have liked to hear and see Big Show do more than take Eric aside for a brief pep talk. Giving some of those kids a chance to get in the ring with a man of his size would have been a great experience.

 

[Raven]

I like it, i've already picked my favorite 2, Andy and Jermiah. I think those 2 are gonna be something good.

That Luke guy, i just dont liek him, for some reason I just cant stand him, that mikael guy either. I'm glad he left!

Im pretty excited to see who will win/ how they will be used

 

[ERorMACro]

Maybe it's just me but I hate the entire concept of Tough Enough..I mean only three people had experience? I don't like the way Austin suggested that Ryan should've told Bill DeMott to "shove it up his ass"...yes because that would go well in a real wrestling school..i've also seen Matt Cross perform..and the guy is way better than he showed...I'm a little nervous that the people picking up WWE's next guy hadn't seen or even heard of a moderately prominent indy wrestler like Cross.

The show is entertaining enough but it's nothing like a real wrestling school..and I really doubt they luck out and find a John Morrison in this batch. In fact as far as I know the only Tough Enough contestants that still wrestle are Morrison, Melina, Matt Morgan in TNA and Kenny King in ROH...and no I'm not counting the Miz since he was part of the Smackdown "vote in" Tough Enough and not the real show.

I don't mind the show and I'll gladly admit I was wrong if they get a real star..but I feel like whoever wins this will pull a Maven/Nidia/Linda and retire as soon as their WWE contract is up..or maybe pull a Jackie and retire after being released by both WWE and TNA..

 

[berlinbrawler]

This is the first season of Tough Enough I'm watching. I never cared to before. Al Snow? Yuck. I watched the very first episode of the very first season and considered it a turn off.

The name power they brought in this time makes a HUGE difference. From Stone Cold to Booker T to Trish Stratus. Now THAT is something I can invest my interest in. Al Snow? Yuck!

I liked the first three episodes a lot (for a reality show, that is). I'm beginning to recognize the characters and to have opinions on them. That's more than I expected.

The first elimination was a no brainer. That second guy, Matt, was a huge surprise, because he seemed to have so much more potential than the other two. I could understand why they kept Miss USA on longer - she has a bit of a celebrity bonus there. I did, however, not understand why Ryan got to stay instead of Matt.
The third elimination was correct again, although all 3 might as well have gotten the boot.

Oh, and that Michelle woman claimed she quit because she decided she'd rather be a mommy? Touching, but it seemed to me that wasn't the only reason. It seemed more an excuse because she was nearing a meltdown anyway and could see the writing on the wall. She wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway and decided to leave "on her own terms."

Al Snow? Yuck!

 

[ERorMACro]

honestly to trash the old te's because the trainers lacked star power...shows some personal issues...but that's just you

Matt Cross should not have been cut and honestly with WWE's current direction of not being a wrestling company i feel like it was done to tell wrestling fans "we don't care about you"..they kick off the one person that Indy wrestling fans would recognize in favor of keeping Ms USA? Yeah...Matt Cross was only let on the show so that WWE could further distance itself from being a wrestling company.

 

[mister_b1LL]

Every week I've been entertained by Tough Enough. This week's was no exception. I was absolutely preparing for Mikael's elimination when he was in the bottom 3. I felt that Rima and Ryan did kinda step up, though it did fall flat when it came down to technique for Rima. I loved the promo that Ryan did. I know he gets lots of crap from the trainers for his campiness, but at least Ryan had charisma compared to Mikael and it showed in that. If Ryan survives until a promo challenge, he's bound to be a top contender for it.

I'm gonna say that in my opinion, Luke is still on top despite the win by Martin in the skills challenge. He's been really good the past few weeks and I couldn't see his fault in the skills challenge.

At the bottom of the list has to be Andy. When is he gonna show something? I remember Mikael tearing up Ryan's bed and Andy happened to show up and I was like, "Oh yeah I forgot he was on this show!"

On the rise: There are a few. Having Martin win that skills challenge is gonna keep the show entertaining with him and Luke constantly showing off trying to one up each other. Eric is also getting higher on my list for his efforts during the later challenges. Despite being last in the running thing, he made up for it in the skills challenge. Finally Ryan is also starting to grow on me thanks to that promo, not to mention I'm one of the few guys that like his campiness.

 

[berlinbrawler]

honestly to trash the old te's because the trainers lacked star power...shows some personal issues...but that's just you.

LOL. It's only a TV show, man. I can be petty and shallow if I want to. If you infer personal issues from that maybe you are the one who has them.

Al Snow? Yuck! I guess I just never liked him.

 

[ERorMACro]

Lol I'm joking a bit it's just rather odd..if I was serious it would've been more than "personal issues" yeah..
I can't lie the show is entertaining even if I feel like they don't have a very good group of contestants..

 

[Cookie]

To be honest, I've also been disappointed with the eliminations. They've consistently eliminated the most entertaining characters twice in a row now, and it's beginning to irk me.

Really? Matt Cross was one of the most entertaining characters? I'm glad Mikael is gone anyways. He came across as such a try-hard. If you're gonna try and play up the bully persona at least be able to back it up or something. He got schooled by Skids in that promo-cutting (albeit with help from the music underscoring how "epic" his rebuttal was) and he just blew it. I'm hoping Luke pulls through as becoming this show's resident crazy because I think if he ends up losing another couple of competitions he's going to lose it. Can't wait.

I'm surprised they are eliminating the people that they are but I guess makes sense. It's all reality TV formula, and it's used for every reality show out there. It's no secret they cast reality television with certain characters in mind and with editing and off-camera influence, people end up becoming the common archetypes like the villain, the underdog, the good guy, etc. Throw them all into a house where they are sequestered from the real world and you've got a recipe for "good" television. So it makes sense that they're keeping the people they're keeping e.g. Eric being the guy with "all the potential in the world". But for some reason, something is off about Tough Enough. It's like all the people they wanted on the show turned it down and they had to fall back on the waiting list or something. None of these people besides maybe two actually give a fuck about wrestling, so why aren't they more entertaining? I'm hoping their "rare night out" next week leads to some kind of stupid, drunken conflict.

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

Really? Matt Cross was one of the most entertaining characters?.

Yes. Yes I did. I should probably rephrase it though. Matt Cross wasn't an interesting character...but he had one.

He was the guy from the indies that had great in ring skills but no spark or flash. He did gymnastics and whatnot.

What can you honestly tell me about another guy, say, AJ. Yes, yes there is a guy called AJ. What? You don't remember him? Oh, thas because his vacuous personality completely sucks any life or memory out of your skull. He's pretty much furniture on that show.

At the very least, Matt Cross had the indy thing going for him. As opposed to....nothing.

 

[CMVshow]

Honesty is the best policy. Matt cross should have been kicked. The tough Enough trainers were not looking for flips and acrobats, there looking for a future superstar and trying to make one. Matt Cross's punching skills were shit, he was very quiet in the ring. He is not as talented in his matches. if you don't believe me watch this video. don't just pay attention to the back flip and parkour stunts. Watch for his punches and how he TRIES to sell an injury
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-htjBX0Xko

 

[AngryCenaFan]

Luke to me is nothing but an Alex Riley wannabe, way to cocky for some tough enough piece of trash.

Andy looks like he has star potential, if Eric ever got his ass in shape he could as well, but he doesn't seem to have enough heart or desire.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The numbers are in for last night's Tough Enough and it was an improvement over last week. Last night's episode drew a 1.73 rating with 2,450,000 viewers. The replay of the show immediately following Raw did a 1.09 and 1,535,000 viewers. The episode will replay several times over the course of this week and some of those replays will probably draw close to 1,000,000 viewers.

 

[Mike D]

To me Eric is the ONLY one with potential.. Luke is just a skinny guy that doesn't look believable to me. Andy doesn't have a good physique and even after months in FCW with guys like steamboat he drags his legs when running over a dropdown opponent.. he also stopped and pushed Eric even though he shouldve bent his butt down and gotten under him. They blame Eric but that was andys fault. Not everyone is gonna get up 10 feet in the air so you better duck n run...Wrestling 101. I think demott put andy over simply because he's part of wwe (even though "released" before te. Eric has a look, a physique and does fine. speaking of in ring work, is anyone else surprised these guys all have experience? When running those basic tackle dropdown drills they appear to be beginners (first month) to me.

 

[berlinbrawler]

Eric? Really? In my opinion he is one of the guys with the least potential. He is tall. The end. He can't move, he gets blown up in no time, he doesn't have the drive.
I don't know if I see a future WWE star in any of the contestants, but as far as winning this competition goes, I don't see Eric lasting much longer. Ryan will probably go next, and I still have no idea what to make of A.J. or Ivelisse (hell, I had to look up their names), but Eric is definitely down there with them.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

Rima just got put out. She had to go, 3 times in the bottom three and she does everything fine (except cheerleading) when she's not in the ring. I find it sad, because her background would have been really interesting, she could play that up for some serious heat. She could be the perfect heel diva. I don't think the TE format would be the way to go for her, she needs more time to develop. I'm not sure if having the first Miss America as a WWE superstar would be enough for Vince to invest time in having her trained, but if it were me running the WWE, I'd seriously consider it.

 

[berlinbrawler]

jacdnwarrior
If Rima is dead set on being in the WWE I have no doubt she will be.

She will probably never be a decent wrestler, but that's hardly a requirement for today's divas. Otherwise she could always focus on being a manager/valet or she could conduct interviews and stuff.
WWE would not pass up a chance to have one of their divas be the current Miss USA.

 

[The Void]

Rima could be a great female valet. She's smart and she has personality. It doesn't hurt that she's gorgeous, either. She shouldn't be a wrestler, though, that much is obvious.

I wouldn't be surprised if she gets a developmental deal. Vince loves his mainstream credibility.

 

[ERorMACro]

If Luke wins then he'll flame out pretty fast...that kid is way too cocky to make it. Seriously try that in a real wrestling school tell your trainer that you're better than everyone you're training with and that they're bullshitting if they say someone else is better. That's the kind of attitude that can turn a star into a mid-carder, and that can turna mid carder into an average indy guy just trying to scrape by..just look at Teddy Hart.

Cross has more dedication than anybody on this show...not saying he's Daniel Brian or anything but he's decent in the ring and he's dedicated...most of these idiots just happened to try out for a reality show.

Rima is just too green...with some training she could get better but she's way too green...same thing with most people on this show...it would've been better off if they'd given more indy guys a shot other than Matt Cross who really wouldn't be more than a face version of Tyson Kidd in WWE if that...

 

[Nate DaMac]

Okay so I missed Tough Enough last week but I was finally able to get caught up tonight. I took some notes, which I'll realy now.

- This turnbuckle exercise is kind of stupid. Of course Luke and Jeremiah are going to excel at it, they're smaller athletic guys. But Eric and Andy aren't suppose to do stuff like that and frankly, neither are women. You see how they have to explain to them what to do rather than show them, right? That's because none of these trainers can even do the exercise they want the contestants to do.

- Rima is just horrible. I mean, all of the women absolutely suck, but Rima is clearly at the bottom of the barrel.

- Great. Another pointless challenge. What does roller blading have to do with anything? And here to prove my point, one of the worst contestants, Ryan, is excelling at it.

- Tumbleweed just doesn't look like he belongs here at all. Hell, Jeremiah at least has the whole Bushwhacker Jr. look going for him, but Tumble just looks like an average joe.

- Erik isn't suppose to be leapfroging people. Seriously, why the hell do they expect someone as big as him to have an excellent vertical leap?

- Andy showed more today than he has since he got here. I like him to stick around for a while. He has the best attitude of the bunch.

- Luke has all of the tools. He is definitely at the top of the pack when it comes to his in ring production but dude, that attitude needs to change drastically. Sure, it makes for interesting television and he definitely has all the makings of a solid heel in the WWE, but he can't come into it with this kind of attitude.

- Martin isn't impressing me as much as he's impressing the trainers. He's good, but he isn't that damn good.

- There goes Rima. I'm happier than words could even explain. None of these women deserve to win this. Not a one of them has what it takes to make it and I can only hope that this is a sign of things to come. Get rid of the rest of them, pronto.

All in all, not really the best episode so far. I'm way more interested in the in ring progression of the contestants and not so much in the stupid challenges. I get why they're doing them, but it's not my taste and this week's stupid roller blading fiasco was the worst of them.

Next week's episode looks interesting. I hope Booker drops some knowledge on Ryan.

 

[GW_Hart86]

Totally agree, all the women on tough enough absolutely suck and look totally unprepared. They have all came in prepared for a model photo shoot, not pro wrestling!

The guy Luke used to be my pick to win, but his attitude definately stinks, I reckon he will lose the competiton solely down to that because there is no way the trainers are not aware of it. Far too much ego in the guy and just shows himself to be a complete a**hole.


I hope Andy wins, he has a great attitude, total dedication and will to improve and shown he can do it in the ring. He has also got a great look about him and he is a big guy as well which always helps!

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

The guy Luke used to be my pick to win, but his attitude definately stinks, I reckon he will lose the competiton solely down to that because there is no way the trainers are not aware of it. Far too much ego in the guy and just shows himself to be a complete a**hole.

As a pro wrestler, it's called having a character. Maybe it hurts him with the judges, but it shouldn't.

None of these guys look like pro wrestlers. Luke has the best look, but not big enough. I have no idea how tall he is, or how much he weighs, but he's not big enough, period. He needs to add a serious amount of weight, and I'm sure that's possible.

Outside of him -- nothing. None of them have a chance, and I'm a bit disappointed if this is actually the best group of contestants available. Sad statement in regards to who wants to be a wrestler now-a-days.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I'm enjoying this season a lot more than the older episodes so far. They have a great group of trainers in Stone Cold, Booker, Trish, and Bill even though he's a jerk. Ariane not being able to name a match other than Alicia Fox VS Melina made her deserve to be eliminated first, what a joke! I like Ryan/Skidmarks the most so far because he reminds me a little of myself and it was awesome when he channeled his inner tweener and stood up to Mickael. My least favorite is probably Luke, he's so arrogant. He may make a good heel one day though for that reason.

 

[Chess]

I am really enjoying this show, in fact it is the best show WWE is putting out at the moment. I am a bit annoyed that they got rid of that M-Dogg 20 guy as he can actually wrestle, he was no way the worst but WWE needed him off the show early so he didn't make the others look even worse than they are.

I really love seeing all the older stars train these newbies and Stone Cold is just a excellent entertainer by simply being himself.

My only gripe with this show is that there is only one person who has a chance to win, that man is Luke. No one else on the show has that generic look that WWE requires, do you really think that MMA guy will make it as a superstar? Therefore the show is simply being used to give Luke a decent starting place once he finally gets his WWE contract.

 

[The Newfie Bullet]

Im really enjoying tough enough, my pick to win so far is Ryan he has already showed he can talk from that promo battle with Mickael the other week.My other pick is Eric he has a great look about him and I think he has a lot of potential. But I can't understand what people see in Luke , he is way too cocky ,he wouldn't even shake Martin's hand the other week and if he doesn't win a certain competition he thinks the judges are wrong , in my opinion he's not gonna get anywhere with that kind of arrogance.