Linda Miles, also known as Shaniqua, was one of the winners of the 2002 Tough Enough competition. As a muscular black woman, she certainly had a different look, one that only Jazz was able to make work. But having a unique appearance does not translate into a successful career, especially when one thinks too highly of themselves at such an early stage in their career. Because she won such a difficult contest, she soon developed a massive ego, and thought that she was so much better than she really was. According to Hardcore Holly, her tipping point occurred at an airport when she ordered a veteran wrestler to pick up her bags for her. When that wrestler refused, she went ballistic and complained to management, who, in turn, fired her. The Tough Enough competition is supposed to be an opportunity for WWE to find new, long-term talent that they can groom for the future. Unfortunately for Linda Miles, just because you win the competition does not mean youre instantly a success. In her case, it was too much too soon, and she ended up wasting previous TV time and WWE money, all because she thought she was so much better than she really was.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
