WWE Tough Enough Auditions Special
Aired June 15, 2015 on WWE Network
Report by James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

Monday night after Raw, WWE aired a one-hour special on the Tough Enough auditions that reduced the field from 40 finalists to 13 contestants on the next season of Tough Enough.

What was interesting is the show seemed to focus half on the 27 finalists who were eliminated and half on those who made it.

Perhaps we'll find out more about the likes of Sara Lee, Giorgia from Australia, Alex from Dallas, or Tanner once the show starts, but WWE glossed over several of the 13 contestants who made it through.

A lot of attention went to the 27 who were cut, whether because of medical issues, not being the right fit, being out-of-shape, or not having passion for pro wrestling.

And, there was Mike Hayes, a military veteran wrestling with one leg, similar to the story of Chris Melendez on TNA television. Hayes's story, drive, and effort put a face to the name of the show, as he was Tough Enough, but his body could not hold up.

There was also the drama of two finalists who ended up not making the final cut. On the male side, former NFL RB Khalil Bell was selected for the Round of 13, but he ended up not being medically cleared in the final round of evaluations. Enter Z.Z., the gator-wrestler from Louisiana who seems destined for the Wyatt Family. Or, just the fictional person who taught Luke Harper how to gator-roll.

On the female side, biker chick Ashley from Oakland made it through to the final round of female contestants, but the second round of medical evaluations determined that she had a heart condition. Therefore, she was eliminated. Enter Gabi, from Brazil and now living on Connecticut, who will be an instant heel on the show. If she makes it far, it will be surprising.

Perhaps the most mysterious story of the Final 13 was Amanda from New York. One of the opening scenes showed Amanda sitting on the ring steps "calling home" about some sort of family issue. She also talked about people under-estimating her because of her "Barbi doll looks," but having a strong physical background. The special did not go back to her story, creating the question mark of what she's all about. But, since she made it to the finals, her story will apparently continue to unravel.

There's also the long lost brother of independent wrestler Tommaso Ciampa, Mada from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and now Los Angeles. Mada looks exactly like Ciampa and has a certain charisma that should carry him far.

Patrick should also advance far into the competition. He has a presence and confidence that made him stand out from the rest of the crew, and his youth at only 19 years old will make him an asset or a liability, as Booker T pointed out. Either he's too young for WWE or he could be a future star for a very long time without carrying a ton of miles on his body into NXT.

Overall, the Network special focused a lot on what it takes to be a WWE wrestler, which seems to be one of WWE's main goals to "re-educate the public" that what WWE does is not beer-bellied fat guys stumbling around in the ring. And, that it's "not fake" when doing up-downs, rolling across the ring, and taking punches.

The other important element of the show are the main cast members. Booker T took the lead on the interview process, Lita showed that she isn't going to b.s. around, and Billy Gunn asked for more from the finalists to separate the wheat from the chaff.

I was also pleasantly surprised by Chris Jericho as the host. He's not Stone Cold, and he wasn't trying to be Stone Cold, but he didn't come into the ring on Day 2 looking to crack jokes and be Mr. Million Dollar Smile. The entire tone of the mini-camp was serious, focused, and about hard work, which Jericho maintained when he stepped into the ring to break down the final group of competitors.

There was also Triple H, who took a background role in the process. Hunter's first appearance was walking into the training center to see a contestant barfing into the trashcan. From there, he was shown interacting with various contestants and giving new life to Gabi and Z.Z., but otherwise he let the staff and judges handle the process in front of the cameras.

I still want to know more about the Final 13, especially Sara from Michigan, who could be the next "All-American Girl" Divas star for WWE.

Top 13 Rankings

(1) Z.Z. from Louisiana. He has a certain charisma and personality that will grab viewers. He'll just have to work on his verbal skills.

(2) Patrick from D.C. Patrick has confidence and stand-out charisma, plus a passion for pro wrestling that will resonate with viewers, that should carry him toward the end.

(3) Sara from Michigan. WWE didn't talk much about her, but she feels like a real person, and not a cookie-cutter Diva. Her authenticity will either be a strength or weakness when considering WWE is looking for larger-than-life individuals.

(4) Mada from L.A. Maybe it's the Tommaso Ciampa resemblance, but he looks like a star and has a unique look that separates him from the male competitors.

(5) Amanda from New York. WWE introduced her at the very beginning of the special, but did not revisit her, so I'm curious what she brings to the table.

(6) Daria from Los Angeles. Her MMA background might be too limiting for the show, but she could be the next A.J. Lee to fill a void on the Divas roster.

(7) Giorgia from Australia. She seems authentic and her accent will make her stand out, but we don't know a lot about her background from the special.

(8) Hank from Macon. I'm placing the two former college football players right next to each other in the middle of the pack, as they have the credentials and background, but I'm not sure if they will stand out enough to receive enough votes to last.

(9) Josh from Colorado. Same as Hank.

(10) Dianna from Spokane. I'm not sure who she is after watching the Tough Enough special. Will she be able to stand out from the crowd?

(11) Gabi from Brazil. The audience might like her feistiness, but will she get enough of the popular vote? Not sure. She seems destined for an early elimination.

(12) Tanner from S.C. We just don't know enough about him yet, as the special glossed over his background and story.

(13) Alex from Dallas. Same as Tanner - we just don't know enough about him yet.

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