Winning Tough Enough doesn't guarantee a successful career with WWE. So far, no wrestler that has won the show has gone onto become WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
While Maven went onto become a three-time Hardcore Champion, he is most remembered for eliminating Undertaker from the 2002 Royal Rumble and then getting pummeled by The Deadman. He left the company in 2005 and would go onto appear in the sixth season of VH1's The Surreal Life. A problem with pain killers was revealed on the show and he got into some legal issues in 2012 due too that problem.Â
Nidia's first big storyline saw her as the boyfriend of Jamie Noble. The "trailer park trash" inspired couple broke up shortly after she was "blinded" by Tajiri's mist and their feud culminated in Jamie Noble beating her in a Blindfold Match. She left the company in 2004.
The announcement of the two women winning the contest came as a bit of a shock as most people thought that the contest was set up for their being one male and one female winner.
While the male runner-up went onto some success in TNA Wrestling under the name of Kenny King, the two winners of the contest did not have much in-ring success. Jackie Gayda's most memorable match was a tag team match that was infamous for it's botched spots while Linda Miles was repacked as Shaniqua, a dominatrix who managed The Bashams. By 2005, both women were gone from the company.
John Hennigan became the most successful winner of the show while wrestling under the names of Johnny Nitro and John Morrison. As a tag team wrestler, he won championship gold as part of MNM with Joey Mercury as well as with The Miz as his partner. He also won the Intercontinental Championship on three occasions and won the ECW Championship once. He left WWE in 2011 and returned to nation television in 2014 as Johnny Mundo in Lucha Underground.Â
Unfortunately, Matt Cappotelli's career was derailed by a brain tumor which was removed in 2007.
The format of the show changed drastically during this season as it was no longer its own program but was a weekly feature on SmackDown. The most famous moment during the season saw Daniel Puder accept a legitimate challenge from Kurt Angle and almost forced Angle to tap out to a Kimura Lock but the referees saved Kurt from that embarrassment by making a phantom three-count on Puder. While Pruder won the contest, he was gone from the company less than a year later.
While his WWE career was a flop, the same can't be said for the runner-up of that season, Mike Mizanin. Better known as The Miz, he is the only competitor in the show's history to walk out of the main event of WrestleMania as the WWE Champion.
Levine never got to wrestle on WWE television and was released from the company in 2012. After leaving the company, he went onto wrestle for awhile for the World Wrestling Council which is based out of Puerto Rico.
In August 2015, Josh and Sara won the contest. Only time will tell whether they can make it onto the list of the most successful wrestlers in Tough Enough history. Based upon what I saw during the show and the success rate of those that have competed on the show, it is going to be very difficult for either one of them to become successful WWE superstars.
 Winners: Maven Huffman and Nidia Guenard){kind=link}
•Season One (2001) Winners: Maven Huffman and Nidia Guenard
While Maven went onto become a three-time Hardcore Champion, he is most remembered for eliminating Undertaker from the 2002 Royal Rumble and then getting pummeled by The Deadman. He left the company in 2005 and would go onto appear in the sixth season of VH1's The Surreal Life. A problem with pain killers was revealed on the show and he got into some legal issues in 2012 due too that problem.Â
Nidia's first big storyline saw her as the boyfriend of Jamie Noble. The "trailer park trash" inspired couple broke up shortly after she was "blinded" by Tajiri's mist and their feud culminated in Jamie Noble beating her in a Blindfold Match. She left the company in 2004.
•Season Two (2002) Winners: Jackie Gayda and Linda Miles
The announcement of the two women winning the contest came as a bit of a shock as most people thought that the contest was set up for their being one male and one female winner.
While the male runner-up went onto some success in TNA Wrestling under the name of Kenny King, the two winners of the contest did not have much in-ring success. Jackie Gayda's most memorable match was a tag team match that was infamous for it's botched spots while Linda Miles was repacked as Shaniqua, a dominatrix who managed The Bashams. By 2005, both women were gone from the company.
•Season Three (2003) Winners" John Hennigan and Matt Cappotelli
John Hennigan became the most successful winner of the show while wrestling under the names of Johnny Nitro and John Morrison. As a tag team wrestler, he won championship gold as part of MNM with Joey Mercury as well as with The Miz as his partner. He also won the Intercontinental Championship on three occasions and won the ECW Championship once. He left WWE in 2011 and returned to nation television in 2014 as Johnny Mundo in Lucha Underground.Â
Unfortunately, Matt Cappotelli's career was derailed by a brain tumor which was removed in 2007.
•Season Four (2004) Winner: Daniel Puder
The format of the show changed drastically during this season as it was no longer its own program but was a weekly feature on SmackDown. The most famous moment during the season saw Daniel Puder accept a legitimate challenge from Kurt Angle and almost forced Angle to tap out to a Kimura Lock but the referees saved Kurt from that embarrassment by making a phantom three-count on Puder. While Pruder won the contest, he was gone from the company less than a year later.
While his WWE career was a flop, the same can't be said for the runner-up of that season, Mike Mizanin. Better known as The Miz, he is the only competitor in the show's history to walk out of the main event of WrestleMania as the WWE Champion.
•Season Five (2010) Winner: Andy Levine
Levine never got to wrestle on WWE television and was released from the company in 2012. After leaving the company, he went onto wrestle for awhile for the World Wrestling Council which is based out of Puerto Rico.
•Season Six (2015) Winners: Josh Bredl and Sara Lee
In August 2015, Josh and Sara won the contest. Only time will tell whether they can make it onto the list of the most successful wrestlers in Tough Enough history. Based upon what I saw during the show and the success rate of those that have competed on the show, it is going to be very difficult for either one of them to become successful WWE superstars.