"Tough Enough" started as a reality TV show on MTV, and lasted for three seasons. The fourth installment showed up as a "Smackdown" segment and resembled its predecessor in name alone. Originally, the main objective of "Tough Enough" was two-fold. For WWE, the show afforded the promotion an opportunity to scour the country in hopes of finding another "Stone Cold" Steve Austin or The Rock. In the process, MTV latched on to another reality show that potentially could attract the always-important 18- to 35-year-old demographic. The combination of MTV and WWE produced a purposeful reality series. "Tough Enough" smashed the stereotype that because professional wrestling is staged, anyone can do it. Even the most skeptical viewers took notice of just how difficult the so-called "fake" wrestling was; that the common thought of wrestling as two guys rolling around a ring in tights actually was a refined process, which requires more than a flashy costume. Contestants filled with dreams of performing in front of 10,000 people became in-ring workhorses, who grimaced and winced in pain after only a few bumps and bruises. The would-be glitz and glamour usually associated with WWE live events quickly transformed into a one-room facility, littered with training equipment, three trainers and one wrestling ring. As seasons came and went, wrestling fans and the MTV audience emphatically realized that WWE wanted athletes with heart, dedication and an unspoken respect for the business of professional wrestling. The show, too, was constructed with a "Real World" setting, putting WWE hopefuls in a house together and watching conflict -- either from the "Tough Enough" trainers or butting personalities -- ensue. Head trainer Al Snow acted as in-ring general, but also served as an out-of-the-ring mentor to several, if not all, contestants at one time or another. WWE finally had found the perfect blend of sport and entertainment with "Tough Enough." After three seasons, though, the concept eventually grew tiresome, if for no other reason than its repetitive nature from one season to the next. MTV and WWE decided "Tough Enough" no longer had a viable audience remaining. The decision to bag the show, most likely, was based on sagging ratings, not to mention a steady decline in WWE's mid- to late-1990s popularity. Still, Vince McMahon and company weren't ready to say goodbye just yet. A new idea: have "Tough Enough" as part of "Smackdown," where clips of the training can be shown from week to week. In theory, the mentality sounded strong enough to carry on the tradition of the original show. The way "Tough Enough 4" translated on television was another story altogether. The show lacked discipline as part of "Smackdown," and WWE treated contestants as mere fodder for their amusement. "Tough Enough" was never about contestants shoveling spaghetti in their mouths, dressing up like women or having public make-out sessions with Mae Young. The show addressed professional wrestling as a legitimate lifestyle of constant training and traveling to make a living. Viewers watched in Season 1 as Jason, the bald-headed brute with a chiseled physique, walked away from the competition, citing that he didn't want the hectic life associated with being a WWE superstar. He opted for peace over potential prosperity. Moments like Jason's -- the ones that truly define what World Wrestling Entertainment is all about -- have been supplanted by bogus boxing matches and "American Gladiator" jousting stunts that serve no purpose, other than for what McMahon might call entertainment. Instead, McMahon and the rest of the "Smackdown" writers have tarnished the "Tough Enough" franchise to the point that wrestling once again looks like a circus sideshow that values gross-out tactics and meaningless competition over the truly remarkable process of becoming a WWE superstar. The biggest loser in all of this is 23-year-old Daniel Puder, who won the so-called contest last Thursday over MTV mainstay Mike Mizanin. The mixed martial arts expert and former UFC fighter seemingly has all the tools to become a legitimate draw in WWE. Unfortunately, he wasn't afforded the kind of springboard that "Tough Enough" once provided its winners.
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