SteveAustinWeb.com – Tough Enough

An all new “Tough Enough” starts Monday at 8 PM+Eastern with guest The Big Show!

Source: NYPost.com

Miss USA is trading in her tiara for a shot at professional wrestling.

Beauty queen Rima Fakih — the pageant’s first-ever Arab-American winner — says growing up in Jackson Heights, Queens, helped prepare her to compete in the new WWE reality competition “Tough Enough.”

“I was in and out of different high schools — Martin Luther King, where 50 Cent got kicked out of, and Flushing Meadow, where we would have fights and shootings every day,” she says.

“Over there, you have to be tough morning to night. Someone can just stab you because they like your sneakers.
“I had a few incidents walking home from school. Someone wanted my book bag one time and pulled out a knife.”

Rima, 25, will train and share a house in LA with 13 other contestants, including “America’s Next Top Model” hopeful Michelle Deighton. They will compete in weekly challenges to determine who has what it takes to become a professional wrestling star.

The series premieres April 4 on USA Network.

“I was a tomboy growing up,” Rima tells The Post. “I always thought that the Divas [female wrestlers] were a great example of someone I could relate to.

“Being Middle Eastern, it’s tough for girls to be in modeling and beauty pageants and wear bathing suits. When I told my parents about doing ‘Tough Enough,’ my mom’s exact comment was, ‘Yeah, my daughter can kick butt!’ ”

Rima — who nearly lost the Miss USA crown when photos of her pole dancing surfaced on the Internet last year — says training for the show took a toll on her pageant-perfect body.

“I was bruised up a lot,” she says. “There would be times I would leave the ring and there would be a lot of blood on the mat.

“There was a lot of wear and tear on my body, but I loved every bruise and black and blue mark because I could see how hard I pushed myself.”

Source: Wrestling-Edge.com

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and PSYCH Star James Roday to Guest Star on Tough Enough

USA Network unveils its new Monday night programming block with the premiere of WWE TOUGH ENOUGH, a non-scripted series in collaboration with World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. and Shed Media US. Hosted by WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, WWE TOUGH ENOUGH premieres April 4, 2011, featuring a group of twelve individuals looking for an once-in-a-lifetime shot to become the next WWE Superstar or Diva. The grand-prize winner will be awarded a contract with WWE, joining its roster of talent.

WWE TOUGH ENOUGH will premiere at 11/10c, the day after WrestleMania XXVII and immediately following USA’s ratings juggernaut WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW, and then will move into its regularly scheduled timeslot, Mondays at 8/7c, starting on Monday, April 11. The series premieres with a one-hour episode followed by nine (9) one-hour episodes.

Renowned WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Booker T and Bill Demott – from the original WWE TOUGH ENOUGH series – serve as trainers to a diverse group of men and women will live, train and compete together in a house in Simi Valley, California. To see who has what it takes to be the next WWE Superstar or Diva, the contestants will battle it out each week in a series of unique challenges designed to test for such characteristics including showmanship, creativity, athleticism and desire. Each episode will feature a current WWE Superstar, who will introduce the contenders to a quality that they must possess to make it to the top of the sports entertainment world. Along the way, viewers will witness the trials and tribulations of what it takes to be one of the best in the world’s greatest sports entertainment organization.

Each episode will conclude with the elimination of one of the hopefuls who is left outside of the ring, while those that remain will move one step closer to their dream.

In the final episode, the remaining contestants will battle it out for the grand prize.

Hollywood star and former WWE Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and star of USA’s PSYCH, James Roday, will guest on the series.

Source: BuzzFocus.com

In this video, Trish Stratus speaks with reporters on the set of USA Network’s revived wrestling reality series, WWE Tough Enough. Stratus told us what reality TV shows she watches and what she’s looking for in the Tough Enough contestants. She also discusses her time doing improv at Second City.

The newest edition of WWE Tough Enough will premiere on USA Network on April 4, 2011 following WWE Raw. This is also the day after WrestleMania XXVII.

Click to see the video.

Source: BuzzFocus.com

While on set of WWE Tough Enough in Southern California, we got some footage of Stone Cold Steve Austin answering questions regarding his participation in USA Network’s upcoming reality series. Pay attention to his hilarious answers to what TV shows he watches as well as the origin of his ring name.

The newest edition of WWE Tough Enough will premiere on USA Network on April 4, 2011 following WWE Raw. This is also the day after WrestleMania XXVII.

Click here to view the entire interview! Hopefully, this will be available on YouTube soon…

Source: WrestleHeat.com

According to reports from the Tough Enough set, Luke Robinson is considered the early favorite on the show. He stands out as a star and is considered a good wrestler that possesses charisma. Show host Steve Austin was so impressed by Robinson that he is privately working out with him.

Robinson is a 26-year-old independent wrestler from Maine who performs under the name “Golden Boy” Bobby Robinson. His USANetwork.com bio reads: “For him, WWE combines all his passions rolled into one: performing, marketing, athleticism and traveling. Luke proved his athleticism as captain of his high school’s varsity soccer, hockey and baseball teams, competing all four years, before moving on to getting his BA in Business Administration from University of Southern Maine.”

WWE developmental talent Su Yung (a/k/a Sonia) tried out for Tough Enough but failed to make the cast. The Seattle based wrestler signed a contract with WWE last year and is currently listed on the official Florida Championship Wrestling website as a Diva. Jerry Lawler, 61, revealed in a recent interview with Fighting Spirit that he is dating Yung, who is 21 years old.

Thanks to Josh for the screen captures!!!

The photo gallery link is here.

Source: WrestleHeat.com

Former WWE developmental talent Christina Crawford (a/k/a Caylee Turner) could be seen in the Tough Enough trailer that aired during tonight’s Raw. Crawford, who is the younger sister of WWE Diva Alicia Fox, was removed from the Florida Championship Wrestling roster last month. California based independent wrestler “Big Nasty” Jason Watts is also a Tough Enough contestant as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is shown asking him a question.

Bill DeMott is said to be handling a large portion of the training with contestants on “Tough Enough” reports Jason Powell of Prowrestling.net. Steve Austin, who will host the show, has made regular appearances on the set and has made mentions about tapings on Twitter. Booker T and Trish Stratus attend the tapings around one day per week.

Source: WrestleZone.com
WrestleZone has learned exclusively that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has issued a stern warning to his writing team “don’t forget Stone Cold!”

In the internal happiness going through WWE about the return of The Rock and his promos on John Cena, it is Vince’s opinion that Stone Cold Steve Austin could get very upset if his character is not treated with equal admiration and respect.

“Austin saved the company when Vince was under attack by WCW,” one key WWE insider reminded us, “and Vince does not want another falling out with Austin. He knows the PG-line has been pushed back a little bit, and Vince wants Austin to know how much his contributions to WWE are appreciated!”

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Next month USA revives WWE Tough Enough and EW has your the first look. The 10-episode unscripted show launches April 4 after Monday Night Raw with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as judge. Tough Enough has 12 contestants looking for a shot to become the next WWE star. Below, Austin shows these young wrestler wannabes who’s the boss

Click Here to see the video.