According to The Wrestling Observer, USA Network officials feel pro wrestling’s popularity is cycling downward, which is contributing to the somewhat lack of viewership interest in WWE Tough Enough.
Furthermore, the network dislikes the partially taped and partially live format of Tough Enough, as it doen’t give the judges enough time to make fair critiques, and fans are only given minutes to vote on contestants as opposed to a whole night or several days.
With regards to the show’s host, USA officials liked the dynamic presence and charisma that Steve Austin brought to the show, but feel Chris Jericho comes off more like a game show host than a reality show host. There is said to be no heat on Jericho, however, as officials fault the format of the show and not Jericho.
Another factor that concerns USA officials is that past winners of Tough Enough, such as Andy Leavine and Daniel Puder, were promised WWE contracts when they won the competition, but were released from their deals very quickly after the show was over and they amounted to nothing in WWE. Some USA officials believe this makes the show meaningless so the fans in turn don’t care who wins.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
