10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Tough Enough

5. Hazing The New Guys

Whilst WWE is a much different place than it was during the first four seasons of Tough Enough, you can be that certain performers are going to be a little bit jealous and wary of anyone who makes it to the company via the competition since they haven't properly 'paid their dues'. While it can hardly be considered their fault for accepting a reality television gig and a lucrative contract, wrestlers cannot take it out on management so they take it out on the wrestler. That's what happened with pretty much everyone from Tough Enough who made it to the main roster in the past. They were hazed, tested in the ring and backstage. Maven said during his post-release shoot interview that Hardcore Holly 'beat the s***' out of him at house shows for months. Chris Nowinski was also roughed up in the ring when he debuted on Raw in 2002. The cuts and bruises from house show matches were clearly visible when Nowinski performed on WWE TV. The most blatant of these hazings came on-camera at the 2005 Royal Rumble. Daniel Puder was entrant number three. Entrants number one and two? Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero. Puder was like a lamb to the slaughter. After a couple of minutes of chopping, his night got worse when Hardcore Holly entered number four. They just destroyed Puder, cutting his chest open and taking turns chopping him. Announcer Jim Ross made no secret of what was going on. Incidentally, Holly already disliked Puder because Puder had been calling his friends and telling them that he beat Holly for real after Holly put him over on house shows. So he kinda deserved it, really.