WWE has filed a new trademark for ‘Tough Enough’ on March 5, according to a report by PWInsider.
The trademark’s description reads as the following: “a show about professional wrestling; entertainment services, namely, the production and exhibition of professional wrestling events rendered live and through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; providing wrestling news and information through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fans; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment.”
Tough Enough first aired for three seasons from 2001-2003 on MTV. The fourth season was held in 2004 and was integrated into SmackDown. The reality show is about aspiring wrestlers living together to make it as a WWE star.
Tough Enough was later revived in 2010 by USA Network for two more seasons, the fifth season airing in 2011 and the sixth in 2015, which gave us current superstars like Mandy Rose and Velveteen Dream.
Other talents who competed in the show and later found footing in the business include names such as The Miz, Chelsea Green, Ryback, John Morrison, and Sonya Deville.
As noted earlier, in a case of history repeating itself, WWE has released Tough Enough season 6 female winner Sara Lee from her contract in Friday, which was first reported by Ryan Satin at ProWrestlingSheet.com. Being that the Tough Enough season finale took place on August 25, 2015, Lee lasted just a month past the term of her initial one year, $250,000 contract. Male winner Josh Bredl (NXT’s Bronson Matthews) is still under contract for the time being, as well as female runner up Amanda Saccomanno (NXT’s Mandy Rose) and overall #11 Daria Berenato (NXT’s Daria).
While Lee had consistently done well in the viewer voting, Rose appeared to be the coaches’ pick, and if NXT bookings are any indication, Lee was not progressing as quickly as her peers. According to WrestlingData, Lee only had eight matches in NXT, all on Florida house shows, while Mandy Rose and Daria have had individual months where they had that many matches. Bredl/Matthews has had even less matches (five), but there are also more spots for the men.
The winner of Tough Enough’s fourth season (the one on SmackDown), MMA fighter Daniel Puder, was similarly cut after one year of being paid $250,000. He was progressing well and getting pushed on OVW (developmental TV) by then-booker Paul Heyman, but that apparently wasn’t taken into account. Puder is best known for catching Angle in a double wristlock/Kimura during an actual shoot match on SmackDown. Referee Jimmy Korderas was the only one to realize what was happening and counted a pinfall victory for Angle even though Puder had a shoulder up. Angle complained to Puder afterwards that it was supposed to be an amateur wrestling match, even though it had three count pins and he won his previous match with a neck crank, which is illegal in amateur wrestling.
– It looks as though former Neville may be undergoing some character changes in the near future. Featured above is a video clip from this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown that shows The Miz approaching the former NXT Champion backstage and offering to help by taking Neville under his wing.
– In addition to WWE Tough Enough winner Josh Bredl revealing his new WWE ring name, Bronson Mathews, during a promo segment at the NXT live event in Orlando, Florida on Thursday evening, another former Tough Enough contestant made her in-ring debut.
Daria Berenato, who was signed to a developmental deal with WWE after Tough Enough ended, worked a match at the NXT live event. Berenato is currently working under her real name, but is also using the “Jersey Devil” nickname. She was squashed by Nia Jax in her in-ring debut at Thursday’s live event.
Former WWE Tough Enough competitor Zamariah “ZZ” Loupe was recently injured at a training session at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando and is expected to be out of action for up to six weeks.
The incident that led to the injury was described as a case of miscommunication, but ultimately most of the blame fell on ZZ for “not paying attention.” There is definitely a feeling among some within the WWE developmental system that ZZ might not have the brightest future in WWE.
ZZ was the male runner-up on the latest season of WWE Tough Enough. It was announced in late October that WWE had signed ZZ, along with four other competitors from the show, to developmental contracts.
WWE announced Wednesday that Tough Enough competitors Mada Abdelhamid, Daria Berenato, Patrick Clark, Zamariah “ZZ” Loupe and Amanda Saccomanno have been signed to developmental contracts and are part of a new class of 19 recruits that have begun training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Perhaps the most notable name not on that list is Giorgia “GiGi” Piscina, who finished in sixth place. Tanner Saraceno, who was the last contestant to be eliminated before the finale, revealed in September that he plans to pursue a career in mixed martial arts.
In August, Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com claimed on Wrestling Observer Live that WWE planned to offer multiple Tough Enough competitors deals, with the definite exception of one individual. Without mentioning a name, he said one of the female contestants was “red flagged” from receiving a contract offer. On Wednesday, Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer said it was Piscina.
“Gigi would have been signed but something very troubling about her past came up,” he wrote on the F4WOnline.com message board in a thread about WWE’s new recruits. “It was really big but I don’t know what it was. But it was like hands off pretend she was never here.”
Piscina quickly denied the allegations on Twitter, stating, “I can assure u there is nothing “BIG” in my past that would have caused #WWE not 2 sign me. Unless being a quiet straight A student is “big.”
I can assure u there is nothing “BIG” in my past that would have caused #WWE not 2 sign me. Unless being a quiet straight A student is “big”
A short while later, Meltzer corrected his initial statement by saying it was actually Gabi (Castrovinci). He remarked, “Gabi, not Gigi, sorry.”
It would appear that Meltzer got them confused since like Piscina, Castrovinci has a background in fitness modeling. The Brazilian-born brunette finished in tenth place on Tough Enough. Since being eliminated, she has been pursuing a career in professional wrestling. She is currently training at WWE Hall of Famer Afa’s wrestling school in Minneola, Florida.
Castrovinci addressed Meltzer’s allegations in a statement posted on Twitter on Thursday.
“Dave Meltzer has been causing defamation of character & discrimination toward me. All I can say is that the reason WWE hasn’t hired me yet isn’t because of my “past life,” she states. “The WWE will fairly decide who to give a contract. But if you want to continue to defame or tear me down… I am sad for you…”
WWE has reportedly signed even more contestants from the most recent season of WWE Tough Enough.
According to a new PWInsider.com report, WWE has signed both Mada Abdelhamid and Daria Berenato to developmental deals.
Both Mada and Daria started at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday. This comes after WWE signed Patrick Clark from the show in the past week.
WWE has now signed Mada, Daria, Zamariah “ZZ” Loupe and Amanda Saccomanno, and obviously the winners of the show, Sara Lee and Josh Bredi.
The popular Chad Dukes Radio Show out of Washington, D.C. is reporting that fan favorite WWE Tough Enough contestant Patrick Clark has signed a developmental deal with WWE and is currently training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Clark was originally scheduled to make two appearances for Maryland Championship Wrestling this weekend, however he did not show up to either of them.
According to PWInsider.com, Clark, age 19, will soon be officially signed to WWE, as he is currently waiting to complete the standard medical tests required to sign with the company as an active performer.
Clark took part in a tryout at the WWE Performance Center a few weeks back and according to one source, Lita (Amy Dumas), who is now working behind-the-scenes in WWE, played a big role in Clark getting his deal.
Currently out of action, WWE NXT Superstar Colin Cassady has what appears to be a broken leg. Cassady worked Friday’s meet and greet in Tampa, FL which also featured Enzo Amore and WWE Tough Enough winner Sara Lee. It’s worth mentioning that Cassady was walking on crutches and did not wrestle.
At last week’s NXT TV taping, the storyline appeared to be an injury angle with Cass and The Mechanics for the 10/28 episode. Cassady’s knee brace was removed and they were working his leg over, leading correspondents in attendance to believe it was just an angle for the show.
@BigCassWWE showing he ain't SAWFT! Bad leg and still here for the WWE Universe here at #NXTTampa
E! issued a press release this week to formally announce a fifth season of Total Divas, which will premiere in 2016 on the cable channel.
In the details released for the season, which you can see below, it is announced that WWE Tough Enough finalist Amanda Saccomanno is confirmed for the show, and will be using the name Mandy.
E!’S HIT SERIES “TOTAL DIVAS” BEGINS PRODUCTION ON SEASON FIVE, FOLLOWING LAST WEEK’S SEASON HIGH FINALE REACHING 1.6M TOTAL VIEWERS AND 1.0M A18-49
The Bella Twins™, Natalya™, Eva Marie™, Paige™, Rosa Mendes™, and Alicia Fox™ Return In 2016 Along With WWE’s Newest Diva Mandy™
LOS ANGELES, CA – October 6, 2015 – Production on season five of E!, WWE® and Bunim-Murray Productions’ hit series, “Total Divas,” has begun, with the season slated to return in early 2016. The announcement comes on the heels of the show’s season four finale on Tuesday, September 29 at 9pm, which marked its highest rated installment of the season with 1.6M Total Viewers and 1.0M Adults 18-49 in L3 ratings.
The Bella Twins (Nikki and Brie Bella), Natalya (Nattie), Eva Marie, Paige, Rosa Mendes, and Alicia Fox will continue to give viewers an exclusive inside glimpse at balancing life in the spotlight and the non-stop action of their professional careers with the drama of their personal lives.
In the upcoming season, Mandy, the runner-up on the most recent season of “WWE Tough Enough®” is joining the Divas, bringing her own flavor to the already dynamic group and looking to prove she belongs amongst the veteran Divas. Plus, with Nikki Bella recently losing the championship title, the cast members of “Total Divas” are all vying to claim the title of Divas Champion.
Overall, season four of “Total Divas” remained a powerhouse for E!, reaching 1.5M Total Viewers and 1.0M Adults 18-49 in L3 ratings, solidifying its spot as one of the network’s hottest programs.
All-new episodes of “Total Divas” return in early 2016.
– WWE has confirmed online reports that Seth Rollins’ WWE Championship defense against John Cena this Saturday night from Madison Square Garden will take place inside a steel cage. The show airs live exclusively on the WWE Network.
– Back in August Mick Foley ripped Tough Enough finalist Amanda on social media for “slut shaming” Sara Lee and calling her a rat. Foley has since apologized to Amanda, who will be part of the next season of Total Divas.
WWE held tryouts at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida this past weekend. According to SquaredCircleSirens.com, below are some of the women’s wrestlers who tried out, many of which either tried out or made it onto this past season of WWE Tough Enough.
* WWE Tough Enough final 14 competitor Daria Berenato
* WWE Tough Enough top 40 finalist Danielle Kamela
* WWE Tough Enough top 40 finalist Samantha Sage
* Atlanta indie wrestler Katie Forbes, who has wrestled for SHINE and appeared on WWE TV as a Rosebud
* Crossfit athlete and track star Bianca Blair, who had a WWE tryout in March at the Arnold Classic
* Northeast indie wrestler Hannah St. Claire
* NBA dancer Yahne’ Coleman
* Indie personality and wrestler Brittany Baker
* Top indie wrestler Allysin Kay
* Indie wrestler Meagan “Aliya” Simone
* Nesfayia Watkins, who sent in a WWE Tough Enough audition tape
– It is now confirmed that WWE has signed Zamariah “ZZ” Loupe and Amanda Saccomanno to deals. ZZ is currently working out at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, while Amanda is filming for Total Divas.
– The WWE Network has added episodes of ECW TV from 1996. You can watch them on demand at any time.
– The latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, which is now available, features an interview with The Ultimate Warrior’s widow, Dana Warrior. You can download the show at PodcastOne.com.
– For WWE’s European tour in November, one tour, which includes shows in Leipzig, Germany on 11/13 and in Stuttgart, Germany on 11/14, is advertising John Cena vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro as the top two bouts.
– Tanner Saraceno of WWE Tough Enough fought at a Gladiator Challenge MMA show in Kuwait back on 9/11, however there hasn’t been any word on results from the show. He says he still wants to do pro wrestling and his plan now is to get fights to help him save money so he can attend wrestling school, as WWE hasn’t apparently offered him a developmental deal as they have with several other contestants from this past season.
Tough Enough finalist Zamariah “ZZ” Loupe was at the WWE Performance Center working out in the ring on Monday, according to PWInsider.com. No confirmation yet as to whether he has signed with the company.
Aside from Tough Enough winners Josh Bredl and Sara Lee earning one year $250,000 WWE contracts, finalist Amanda Saccomanno has reportedly signed on to be a cast member in the next season of Total Divas, which is currently in production.
WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T recently appeared as a guest on the Wrestling Compadre Slamcast. During the interview, Booker spoke about his thoughts on the latest season of WWE Tough Enough, which he was part of.
While Booker T said he hopes the show comes back for another season, he did mention that he hopes the voting process is changed so that the fans can vote on the bottom three contestants instead of voting the contestant that gets kicked off of the show every week.
“Let the host or whoever the judges [are] actually vote the guy off because we are actually looking for the next Tough Enough winner, not the next reality [show] superstar,” said Booker.
“I hope Giorgia gets a chance to make it back [to WWE]. She should have been the one. She was the overall winner as far as the girls go as far as I’m concerned,” Booker T said. “Patrick is the guy I hope I see come back. He’s an independent wrestler. He’s still out there doing his thing out there on the independent circuit trying to make his way to the big time, so hopefully the hard work for him will actually pay off.”
– As noted recently, WWE Tough Enough winner Sara Lee has started at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The other winner of this season, Josh Bredi, has also reportedly started at the Performance Center.
– Regarding recent rumors that Tough Enough finalist Amanda Saccomanno has signed with WWE and will be replacing Naomi on Total Divas, while we can’t confirm that she will be replacing Naomi, we can confirm that she has signed on to become part of the Total Divas cast.
– WWE recently posted the following on Twitter, which shows NXT women’s champion Bayley’s number one super fan Izzy hanging out with her recently.
– WWE recently sent out a fan survey and one of the questions asked what time they think WWE PPV events should begin. The choices were 1pm, 5pm, 7pm and 8pm.
– WWE Tough Enough winner Sara Lee began training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando yesterday.
First day at the @WWEPerformCtr ? amazing group of people that I'm really excited to work with ???
– For the second week in a row, it appears that WWE is bringing Sting in for RAW after he wasn’t originally scheduled for the show. Creative plans reportedly changed on Thursday and Sting, who was not originally scheduled, will in fact appear on Monday’s RAW in Baltimore, Maryland.
– WWE Tough Enough finalist Amanda was in attendance at the WWE television tapings this week in Florida. Amanda reportedly flew to Orlando after the SmackDown tapings this week, possibly to train at the WWE Performance Center. Amanda is from New York and returned to Orlando as soon as she was eliminated from Tough Enough. According to PWInsider.com, WWE already has interest in Amanda, which was expected.
– It’s rumored that NXT General Manager William Regal will be getting back in the ring for a match at the NXT Takeover: London live event scheduled for December 16th.
– Tough Enough winner Sara Lee noted on Twitter that she’s leaving her hometown this week and moving to Orlando, home of the WWE Performance Center.
I am doing great! Reallg excited bc i leave this thurs to move to Orlando for good & start training ??? https://t.co/v5H4MfXVy5
– Natalya revealed that filming for the next season of Total Divas is underway. She had several family members over on Tuesday (including her father, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart) to watch this season’s finale and Total Divas camera men were there getting footage for Season 5.
Popular WWE Tough Enough contestant Zamariah “ZZ” Loupe recently spoke with Brian Fritz of SportingNews.com about his experience on the show. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On the finale: “I knew that my entrance, my match, my promo had to be the best that they could be and that’s what I did. At that point in time, where it was, all I could do was put it in God’s hands.”
On working with Cesaro: “To come from a level I’m at now to getting a match with Cesaro who is probably one of the best of all-time, it’s really an honor. I know it’s going to be a while before I work with him in the ring again but the plan is to do everything I can to get back here.”
On people saying he’s lazy: “As far as people telling me I’m lazy, I’m not lazy. I’m laid back. I come from a lifestyle that’s completely different from the rest of the world. A lot of people see that as lazy. It’s amazing to me because look at what I did in the ring. If I was lazy and couldn’t do anything, do you think I could have pulled off a match that incredible with Cesaro?
“There’s always room for improvement and, of course, I have to have a change in attitude because I know I have to get better. That was a two minute match and I was starting to get tired. But I’m saying that if I didn’t do nothing at all, I wouldn’t have been able to pull that off.”
On believing he did everything he could to win: “I knew I was going to have to push my body to a level it hadn’t been before and that’s exactly what I did. It was a lot of fun, living in the barracks with 13 of the world’s best athletes and whittling them down and seeing that you’re one of the top four of the best athletes there at the time. And then seeing I’m on of the top two guys, that was awesome just by itself. At the end of the day, when I go back home, I’m going to do everything I can to be here.”
Check out the complete interview at SportingNews.com.
NXT announcer Rich Brennan has been promoted to the lead announcer position for WWE SmackDown. Now that WWE Tough Enough is over, it looks like Booker T, who was on hiatus due to the show, will be headed to Thursday nights in two weeks while Byron Saxton will permanently replace him on RAW.
WWE RAW on Monday nights will be called by Michael Cole, JBL and Saxton while SmackDown will feature Brennan, Jerry Lawler and Booker T.
Booker T and Rich Brennan recently had the following exchange on social media.
Congrats to @RichBrennanWWE, enjoy the ride! #SmackDown
WWE Tough Enough contestant Tanner recently appeared as a guest on The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On his overall feelings of the Tough Enough experience: “I was definitely blessed for the whole experience and the opportunity that was given to me and I have no regrets going through it. There were just a few things that maybe needed a bit more work, I just didn’t have time to improve fast enough on I guess. Overall the experience was mind-blowing. The way the Superstars interacted with us and the hospitality and sense of family that was built was an incredible experience.”
On breaking into the business via the Tough Enough casting process vs. traditional training: “I think we are in a new age now so there are different tools that maybe are being utilized and experimenting with some ways that are social media based and we have to rely on votes from our fans. We had to impress our fans, judges and coaches so I think all that tied in and gives you different perspective and lets everyone know what the WWE Universe is looking for.”
On any resentment from the veterans or trainers: “They worked with us and there was no hesitation or I never got a no. Any question I had or anytime I tried to work with them extra or any question I ever had they were all more than willing to accommodate and help out. I didn’t feel any resentment from them and I think they understand the business is trying to grow every day and is trying to do something new and they are trying to pass on their legacy towards us so we can uphold the traditions and stuff. Just to be put in that opportunity, they dealt well with us and taught us a lot.”
On the format of judges, host and trainers all being current or former Superstars: “I thought it was enjoyable and at times thought it was frustrating or nerve-wracking. You have to wonder do I have to impress the coaches this week during a challenge and then I’m going to have to impress the judges who maybe think something differently. There are different styles and they do all have different styles between the coaches and the trainers so maybe one thing that Billy Gunn loves Daniel Bryan may not like so much. Things like that and what you are thinking when you are going out there, then it comes down to the WWE Universe and your votes and your career depends on impressing them as well. It’s real confusing at times, who you are impressing and who you are angering.”
On Daniel Bryan’s influence on Tanner during the competition: “Daniel Bryan to me is a great guy. I had a few moments where I could sit down and talk with him off camera and he was in the weight room a couple of times and he is really an awesome dude, very humble, very knowledgeable. His outlook on how to approach things and just how he looks at situations are refreshing to see something like that. I try to stay out of mainstream stuff and that kind of thinking and he seems to have a similar thought process and so that is refreshing to see something like that and to interact with someone as well.”
On his personality and charisma being a focus of the judges: “Everything I learn, I just have to learn very mechanically. I have to learn the steps of how to do things and small things like that. To have my athletics at the high level that they are would give me time to focus on those fine tuning of the personality expressions and stuff. The Miz said to me that we see you in the reality portion, we see your personality and the only problem is not doing that in the ring. I just don’t entirely know how to and honestly I just need to learn and with a couple of acting classes or promo classes I can learn anything. Learning how to do that and learning how to express whether through my face or body language just putting my stage presence out there as being more dominant is what I am lacking.”
On heat with ZZ and the picture Tanner posted on Social Media of ZZ entering Burger King: “That was actually sparked by a message I received from ZZ. Upon returning back home. I don’t have a lot of money, I have to work for everything I have so I am in the process of trying to set myself up to be able to train and support myself financially as well so coming back home so I went to an (MMA) fight and the promoter promoted me a bit because he had a lot of WWE fans there and I went to another fight this past Saturday night and I think that is why ZZ said what he said. ZZ said to me in a message I thought that you really wanted to do this (wrestling) and the first thing you do is go back home and you are back into your MMA world. I took that very offensively, coming from him. In my opinion he doesn’t understand the struggles I have to go through financially and that I make money off this. This is how I pay my rent and utilities. I think ZZ being so young he may not understand to struggle financially, I’m pretty sure his parents are paying for all of his stuff, he’s 19 he’s probably still living at home. I felt the need to expose the lies that he was claiming that he was eating healthier and he is eating better and manipulating the crowd and there he is. We go out to eat healthy and he walks over to Burger King. Don’t call me out on making a living for myself while you are doing your own thing and manipulating the world.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog to comment on the end of this season of WWE Tough Enough, reuniting with Jerry Lawler for WWE 2K16 and more. Below are some of the highlights.
On WWE Tough Enough: “Can’t say as I’m sorry to see Tough Enough end. The show’s format never resonated with me even though the look of the show was slick. I was never enamored with the “cast” especially after Patrick was eliminated. Patrick Clark will be a ‘player’ in the biz at some point sooner than later and WWE would be well served to sign the 19 year old who is a natural heel with a terrific work ethic and product knowledge. His training at Maryland Championship Wrestling has served him well.
If Tough Enough returns to the USA Network, I’d see major changes being made in the format and the voting plus getting Steve Austin back to host the show would be a major step forward. My congrats to Josh and Sara Lee. Hope that they make it but both appear to be long shots.”
On The Dudley Boyz: “Happy to see those Damn Dudley’s back with WWE as they can be great mentors/teachers to many on the young roster. Every team in WWE will become a better duo after having worked with Bubba and Devon.”
On NXT call-ups: “Getting lots of questions on Twitter about when will WWE call up more NXT talents. I have no idea but I do know that it is more crucial on how the talents are brought in to the main roster. than who is brought in to the fold. Debuting with some degree of impact isn’t optional. It’s a must.”
On reuniting with Jerry Lawler for WWE 2K16: “We’re getting great feedback on Jerry Lawler and me reuniting for WWE games 2K16 video game due out in October. I’d guess that this will be the final time that the two of us will work together in any WWE projects at least to the best of my knowledge. I hope that the fans support our efforts on this new video game that is loaded with new innovations, whistles and bells.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
WWE Tough Enough winner Sara Lee recently spoke with M Live about her experience on the show. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On if she would have made it to the finals if not for the fan voting: “It’s hard to say because the show would have had a different format. At the end of the day, the WWE is about who people want to see in the ring and see who they connect with. The fans chose who they wanted.”
On if she wants to be a babyface or a heel: “I’m open to whatever, because things are constantly changing in WWE. I’d have to work on my heel character a little bit. With the right tools, I think I could put together a good heel character. Whatever is asked of me, whatever the demands are, I’m ready to try it.”
On if she sees a rivalry in her future with Paige: “I think the foundation is definitely there for a good match with her someday. Outside of the ring, Paige is really cool and everything she says to me, I don’t take it personally. She’s just trying to help me improve. I take her suggestions and criticisms and learn from them. She’s one of my favorite WWE Divas.”