WWE’s Tough Enough competition has had many ups and downs over the years, with the winners of the reality TV show not doing a whole lot upon their signing with WWE. Sometimes, others who compete on the show earn a contract and achieve success, but there is something about winning it that just feels cursed.
One of the more successful Tough Enough winners came in the form of the very first victor - Maven, who had a fun stint with the company. With it being over 20 years since this show aired, there may very well be things that fans now forget about Maven, which is understandable given how long ago he was actually in the WWE.
10 Debuted Against Tazz
The first season of Tough Enough used Tazz as one of the trainers for the competitors, so in a way it made sense for Maven to wrestle his first match against a former mentor. At the time, Tazz’s time in WWE wasn’t going as well as it should, but he was still quite a major name to debut against.
Tazz would win with relative ease, before turning on Maven after the bell, setting up his very first feud on the main roster. He would have a trilogy of very short matches with Tazz, with him actually winning the last one in a major upset.
9 Defeated Batista
Maven is known for one of the biggest upsets in wrestling history when he eliminated The Undertaker from the Royal Rumble, but he also caused an upset against another legend of the business too.
On an episode of Raw in late 2004, Maven shocked the world by defeating Batista. It was a clean victory too - with him countering the Batista Bomb into a roll-up, although nothing would really come of this win, making it a rather forgettable and pointless win.
8 Had A WWE Championship Match Within Three Months After Debuting
Following Maven’s incredible and infamous elimination of The Undertaker from the 2002 Royal Rumble, he was awarded with a WWE Championship match due to being thrown out of the match by the already-eliminated Undertaker.
To see such a rookie receive a WWE Title match so soon was a huge surprise, and due to the ridiculousness of the situation, there was some slither of intrigue to the title match. However, he would lose within three minutes to the Undisputed Champion, Chris Jericho.
7 Wrestled In TNA
Maven was never the best of performers inside the ropes, so there was little expectation for him to really make a splash on the independent wrestling scene. It may come as a surprise to some fans to know that he wrestled in TNA.
He never appeared onscreen nor did he officially sign a deal with the promotion, but he would wrestle on seven house show matches, competing with and against the likes of Jeff Hardy, Rhino, The Dudley Boyz, and Jeff Jarrett.
6 Three-Time Hardcore Champion
Throughout Maven’s time in WWE, he was mostly seen as a lower card jobber, but that didn’t stop him from managing to become a three-time champion in WWE - although the gold around his waist was the Hardcore Title, which nearly anyone and everyone won.
Initially, he would defeat The Undertaker for the title (due to some interference), and would win the title more than once on the same night, during the Hardcore Title shenanigans at WrestleMania 18.
5 Returned To Wrestling In 2015
After a failed run on the independent scene, Maven turned his attention to other avenues, leaving the world of professional wrestling for eight years. However, he sensationally made a return to the ring in 2015.
He would return to Brian Myer’s CAP company, competing in his first match in a long time. From there, he has competed in six more matches over the years, last wrestling in 2022.
4 Offered A Place In Evolution
Whilst this was solely based in kayfabe, there exists a hypothetical and theoretical alternative universe where Maven accepted an offer to join Evolution. Ahead of a World Heavyweight Title match against Triple H, the champion tried to get out of the match by offering up a spot in the Evolution stable.
Of course, this may very well have been a ruse, but it is certainly entertaining to think what would have happened had Maven turned heel, accepted the offer, and joined one of WWE’s most dominant factions ever.
3 Appeared In More Reality TV
Maven made a name for himself in the Tough Enough show, which was essentially reality TV. When he was making an exit from WWE, he would appear in other shows too, albeit they weren’t as lucrative for him.
Maven appeared on The Surreal Life show, which was essentially an older version of Celebrity Big Brother.
2 Played A Part In Brock Lesnar’s Debut
Brock Lesnar’s debut was an empathic one, with him emerging and wiping out everyone who was in the ring at the time. As it turns out, Maven was one of the men who was competing inside the ring, during a Hardcore Title defense.
Lesnar was the focus here, but Maven took a beating along with Al Snow and Spike Dudley, ensuring to make Lesnar look good in his first appearance on Raw, which set him up for an incredible ascent up the card.
1 Won The PWI Award For Rookie Of The Year
Whilst Maven wasn’t a top tier talent, he did surprisingly take very well to the world of professional wrestling for someone with so little experience. With some championship success and memorable moments, his efforts were recognized.
Each year in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Awards, a Rookie of the Year is crowned. The likes of Goldberg, Kurt Angle, Randy Orton, Charlotte Flair, Owen Hart, and Big Show have won this prize, so Maven is amongst strong company in the previous winners.