- WWE Tough Enough trainer Bill DeMott recently spoke with Alex Marvez of Scripps News. Here are some highlights:

Returning for Tough Enough:
“When I got the call from (WWE) about ‘Tough Enough,’ I told my wife how funny it is that the guy who got chastised for what he does and how he does it is going back to TV. I guess in some people’s mind I make a good TV character, even though I don’t see myself that way. When I was offered the job, I didn’t think twice about taking it.”

This season’s cast:
“The premise this season is that everyone had experience from the independent (wrestling) scene. That shows you how the business has changed. Anybody who has bought a pair of boots from the Internet or been on an indy show is now a ‘professional.’ I don’t think these kids were as hungry as they were seven years ago. The contestants were more laid-back. Some were just interested in being a reality-TV star. I tell them that they will get their 15 minutes of fame, but they won’t do a thing when that’s over.”

TE winner Andy Leavine:
“He’s 23 years old, he’s a monster (at 6-feet-5 and 270 pounds) and you can see he’s coachable. But this is not a place for someone weak. I’ve seen great athletes stop doing this because they couldn’t take the travel or handle themselves in the locker room. Andy’s wife just had a second newborn. He’s going to have to man up and really prove he’s worthy of the chance he was given. Everyone who wins ‘Tough Enough’ isn’t necessarily WWE material. I’m going to go out of my way to make him understand what he did was nothing compared to what he’s going to have to do now. It will be interesting to see if he continues to grow and run with the opportunity or fall short.”

An in-ring return for WWE:
“I don’t plan to make any debuts, but this is WWE. You never know when they’re gonna say, ‘Hey, do you want to do this?’”

You may also be interested in...