Misplaced Pages

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159-500: Past episodes of Tough Enough are available for streaming on the WWE Network . The idea of the show originally came from a deal the then-WWF made with MTV in spring of 2000. One part of a deal was to create a reality series where contestants compete to win a WWE contract, the winner being one male and one female. Maven Huffman and Nidia Guenard won the first season of Tough Enough . Only two contestants were actually cut from

318-403: A Two Out of Three Falls match . During the match Ciampa tore his anterior cruciate ligament , sidelining him indefinitely from in-ring action. On September 7, Ciampa announced that his injury required surgery, which would sideline him for a year. Ciampa made an appearance on December 16 at Final Battle 2012: Doomsday , trying to get his hands on R.D. Evans, after he had defeated Prince Nana in

477-459: A racial slur in front of Booker T and John Cena . Almost every WWF/WWE , JCP/WCW , and ECW pay-per-view (PPV) event ever produced is available for on-demand streaming. Although WWE promotes the selection as every pay-per-view ever made, a handful of PPV events have not yet been made available. This includes mostly foreign events such as WCW's Millennium Final , Collision in Korea , and

636-531: A "signature documentary" for the service annually beginning in 2022. After a transitional period, the standalone WWE Network ceased operations in the United States on April 4, 2021. To coincide with the introduction, Peacock announced plans to offer a four-month half-price promotion for new Premium subscribers. Not all content was available at launch, as the service's library was being audited to meet NBCUniversal standards and practices . WWE stated that

795-501: A 10-year rights deal with Netflix , which includes international rights for all WWE weekly shows , Premium Live Events , original series, and forthcoming projects from 2025. As a result, WWE Network will cease standalone operations in the vast majority of its remaining countries as of January 1, 2025. It will remain active for an indeterminate period of time in a small number of countries where Netflix's contract will not take effect immediately due to pre-existing contracts. The origins of

954-509: A 1950s style diner, and are told that they will be working as waiters and waitresses – on roller-skates. At the Skills Challenge the following day, the cast is given a sequence of moves to perform to test their agility. The challenge comes down to Andy, Martin and Luke. Martin wins the challenge. Steve Austin returns to announce the bottom three. He calls Rima's name then tells her he's not going to call anyone else and eliminates her on

1113-458: A 6-man tag at Six Flags, tagging with Bolin Services to take on Elijah Burke and Cryme Tyme . On June 27, 2007, Whitney debuted a new gimmick when he began wrestling under a mask as Prodigy. On August 9, Whitney was released from his WWE developmental contract. In late 2007, he returned to the independent circuit. On September 29 Tommaso defeated A.J. Styles and Eddie Edwards to become

1272-570: A Foxtel-run WWE linear channel added to its services), Disney+ in the Philippines, and Abema in Japan. On January 23, 2024, WWE announced an agreement with Netflix to hold the rights to Raw globally, and rights to Raw , SmackDown , NXT , documentaries, and pay-per-view events outside of the United States, beginning in January 2025. Immediately after the announcement, the future of

1431-543: A Proving Ground Match to earn a future match for the ROH World Television Championship. On March 4 at the 10th Anniversary Show , Ciampa's match with Lethal for the ROH World Television Championship ended in a fifteen-minute time limit draw. Ciampa continued his feud with Lethal on March 31 at Showdown in the Sun , where he interfered in his match with Roderick Strong and cost him the title. On

1590-529: A WWE-branded channel to DStv carrying WWE programs and WWE Network original series. On January 27, 2022, it was announced that WWE Network would be available on Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia at no additional costs to subscribers. Amidst the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by the Russian military , WWE announced on March 3, 2022, that it had terminated the broadcasting relationship with Russia and shut down

1749-575: A beatdown at the hands of The Undisputed Era (Cole, Bobby Fish , Kyle O'Reilly , and Roderick Strong ) on the October 30 episode of NXT , a WarGames match was scheduled between Ciampa's team against The Undisputed Era. At NXT TakeOver: WarGames on November 23, Team Ciampa (Ciampa, Lee, Dominik Dijakovic , and Kevin Owens ) defeated The Undisputed Era. This led to a match between Ciampa and Cole at NXT TakeOver: Portland on February 16, 2020, for

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1908-510: A branded channel within the Peacock service, with the full service included as part of the paid Peacock Premium tier (which features a wider array of television, film, and sports programming), and a selection of WWE Network content (including some of its original series such as The Bump and Raw Talk , and episodes of Total Divas and Total Bellas from NBCUniversal cable channel E! ) available within its free tier. WWE committed to produce

2067-416: A combination of musical rights issues over his entrance music and the inability to remove the music without losing the original commentary audio. The deleted matches were eventually reinstated with replacement music and newly recorded Joey Styles commentary. Several pay-per-views are copies of their condensed home video releases, rather than the live versions, and so are missing matches. Archive content on

2226-502: A double elimination. Andy is saved, but Christina and A.J. are cut. Ariane Andrew , Christina Crawford , and Ivelisse Vélez received developmental contracts after the show was over along with winner Andy Leavine . Despite being the first person cut from the competition, Ariane Andrew ultimately wound up being the sole contestant to be called up to the main roster. She has appeared on WWE programming as Cameron, one half of The Funkadactyls , as well as Total Divas as herself. Leavine

2385-456: A feud with Intercontinental Champion Gunther , losing a match for the title on the October 2 episode of Raw . Post-match, after a five months hiatus, Johnny Gargano returned and saved Ciampa from an attack from Imperium , reforming DIY . On the January 8 episode of RAW, Ciampa beat Finn Balor. Winning that match earned DIY a tag team title shot. They got the match on the January 29th episode of RAW but they were defeated by The Judgment Day. On

2544-509: A former American amateur wrestler and 1996 Olympic gold medalist , challenged the finalists through a squat thrust competition. Chris Nawrocki won the competition, and the prize Nawrocki won was a match against Angle. Angle quickly took Nawrocki down, breaking his ribs, then made him tap out with a neck crank . After Angle defeated Nawrocki, Angle challenged the other finalists. Puder accepted Angle's challenge. Angle and Puder wrestled for position, with Angle taking Puder down; however, in

2703-470: A further update, it was reported that his surgery was successful and the timetable for his return was estimated for early-to-mid 2018. On January 27, 2018, Ciampa returned at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia , attacking Gargano with a crutch to close the show. He then cost Gargano his NXT Championship match against Andrade "Cien" Almas on the February 21 episode of NXT , forcing Gargano to leave NXT as per

2862-465: A grueling outdoor obstacle course, which shows the lack of endurance some have. The bottom three are Ryan, Luke and Christina; Steve Austin tells Luke he is annoyed at his appearance and apparent attitude, but Ryan is sent home because it is his "third strike." Rey Mysterio and John Salley guest star. The theme of the week was charisma. The trainers take the contestants to Hollywood to meet Psych ' s star, James Roday . Bill DeMott says Jeremiah "gots

3021-514: A later date. On October 30, 2014, in an attempt to increase subscription numbers from an announced figure of 731,000, the 6-month subscription requirement was dropped, allowing subscribers the option to cancel at any time. WWE had originally planned to launch the network on October 1 in the United Kingdom, but was delayed for a further month. The launch was confirmed to be taking place at 8 p.m. on November 3; however, 20 minutes prior to

3180-502: A launch later set for January 23, 2023. As part of the agreement, Foxtel's channel Fox8 will continue to carry WWE programming, and Foxtel will also introduce a new, WWE-branded linear channel. On October 20, 2022, it was announced that the WWE Network would move to Disney+ in the Philippines upon its launch on November 17, 2022; however, WWE's agreement with Disney+ ended two years later, following which WWE Network relaunched as

3339-515: A low blow as payback for not calling a DQ for the illegal move. Ciampa made an appearance for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on the September 30, 2015, episode of Impact Wrestling in a triple threat match also involving DJZ and Trevor Lee , which was won by Lee. Ciampa wrestled for TNA once again on the October 17, 2015, edition of Xplosion , defeating Crazzy Steve . Although not re-signed to WWE, on September 2, 2015, Ciampa

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3498-594: A match at NXT TakeOver: WarGames where Ciampa won. On the January 20, 2021, episode of NXT, Ciampa fought and lost to Thatcher in the Fight Pit. After the match, Thatcher and Ciampa showed respect to one another and Ciampa asked Thatcher to be his partner for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic which Thatcher accepted. They defeated Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese in the first round and The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole and Roderick Strong ) in

3657-430: A match. Ciampa returned from his injury on May 4 at Border Wars 2013 , chasing Evans and his new associate, Q.T. Marshall , out of the ring. On August 3, Ciampa entered a tournament to determine the new ROH World Champion , defeating Silas Young in his first round match. On August 17, Ciampa defeated Michael Bennett to advance to the semi-finals of the tournament. On September 20 at Death Before Dishonor XI , Ciampa

3816-479: A member of the WWE tag team Cryme Tyme , was chosen to be one of the final 13 contestants on the show but, according to the show, failed a physical; he was subsequently replaced by Danny. Eventual season 3 winner John Hennigan (who went on to compete for the WWE as John Morrison ) auditioned and survived the first cut down to 25 contestants, but, despite displaying well-tuned athletic ability, Hennigan's arrogance irritated

3975-702: A premium pay-TV outlet, with a potential price of $ 15 a month. On Old School Raw in January 2014, WWE ran teasers promoting an announcement on January 8 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, later confirming that the announcement concerned the WWE Network. At the Consumer Electronics Show, WWE revealed a comprehensive plan which would see a launch date of February 24, 2014 in the United States. WWE Classics on Demand closed on January 31, 2014, to make way for

4134-482: A rights deal with Viacom, the company had floated the idea of acquiring USA's Sci-Fi Channel , and reformatting it as a dedicated wrestling network. USA executives rejected the idea, and McMahon said that former USA Networks President Barry Baker encouraged her to talk to other programmers about potential deals. " 'I can tell you right now, Linda, you're not going to get anybody to give you a network,' " McMahon quoted Baker in her testimony. In 2005, USA Network re-acquired

4293-426: A second free preview week of the WWE Network, which started July 7, in an attempt to sign new subscribers. A second report released at the end of July indicated that the network had reached 700,000 subscribers. WWE's goal was to reach one million subscribers by the end of 2014. On July 31, 2014, the company announced a 10-year, Canadian distribution deal for WWE content with Rogers Media (owner of Sportsnet 360 ,

4452-480: A singles match losing to Matt Logan and Psycho, but alongside Psycho, he won a Lethal Lottery Tournament first round match. Penmanship and Psycho qualified for a battle royal to determine the number one contender to the CW Heavyweight Championship, but the match was won by Luis Ortiz. At Breaking Point 2006 Penmanship lost to Psycho once again in a Psycho Rules match with Tommy Dreamer as

4611-489: A standalone service. WWE Network previously offered "WWE Collections", which are video packages of memorable characters and storylines. In July 2019, WWE updated the network and subsequently removed all collections. Former collections In addition to previous editions of the original programs listed above, the network includes many other previously aired events. Although the United States parental guidelines rating system rates most weekly WWE television programs TV-PG,

4770-514: A statement from Hassan before being attacked by The Undertaker. On the December 17 episode of Velocity , under the ring name Demarso Whitney, he was defeated by Jamie Noble . On the August 25, 2006, episode of Heat he and Kofi Kingston had a dark match against Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch . On February 4, 2007, it was announced that Whitney signed a developmental contract with WWE and

4929-455: A statement saying, "Dish will not offer the 'WWE Elimination Chamber' PPV on 2/23. WWE is not willing to adjust their PPV costs to satellite and cable companies, which is unfair to their customers. We need to re-focus our efforts to support partners that better serve Dish customers." Dish later made a decision to air WrestleMania XXX . Dish declined to offer WrestleMania 31 and 32 but did offer WrestleMania 33 in 2017. In October 2014, it

WWE Tough Enough - Misplaced Pages Continue

5088-562: A tag team tournament. He formed a tag team, #DIY (Do It Yourself), with Johnny Gargano . The following year, he signed a contract with WWE and participated in the Cruiserweight Classic , a tournament for cruiserweight wrestlers, but Gargano defeated him in the first round. Ciampa is a two-time NXT Champion and one-time NXT Tag Team Champion . Outside of WWE, he is best known for his work in Ring of Honor (ROH), where he

5247-418: A three even though Puder's shoulders weren't fully down, trying to end the thing, because the reality was Angle would have been in surgery had it gone a few seconds longer or had Puder not given up the hold." ― Dave Meltzer "As you would expect, Kurt Angle was less than happy backstage at Smackdown after almost being forced to tap out to Tough Enough contestant Daniel Puder. Downright ticked off would probably be

5406-520: A three time WWF Hardcore Champion . He was released by WWE in July 2005 and would later work for Impact Wrestling . Also he appeared on the sixth season of The Surreal Life . Nidia Guenard would go on to manage Jamie Noble and compete in the women's division. She was released by WWE in November 2004 and retired shortly afterwards. Christopher Nowinski would eventually make the main roster, where he

5565-517: A triple threat match, but Black was removed from the match due to being ambushed in the arena parking lot by an unknown assailant (in reality, Black had suffered a legitimate groin injury). The match was changed to the first-ever Last Man Standing match for the NXT Championship between Ciampa and Gargano, where Ciampa retained his title. At NXT TakeOver: WarGames , Ciampa retained the championship against Velveteen Dream . Ciampa defended

5724-574: A wrestler as Greg Matthews working for Combat Zone Wrestling and independent circuit until retiring in 2010. The second season winners were Linda Miles and Jackie Gayda . The result offended members of the male finalists, who claimed that when they signed forms to compete on Tough Enough , the forms spoke of one male winner and one female winner. Eventually, Linda and Jackie were released on November 12, 2004 and July 5, 2005, respectively. Gayda later married wrestler Charlie Haas , but would later divorce in 2020. Shad Gaspard , who would later become

5883-470: Is 20 minutes late to the skills challenge. In the skills challenge, the contestants are squashed in the corner and then body slammed five times by Bill DeMott. After deliberating on the best and worst, Steve announces the Bottom Three: Ryan, Rima, and Matt. In the ring, Steve Austin scolds Rima for her tardiness but praises her mental toughness. While Steve believes that Ryan may be "too nice" for

6042-806: Is a one-time ROH World Television Champion . He has also wrestled for several other independent promotions , including Beyond Wrestling (BW), Chaotic Wrestling (CW), Top Rope Promotions (TRP), and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). Tommaso Whitney was born on May 8, 1985, in Boston, Massachusetts . He is of Sicilian descent . Whitney was trained by WWE Hall of Famer Killer Kowalski , and debuted in January 2005. He predominantly wrestled for independent promotions located in Massachusetts, most notably Chaotic Wrestling and Top Rope Promotions . On May 22, 2005, he wrestled an IWF Junior Heavyweight Championship match against champion Sean Royal, but

6201-455: Is an American professional wrestler . He is signed to WWE , where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Tommaso Ciampa ( / ˈ tʃ ɑː m p ʌ / ). Whitney began his career in 2005, working on several independent promotions. In 2011, he began to work with Ring of Honor until 2015. He later appeared on WWE in 2015 as part of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic ,

6360-637: Is currently available through 186 out of 193 United Nations member states (including all 27 European Union nations) and two observer states such as the Holy See and the State of Palestine . It is also distributed through six non-UN countries: the Republic of China (Taiwan) , the Cook Islands , Kosovo , Niue , Northern Cyprus , and SADR -claimed Western Sahara . In late 2017, Liechtenstein and

6519-432: Is declared the winner after Eric tires out. Steve and the trainers announce the bottom three – Ryan, Rima and Mickael. At elimination, Steve is impressed that Rima asked for one-on-one help and sends her back to the house. Steve pits rivals Ryan and Mickael against each other in a promo duel. Ryan impresses Steve with his passion, and Steve decides to send Mickael home. Big Show and Stacy Keibler guest star. Michelle's belt

WWE Tough Enough - Misplaced Pages Continue

6678-450: Is even able to return to the ring at all. He made a surprise appearance at NXT TakeOver: New York on April 5 after Gargano defeated Adam Cole to win the NXT Championship, embracing Gargano to celebrate his victory and turning face in the process. On the October 2 episode of NXT , Ciampa returned from injury, confronting Adam Cole, who had become the longest-reigning NXT Champion. After Ciampa saved Matt Riddle and Keith Lee from

6837-616: The 2024 WWE Draft , both Ciampa and Gargano were drafted to SmackDown . On the May 31 episode of SmackDown , Ciampa defeated one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions Austin Theory . On the July 5, 2024 episode of WWE SmackDown Ciampa and Gargano as #DIY defeated A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller ) to become the new WWE Tag Team Champions . On the August 2 episode of SmackDown , DIY lost

6996-530: The Basham Brothers as their dominatrix Shaniqua. Jessie Ward would work as a stage manager for WWE between 2002 and 2004. In September 2013, she married future NXT Superstar Tommaso Ciampa . Kenny Layne would later find success wrestling for Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor under the ring name "Kenny King". Matt Morgan would work on the main roster in October 2003 until January 2004. He would return to OVW. In April 2005, Morgan returned to

7155-572: The ECW World Championship , three Intercontinental Championships , and the WWE , SmackDown , and World Tag Team Championships once each. Hennigan left WWE in November 2011 and also found success outside of WWE in other promotions such as Impact Wrestling , Lucha Underground and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide between 2012 and 2019. Cappotelli was developing his talent further in WWE development territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), but

7314-632: The ECWA Super 8 Tournament in 2009 and 2010 before finally winning the tournament in 2011 when he defeated Adam Cole . On August 30, 2013, Ciampa made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), when he entered the 2013 Battle of Los Angeles , losing to Brian Cage in his first round match. At Honor Reclaims Boston he, Alex Payne and Ernie Osiris lost a dark match to Bobby Dempsey, Grizzly Redwood and Rhett Titus . Ciampa appeared in dark matches for Ring of Honor in both 2007 and 2009. In January 2011, Ciampa began working regularly for ROH. On

7473-550: The Hart family . Matches called with Jesse Ventura on commentary, which had previously been dubbed over due to a 1991 lawsuit , are available with the original commentary. While the network promoted on-demand airings as being unedited, some instances of expletives , gestures, and all nudity are censored. Many programs were digitized for WWE 24/7 prior to the 2012 settlement with the World Wide Fund for Nature , and thus

7632-627: The Japan Supershows , and ECW's foreign ECW/FMW Supershows , however it also includes some events held domestically such as WCW's Nitro Girls Swimsuit Calendar Special and When Worlds Collide , and WWF's No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie . In addition the pay-per-view section contains several events which did not air on pay-per-view, such as WWE events Royal Rumble 1988 and WWE Global Warning Tour: Melbourne . Many ECW Supercards are also listed as pay-per-views, despite never actually airing there. The WWE Network offers videos under

7791-615: The Lucha Underground Trios Championship on multiple occasions, whereas Casaus won both Lucha Underground Championship and Lucha Underground Gift of the Gods Championship . Jeremiah Riggs would return to Bellator MMA in 2012, going on to lose three fights in the promotion before completely retiring from MMA. He would later compete on a 2015 episode of Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge . On January 15, 2015, season 6 of Tough Enough

7950-553: The NXT Tag Team Championship . Ciampa and Gargano, now collectively billed as " #DIY ", received another title shot in a two out of three falls match on November 19 at NXT TakeOver: Toronto , where they defeated The Revival to become the new NXT Tag Team Champions. DIY went on to successfully defend their championships against the team of Tajiri and Akira Tozawa and TM61 in Japan and Australia, respectively. They retained their titles against The Revival on

8109-498: The Tough Enough program. Soon after, her photograph was circulated to security personnel, and she was barred from any backstage areas. The fourth Tough Enough competition was conducted as part of WWE's SmackDown! brand between October and December 2004 in response to Raw holding the first annual Raw Diva Search contest. The prize was a $ 1 million professional wrestling contract split evenly over four years with only

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8268-598: The United States Championship . Ciampa faced Lashley for the title the following week in a match dedicated to Harley Race , but lost. On the September 5 episode of Raw , his ring name was reverted back to Tommaso Ciampa. Ciampa then suffered a hip injury in October. On the June 19, 2023 episode of Raw , Ciampa returned to answer The Miz's open challenge, which Ciampa won, thus ending their alliance and turning face once again. Ciampa soon after began

8427-473: The WWE Championship . He is also a former WWE Intercontinental Champion . He would remain with WWE until August 2016. Daniel Rodimer signed a developmental contract with WWE, and later wrestled on Heat as Dan Rodman in 2007. He retired from wrestling in late 2007. Nick Mitchell signed a developmental contract with WWE. He made his debut on the main roster in January 2006 as Mitch, a member of

8586-636: The WWE Classics on Demand service. It launched in Canada in July of that year and expanded to the Asia–Pacific region and select European countries in August. The United Kingdom received the service in February 2015, and was made available in the Middle East and parts of Africa that March, and to India in November. It was launched in additional European and Asian countries in January 2016. Upon launch,

8745-631: The special referee . On May 19, Penmanship defeated Handsome Johnny and became Chaotic Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. As the Chaotic Heavyweight champion Penmanship defeated Bryan Logan, del Monte and Max Bauer . He held the Championship until February 2007, when he lost it to Brian Milonas in a "Loser leaves CW" match. He appeared on the July 14, 2005, episode of SmackDown! as Thomas Whitney, ESQ one of Muhammad Hassan's lawyers and confronted The Undertaker . Tommaso read

8904-441: The "Home Video Classics" header which includes various previous home video releases that had been originally released by Coliseum Video . Additional content from WWE Libraries , which has a library of over 100,000 hours of programming, will be added over time. In an interview with Time , Michelle D. Wilson, chief revenue and marketing officer for WWE, stated their reason for bypassing cable companies and instead only offering

9063-482: The "WWF" and the "WWF scratch" logo are censored in some instances. Some original music has been dubbed over with alternate tracks such as the original intro music to Saturday Night's Main Event (May 1985 – January 1988 episodes) which originally played " Obsession " by Animotion . At launch, all but one of New Jack 's matches were removed from ECW pay-per-views, as was his surprise return at Heat Wave 1998 , due to

9222-465: The 2011 season is referred to as "Season 1", therefore making no reference to its prior runs on other networks. In addition, although the premise of this show is similar to that of WWE NXT , Tough Enough season 5 ran concurrently with NXT and did not replace it. Similar to the reality series Hell's Kitchen , several episodes concluded with a voiceover of Austin's thoughts on the eliminated contestant as he goes to his office and hangs their belt on

9381-553: The April 25 episode of Raw , now under the shortened ring name "Ciampa", he attacked Mustafa Ali after his match against The Miz , turning heel for the first time since 2020. On the July 4 episode of Raw , Ciampa aligned himself with Miz after helping him attack AJ Styles after their match. On the August 1 episode of Raw , he defeated Chad Gable and Dolph Ziggler in a triple threat match while also defeating Styles later that night to earn an opportunity to face Bobby Lashley for

9540-465: The April 7 episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling , Ciampa defeated Lethal, Adam Cole and Mike Bennett in a four-way final to win the 2012 March Mayhem tournament. On May 12 at Border Wars , Ciampa's undefeated streak was ended, when he was defeated by Lethal in a singles match. On June 24 at Best in the World 2012: Hostage Crisis , Ciampa received another shot at the ROH World Television Championship, but

9699-510: The January 11, 2017, episode of NXT , but were attacked by The Authors of Pain ( Akam and Rezar ) afterwards. Ciampa and Gargano lost the championships to The Authors of Pain at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio . They would get their rematch on the March 1 episode of NXT , which ended in a no contest after The Revival interfered and attacked both teams. This led to NXT TakeOver: Orlando , a triple threat elimination match between all three teams for

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9858-536: The January 22 Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings, he defeated Mike Sydal. He joined Prince Nana in his heel stable The Embassy . He later defeated Adam Cole and Grizzly Redwood. On April 1 he debuted on internet pay-per-view at Honor Takes Center Stage Night One, taking part in a Four Corners match that was won by Homicide . Ciampa went on to defeat Homicide twice, once on the second show of Honor Takes Center Stage and again on May 6, at ROH Revolution: USA . The next day, at ROH Revolution: Canada , Ciampa

10017-482: The July 18 tapings of the July 25 episode of NXT , Ciampa defeated Aleister Black to capture the NXT Championship after Gargano interfered and accidentally hit Black with the title belt. This made Ciampa only the second wrestler to hold both the NXT Championship and NXT Tag Team Championship , after Neville . At NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV , he was scheduled to defend the title against Black and Gargano in

10176-687: The Logan Brothers for the Chaotic Wrestling Tag Team Championship . Penmanship won his first championship on August 8, by defeating Chase del Monte for the Chaotic Wrestling New England Championship . He held it for half a year, successfully defending it against former del Monte, Jason Blade, and Psycho, before eventually losing it to Psycho at Cold Fury 5 . Penmanship then spent a couple of months without winning

10335-687: The MWF Television Champion. In September 2008 Ciampa debuted in Harley Race 's World League Wrestling . In October he took part in Nine Man Battle Royal for the vacant WLW Heavyweight Championship , which was won by Go Shiozaki . Ciampa also unsuccessfully challenged WLW Tag Team Championship twice: on November 22, 2008, alongside Steve Anthony and on March 21, 2009, alongside Marc Godeker. After returning to New England in 2008, Ciampa went on to compete in

10494-688: The March 18 episode of RAW, DIY defeated the Creed Brothers to qualify for the Six Pack Ladder Match for the Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania XL , which they were unsuccessful. On the April 15 episode of Raw , DIY defeated The New Day and the Creed Brothers to face Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth ) for the renamed World Tag Team Championship , where Awesome Truth retained. On night 2 of

10653-408: The NXT Championship, which Cole won after Gargano cost Ciampa the match, thus re-igniting their feud. On the April 8 episode of NXT , this culminated in a No Holds Barred match between Ciampa and Gargano, which Gargano won after interference from Candice LeRae . Ciampa then entered a feud with Karrion Kross , who attacked him backstage during an interview. At TakeOver: In Your House , Ciampa

10812-491: The Network content in the region. On July 30, 2015, WWE revealed the number of subscribers for the Network at 1.156 million. This was announced as a part of WWE's financial reporting on the second quarter of the year, which had resulted in their stock price rising past $ 20.00 after closing on the previous day at $ 16.48. The total of 1.156 million paid subscribers marked a 13% decrease from the 1.315 million paid subscribers that

10971-499: The Network received acclaim, with The New York Times saying that WWE had "positioned themselves on the cutting edge of Internet television." Later that month, the company announced that the network had 667,000 subscribers, short of the one million subscribers they needed to break even. As WWE's stock fell 50% the following month, Forbes described low subscription numbers as being of "additional concern" for investors after WWE's underwhelming NBCUniversal renewal deal. WWE offered

11130-472: The Peacock-hosted version of WWE Network is being further edited for content by NBCUniversal. On launch, two pay-per-views were edited to remove racially-insensitive content; WrestleMania VI was edited to remove a match between Roddy Piper and Bad News Brown where Piper had painted half of his body black , and Survivor Series 2005 was edited to remove a backstage segment where Vince McMahon used

11289-742: The People's Republic of China were added to the list of non-available countries, however, the WWE Network is still available in the PRC special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau as well as ROC - controlled Taiwan and Fujian . Since January 2021, WWE Network is available in India as an add-on subscription through the SonyLIV streaming service. In December 2019, WWE renewed its agreements in Sub-Saharan Africa with SuperSport , adding

11448-440: The September 30 episode, Ciampa lost to Breeze in a singles match. He appeared on the December 2 episode of NXT , losing to Samoa Joe . Ciampa won a match against Danny Burch on the January 13, 2016, episode of NXT and defeated Bull Dempsey on the February 24, episode. On March 15 tapings, Ciampa scored another win, this time against Jesse Sorensen . On April 2, it was confirmed that Ciampa had re-signed with WWE earlier in

11607-631: The Sicilian Stretch at the referee's count of five. After unsuccessfully challenging Michael Elgin for the ROH World Championship on August 23, Ciampa was ( kayfabe ) suspended indefinitely by ROH for attacking the ring crew and ring announcer Bobby Cruise, thus cementing his heel status. At the ROH 13th Anniversary Show , Ciampa suffered two fractured ribs during his match, forcing him out of action. He later said he'd finished

11766-463: The United States, though a list was not published in this statement. It was subsequently reported that WWE Network would remain active in a small number of international markets where Netflix cannot yet assume rights due to conflicting contracts, and in fact was relaunching as a standalone service in the Philippines following the end of WWE's contract in the region with Disney+. The WWE Network

11925-466: The United States, which continued to be marketed as a standalone offering through either WWE or its local partners. However, in 2022 WWE began to reach additional agreements to merge WWE Network into streaming services in other territories, including Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia, Binge in Australia (as an extension of WWE's existing media rights agreement in Australia with Foxtel , which also saw

12084-466: The WWE Network broadcasts a wider range of content. A parental controls block is available and content rated TV-14 and TV-MA are preceded by an advisory warning. The network airs footage featuring Chris Benoit ; it marks the first major airing of Benoit footage or even mention of Benoit in said footage since his double-murder-suicide in 2007 . However, the Benoit tribute episode of Raw is replaced with

12243-557: The WWE Network can trace back to 2000 when USA Network filed a lawsuit against the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, known as WWE since 2002) due to a breach of contract which saw most of its programming moved to Viacom -owned TNN and MTV . The Delaware Chancery Court ruled in favor of the WWF in June 2000. Then CEO Linda McMahon revealed that WWF wanted its own cable network and testified that before WWF signed

12402-476: The WWE Network had broken into the top five streaming services and trailed only MLB.tv in the sports category. WWE announced the network would launch in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Japan on January 5, 2016, followed by Thailand and the Philippines on February 29, 2016. In April 2017, WWE announced a total of 1.949 million subscribers to the WWE Network, of which 1.661 million were paid subscribers. At

12561-552: The WWE Network in the country, in line with the global sanctions imposed by the United States . The WWE Network service is also not available in the Russian-controlled regions of Crimea , Donetsk , Kherson , Luhansk , Zaporozhye , Transnistria , Abkhazia and South Ossetia . On September 28, 2022, WWE announced an agreement with its Australian rightsholder Foxtel , which will see WWE Network merged into its streaming service Binge beginning in January 2023, with

12720-473: The WWE Network online: "Digital over-the-top offerings represent the future, and given that our passionate fans consume five times more online video content than non-WWE viewers and over-index for purchasing online subscriptions such as Netflix and Hulu , we believe the time is now for a WWE Network." In response to the announcement, DirecTV issued a statement saying that they are re-evaluating whether to continue carrying WWE's pay-per-view events . Due to

12879-455: The WWE Network was left unclear, though it was speculated that the service was about to be discontinued since it had been already moved to other streaming services in other regions. On November 22, 2024, an email was sent out to many subscribers confirming that the service will no longer be available in certain areas effective January 1, 2025. It was first sent out in United Kingdom, with this change also taking effect in other territories outside

13038-492: The WWE Network was met with positive reception of its content library , but was criticized for technical problems. The service had 1.5 million subscribers by October 30, 2020. Beginning in 2021, WWE began to phase out WWE Network as a standalone service in some markets, transitioning its content library to domestic streaming services owned by local rightsholders (such as Peacock in the United States, Binge in Australia, and Disney+ in some Asian markets). In 2024, WWE announced

13197-446: The WWE Network. A free trial period was offered during the week of the launch. At the time of the launch, archival programming from WCW, ECW, SMW, AWA, and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), amongst other promotions owned by WWE Libraries Inc. was included on the service. The logo initially used for the WWE Network eventually became the standard logo used by the WWE corporation in August 2014. In April 2014, ahead of WrestleMania XXX ,

13356-439: The assets of NeuLion) to provide infrastructure and billing services, and Massive Interactive to develop a new front-end and mobile apps. The new WWE Network platform launched in July 2019, ahead of SummerSlam . It includes a revamped user experience, support for 1080p streams, new browsing tools (such as a new "Superstars" interface for filtering content by performers), and plans to add a download feature for offline viewing in

13515-416: The auditions and was disqualified, later signed with WWE and competed as The Boogeyman. During the tryouts, Brian Danovich suffered a torn pectoral muscle during the bench press but then went on to complete the assault course in its entirely while carrying the injury. After withdrawing from the event, then Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis offered him a developmental contract on the spot though he

13674-443: The beginners. On day two, as Steve enters to announce the life lesson Michelle interrupts him to announce her decision to quit. Her daughter is more important to her than the competition – a decision Steve respects. Out on the field, the rest of the contestants take on their new Life Lesson – to learn a cheerleading drill and perform it at Universal City Walk . On day three Steve begins the next Skills Challenge: Chain of Command. Martin

13833-423: The best way to describe his mood. The unscripted nature of the contest was the main reason that Angle was made to look so bad since Puder just reacted to the situation and could have forced Angle to submit had the referees not thought quickly and counted a pin that wasn't there on Puder." ― Dave Scherer Mike Mizanin signed a developmental contract with WWE and made his main roster debut in 2006 as The Miz and became

13992-421: The business, it is Matt who is eliminated due to his hesitance in demonstrating his skills. John Cena guest stars. Bill sends the contestants on a grueling run. Luke comes in first, and Rima beats all of the women and some of the men. Eric's poor physical condition puts him in last place. The contestants are then sent to the gym for a training session. Mickael shows poor technique and is relegated to working with

14151-402: The charisma". The contestants go back to the house where they go off and do training with The Rock . The Rock says he "will stay for a little bit" to see what will happen. The skills challenge winner is A.J., yet the bottom three are Christina, Andy, and A.J. Andy gets pissed off at Stone Cold and tells him that he's got the wrong people in the bottom three. Stone Cold announced that there will be

14310-673: The coming year." On February 12, 2015, WWE announced a five-year partnership with television provider OSN to bring the WWE Network to the Middle East and North Africa as a premium service. On March 31, 2019, all OSN Sports channels were shut down and WWE content stopped airing on OSN services. A year later, WWE announced the Network content would be accessible in the MENA region directly through WWE services with no regional television provider or streaming service involved. Currently, and since March 23, 2022, Shahid holds exclusive rights to

14469-458: The competition; the others eliminated voluntarily exited. Of the final five contestants, four would eventually join the WWE . Nidia was released from WWE on November 3, 2004, while Maven was released on July 5, 2005. The first season of Tough Enough was released on DVD in 2002, along with its soundtrack. This season became available for viewing on the WWE Network on January 12, 2015. Order of elimination: Maven Huffman would go on to become

14628-417: The content migration would be completed by August 2021. This has included the removal of scenes/matches containing content inappropriate under current standards, with the most prominent example being a WrestleMania VI match where Roddy Piper painted half of his body black before facing African-American opponent Bad News Brown . This agreement did not initially affect the WWE Network service outside of

14787-507: The cover story from the October 5, 2002 issue of the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter , it was revealed that contestant "Lisa" was removed from the show after what was referred to as a "psychotic breakdown." After being left at the house while the other contestants went out to dinner, she began throwing herself against the walls of the house, eventually breaking into the hidden MTV control room and working her way onto

14946-662: The development of a premium tier with additional features (such as benefits for other WWE operations). In March 2020, amid the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and to promote WrestleMania 36 , WWE Network made a selection of its premium content and archives available free for a limited time. On June 1, 2020, WWE Network officially launched a free tier with 15,000 hours of content, which includes access to selected content such as recent episodes of its weekly programming, and original series such as Raw Talk , Monday Night War , and Ride Along . The service would be advertising-free, and

15105-401: The end of the third quarter of 2017, the number had dropped to 1.5 million paid users. In April 2018, WWE announced subscriber growth had reached 2.1 million, with 1.8 million paid. At the end of the third quarter of 2018 the number had dropped to 1.6 million paid users. In January 2019, WWE Network signed with Endeavor Streaming to replace BAMTech as its operating partner. WWE's decision

15264-451: The episode that aired internationally, a recap of championship matches. Also, Vengeance: Night of Champions in 2007 removes all references to Benoit during the ECW World Championship match. Over the Edge 1999 , infamous for Owen Hart 's death at the event, is also available for the first time since its original air date; however, some portions of the event have been edited out of respect to

15423-410: The fact that these events would also be available on the WWE Network once it launches, it might reduce the number of pay-per-view purchases via cable and satellite providers. Vince McMahon suggested that pay-TV operators would ultimately decide to continue to carry WWE's pay-per-view events, given that providers keep a significant share of each purchase, and incur minimal costs (apart from WWE's share of

15582-495: The fee for each purchase) to carry the events: "It's found money for them." DirecTV later quietly dropped carriage of WWE PPVs. In response, WWE said, "Yes, DIRECTV has decided to stop offering our PPV's residentially and commercially. The only other option would be to work through the local cable provider." On February 19, 2014, Dish Network announced that they would carry WWE pay-per-views on an event by event basis, beginning with Elimination Chamber . Dish Network later released

15741-626: The final 25, but was cut from the competition. During the tryouts she met John Hennigan, and they began a romantic relationship. Perez eventually received a WWE contract and worked as Melina on the Smackdown (WWE brand) and Raw (WWE brand) shows. She went on to become the first Tough Enough contestant to win the WWE Women's Championship and the WWE Divas Championship, which she held respectively three and two times, making her

15900-456: The finale. WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE , a division of TKO Group Holdings . The service relied on technology developed by MLB Advanced Media and BAMTech , prior to Endeavor Streaming assuming technical operations of

16059-611: The finals. However, he was signed to a WWE developmental contract and later competed in WWE as Festus and Luke Gallows until his WWE release in November 2010. He would go on to compete for Impact Wrestling as a member of the Aces & Eights and New Japan Pro-Wrestling teaming with Karl Anderson as members of the Bullet Club . In 2016, Gallows returned to WWE with Anderson as tag team champions. They were both released in April 2020, then rehired in October 2022. A DVD of this season

16218-526: The first and the only Tough Enough contestant to win the WWE Championship and to headline WrestleMania . Additionally, he has held multiple midcard and tag team championships in WWE, and is one of only two wrestlers in WWE history to complete the Grand Slam twice. Ryan Reeves signed a developmental contract with WWE. He continued working for Ohio Valley Wrestling until early 2007 when he

16377-599: The first year guaranteed. The winner of the fourth series, announced on December 14, 2004, and televised on December 16, 2004, was Daniel Puder , an American professional mixed martial artist . Puder competed in his second WWE pay-per-view event on January 30, 2005 as the third entrant in the 2005 Royal Rumble match . Soon after, he was sent to OVW before eventually being released in September 2005. On November 4, 2004, episode of SmackDown! , taped in St. Louis , Missouri , during an unscripted segment of Tough Enough , Kurt Angle ,

16536-629: The former's taping, as well as cleaning up the arena once the show's over. Steve puts all the contestants through "Three Minutes of Hell" by running the ropes. Jeremiah runs so hard that he blows his false teeth out. Rima is caught cheating when Steve and the trainers notice she has padded her posterior for the challenge. After deliberating on the best and worst, Steve announces the Worst Three: Ariane, Eric and Michelle. Eric finally shows some fire when he talks about his personal motivation for winning. Steve questions Michelle's ability to live on

16695-487: The fourth season of Tough Enough . Hardcore Holly made a controversial guest appearance on one episode of the show, where he stiffed Cappotelli during a training match, leaving him brutalized, bleeding, crying and requesting to leave the program; the incident was discussed on February 8, 2003 episode of WWE Confidential . Order of Elimination: Hennigan, who wrestled for WWE under the names Johnny Nitro and John Morrison, would go on win various championships, including

16854-406: The future. Support for PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360 , and selected legacy smart TVs was discontinued with the changeover. In an interview with The Verge , Barrios revealed that there were ongoing plans for WWE.com's existing video content to be integrated into the WWE Network platform as a "free" tier (possibly also including previews of WWE Network's premium content), and that WWE was also considering

17013-521: The historic carrier of WWE programming in Canada), which was to see the company distribute WWE Network as a premium television service . Also on that date, it was announced that the WWE Network would launch in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, Spain, and the Nordics, among others on August 12, with Italian, Arab, German, Japanese, Indian, Chinese, Thai, and Malaysian launches planned for

17172-400: The injury, WWE had to cancel the main roster feud that was planned between Ciampa and Gargano. The two were also scheduled to face each other at NXT TakeOver: New York . Ciampa relinquished his NXT Championship due to injury on the March 20, 2019, edition of NXT, ending his reign at 237 days. On April 1, he revealed that doctors had told him that he will be wrestling on "borrowed time" if he

17331-546: The judges. It would be another year before Hennigan would make the show. There were several other well known faces in the crowd who didn't make the cut, but, eventually made a name for themselves in the business, including Shelly Martinez (known as Ariel in the WWE and as Salinas in TNA), Kia Stevens (known as Awesome Kong in TNA and as Kharma in WWE), former fitness model Kim Nielsen (who

17490-653: The launch, WWE announced that it had been indefinitely delayed. Vince McMahon publicly apologized for the delay. It was announced on January 4, 2015, that the WWE Network would be launching in the UK and Ireland on January 19, 2015, priced at £9.99 and €12.99, respectively, although some customers managed to register as early as January 13. On January 27, 2015, WWE announced that the WWE Network had reached 1 million subscribers, with Vince McMahon saying that WWE would "remain focused on delivering an outstanding value proposition for our fans by adding new content and new features in

17649-400: The lineup. Original programming was also noted in the survey. As the result of an online poll, WrestleMania Rewind was chosen as a name for a new WWE Network show on October 17, 2011. The original launch date was set for April 1, 2012, which would have coincided with WrestleMania XXVIII , and WWE's official website featured a countdown clock that would have expired on April 1. The clock

17808-527: The main roster teaming with Carlito . He was released by WWE in July 2005. Later appear in the 2008 revival of American Gladiators as the gladiator "Beast". Morgan found success in Impact Wrestling , where he is a two time TNA World Tag Team Champion . Hawk Younkins would compete in one MMA match on September 18, 2004. The third season was won by John Hennigan and Matt Cappotelli . Melina Perez tried out for Tough Enough III and made it to

17967-531: The male cheerleader group The Spirit Squad . As a member of the Spirit Squad, he is a former World Tag Team Champion , which he won under the Freebird Rule . He was released by WWE in May 2007 and retired completely from wrestling. Justice Smith would later appear in the 2008 revival of American Gladiators , using his first name as his gladiator name. Marty Wright , who lied about his age during

18126-547: The match "on autopilot" as the pain was more intense than when he'd torn his ACL. He missed several Ring of Honor shows before returning to action (albeit with taped ribs) at an independent show in Toronto. On March 29, 2015, Ciampa announced his departure from ROH. His final match was a failed effort to win the TV title from Jay Lethal who retained after delivering a low blow to Ciampa. Ciampa then attacked referee Todd Sinclair with

18285-452: The match. Dave Meltzer and Dave Scherer gave these following comments: "It was real. If you don't follow fighting, Puder had Angle locked in the Kimura, or keylock as Tazz called it, although Tazz didn't let on the move was fully executed. Not only was Angle not getting out of the move, but most MMA fighters would have tapped already. Angle couldn't tap for obvious reasons. The ref counted

18444-412: The most successful female Tough Enough contestant to enter WWE. Perez was eventually released from WWE on August 5, 2011. Both Shawn Daivari and Daniel Puder are seen on film during audition episode. Both made it to the final 75, but were cut before they could make it to the training facility. Daivari was later hired by WWE to team with Muhammad Hassan , while Puder was able to join and eventually win

18603-477: The pre-match stipulation. Ciampa made his in-ring return in the main event of NXT TakeOver: New Orleans , losing to Gargano in an unsanctioned match , resulting in Gargano being reinstated to NXT. Their feud would continue throughout the following weeks in which they attacked each other and interfered in each other's matches, leading to a Chicago Street Fight at NXT TakeOver: Chicago II , which Ciampa won. On

18762-451: The process, Puder locked Angle in a kimura lock . With Puder on his back and Angle's arm locked in the kimura , Angle attempted a pin, one of two referees in the ring, Jim Korderas , quickly counted three to end the bout, despite the fact that Puder's shoulders weren't fully down on the mat, bridging up at two. Puder later claimed he would have snapped Angle's arm, thus making Angle tap out on national television, if Korderas had not ended

18921-672: The quarter finals, before losing to the Grizzled Young Veterans in the semi-finals. At NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver , Ciampa was defeated by Walter for the NXT UK Championship . On the June 15 episode of NXT , Ciampa and Thatcher defeated the Grizzled Young Veterans in a tornado tag match to earn a future NXT Tag Team Championship match. They faced the champions, MSK on July 6 at The Great American Bash but were defeated. Thatcher

19080-464: The revived series would begin airing Monday nights beginning on April 4, 2011, following WWE Raw , and a day after WrestleMania XXVII . The following week, Tough Enough aired during its planned time slot before WWE Raw . The revived series is a co-production with Shed Media. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin served as the show's season 5 host while Booker T , Trish Stratus , and Bill DeMott served as trainers. According to USA Network's episode guide,

19239-830: The rights to all WWE programming. In September 2011, WWE officially announced plans to launch the WWE Network in 2012 as a pay-TV channel. WWE then conducted a survey asking people if they would pay for the WWE Network if it were a premium channel . In an email sent to WWE fans who might be interested in the WWE Network, WWE surveyed fans for their thoughts about the WWE Network airing WWE's pay-per-views to subscribers for no additional charge. The survey also noted that feature repeats of Raw and SmackDown , as well as footage from World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), National Wrestling Alliance , XFL , Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW), American Wrestling Association (AWA), and WWE films would also make

19398-468: The ring and to learn further about the structure of the developmental territory system. At a series of shows in California in September 2002, she managed to talk her way backstage and was even allowed to assist with the pyrotechnics for the wrestlers' entrances at a TV taping. One source claimed that she had a face-to-face conversation with Vince McMahon , who was apparently unaware of her status with

19557-410: The road with a baby daughter at home, but it's Ariane's lack of experience that proves to be her downfall. Steve asks for her belt and eliminates her from the competition. Prior to being eliminated, Ariane infamously claimed that her favorite WWE match of all time was Melina vs. Alicia Fox at the previous year's SummerSlam , causing Steve Austin to reply "who?!" in utter disbelief. The next day at

19716-480: The roof. After being talked down by producers, she was committed to a hospital facility to receive psychiatric treatment. Her parents flew in from New Mexico to pick her up, but she physically attacked them, claiming she did not know them. She then escaped custody inside LAX , shutting down a wing of the airport until she was located. Again, she was hospitalized, but she was able to check herself out shortly after. She then contacted Tough Enough producers, claiming she

19875-419: The service in 2019. Although operating primarily as a standalone service, the distribution model of the WWE Network varies by market, where it can be available as an integrated service through licensing agreements with third party providers, depending on the markets. The standalone service contains a premium and a free tier. WWE Network launched on February 24, 2014 in the United States, as a digital successor to

20034-477: The spot. Rima heads back to the house to pack up her bags. She brings Steve Austin her Tough Enough belt. Despite her drawbacks in the ring, Austin tells her that there are other ways to break into the business, and she may still have a future in it. Bret Hart guest stars. The theme this week is teamwork. The contestants play basketball against a professional team of dwarf players, who win handily with superior shooting and passing skills. The contestants also undergo

20193-424: The title against Black at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix in a winning effort. Ciampa debuted on Raw on February 18, 2019, with three other fellow NXT stars Johnny Gargano, Aleister Black and Ricochet . In his debut match on Raw, he and Gargano defeated former rivals Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival. The next night on SmackDown Live , Ciampa and Gargano defeated The Bar ( Cesaro and Sheamus ). On March 6, it

20352-500: The title to Breakker in a rematch, ending his second reign at 112 days. They both appeared on the March 7 episode of Raw , where they defeated Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode . On April 2 at NXT Stand & Deliver , Ciampa lost to Tony D'Angelo in his final match in NXT. On the April 11 episode of Raw , Ciampa was officially called up to the brand while also participating in a backstage segment with Ezekiel and Kevin Owens . On

20511-642: The title to Jay Lethal following outside interference from Truth Martini. After an extended period of absence, Ciampa returned on July 19 with a new look, having increased his muscle mass and sporting an untrimmed full beard. He promptly defeated Adam Page of The Decade , then followed it with a promo hinting at a heel turn stating that he felt under-appreciated and wanted a shot at the ROH World Championship before being interrupted by Silas Young . He followed this up on August 9 by losing to Rocky Romero by disqualification due to not releasing

20670-577: The titles to The Bloodline ( Fatu and Tama Tonga ) after interference from Solo Sikoa and Tonga Loa , ending their reign at 28 days. As Tommaso Ciampa, he made his video game debut as a playable character in WWE 2K18 and has since appeared in WWE 2K20 , WWE 2K22 , WWE 2K23 , and WWE 2K24 . Whitney married former professional wrestler Jessie Ward in September 2013, having been introduced to her by their mutual friend Samoa Joe . They have one daughter together named Willow. Whitney held

20829-597: The titles, but DIY were unsuccessful after being the first team eliminated. At NXT TakeOver: Chicago , DIY faced The Authors of Pain in the first-ever ladder match for the NXT Tag Team Championship, which they lost. After the match, Ciampa attacked Gargano, turning heel and disbanding #DIY. It was later revealed that Ciampa had suffered a ruptured ACL in his right knee during the ladder match and would await surgery in Birmingham, Alabama . In

20988-458: The training center, Steve Austin introduces courage as the theme for this week's challenges. Trish Stratus puts Matt, a ten-year pro, through a personality drill. Impressed, she sends him to the ring for an exhibition match with Luke. However, Matt fades into the background as Luke takes control of the match. The next day, Steve Austin puts the courage of the contestants to the test when he brings them outside to try to outrun police attack dogs. Rima

21147-622: The wall. WWE legend "Stone Cold" Steve Austin has selected 14 men and women to compete to become the next WWE Superstar or Diva. Steve welcomes them to the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego , California , which hosted the 600th episode of WWE Smackdown that night, but the only part they will play in tonight's show is doing clean-up duty backstage in addition to changing the NXT ring into Smackdown following

21306-571: The week. Ciampa's NXT contract was a so-called "Tier 2" contract, which allowed him to continue working independent dates alongside his now regular NXT bookings. On June 23, Ciampa entered the Cruiserweight Classic tournament, losing to Johnny Gargano in his first round match. The following month, Ciampa announced that his final independent booking was set for September as he was entering a new exclusive NXT contract. On August 20 at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II , Ciampa and Gargano unsuccessfully challenged The Revival ( Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson ) for

21465-416: Was a two time WWE Hardcore Champion. He would retire from wrestling in 2003, becoming an advocate for concussion awareness. Josh Lomberger would be hired as a commentator and backstage interviewer under the name " Josh Mathews ". He was released in 2014 and go on to work for Impact Wrestling as a commentator and senior producer, where he is also a one time Impact Grand Champion . Greg Whitmoyer would become

21624-433: Was already displayed on the wall at the end of the episode though Austin didn't give his comment on her withdrawal. Rima receives a one-on-one midnight training session with Bill. Bill puts her through a grueling workout. The next day, Steve introduces the theme of agility. The test for the day is a series of leaps over the top rope of the ring. Luke and Jeremiah both excel. The next day, the contestants are sent to Friscoe's,

21783-504: Was announced as part of the NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament. On September 9, he successfully advanced in the first round of the tournament alongside his new partner Johnny Gargano , defeating the also newly formed duo of Tyler Breeze and Bull Dempsey . On the September 16 episode of NXT , Ciampa and Gargano lost to Baron Corbin and Rhyno thus eliminating them from the tournament. On

21942-627: Was announced at the Critics Association Winter Press. Daniel Bryan , Hulk Hogan , and Paige served as judges, while Billy Gunn , Booker T , and Lita served as trainers/coaches. The show aired live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida - home base of WWE's NXT developmental territory. The winners, Josh and Sara , each received a $ 250,000 contract with WWE . On October 28, it

22101-467: Was confirmed that Amanda , ZZ, Mada, Patrick , and Daria signed to a WWE contract. Amanda also appeared on the fifth season of WWE's reality television show Total Divas . A year later, Chelsea and Gabi signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Chelsea would later go onto sign a contract with WWE in 2018. * Amanda Saccomanno and Sara Lee were immune from elimination in episode 9 to ensure two female competitors advanced to

22260-541: Was defeated by Roderick Strong in a three-way elimination match, also involving Lethal, following interference from Prince Nana. Afterward, Ciampa turned on Nana, after it was revealed that he had struck a deal with Truth Martini to keep the Television Championship on Strong, broke away from The Embassy and adopted R.D. Evans as his new manager. The feud between Ciampa and Lethal culminated on August 11 at Boiling Point , where Lethal defeated Ciampa in

22419-406: Was diagnosed with a brain tumor in December 2005, forcing him to step away from wrestling and relinquish his OVW Heavyweight Championship . The tumor was removed in 2007, and it was unknown whether Cappotelli would ever return to professional wrestling. In July 2017, Cappotelli announced that he was diagnosed with grade IV glioblastoma multiforme . He died on June 29, 2018, at the age of 38. In

22578-459: Was eliminated from the tournament by Adam Cole. At Final Battle 2013 on December 14, Ciampa began his first reign as ROH World Television Champion, when he defeated Matt Taven for the title. The following month Ciampa successfully defended the title against Taven and Jay Lethal in a three-way match. At the 12th Anniversary Show in February 2014, he retained the championship against Hanson . On April 4, at Supercard of Honor VIII , Ciampa lost

22737-406: Was eventually released after numerous injuries without appearing on the main roster. He would resurface in June 2018 with a wrestling internet radio show called Wrestling With Passion on Action VR Network on Mixlr, which lasted only five episodes before his untimely death on August 9, 2018, at the age of 38 by committing suicide. Andrew Hankinson tried out for this season but failed to make it to

22896-512: Was intended primarily to promote its weekly programs and pay-per-view events. On January 25, 2021, WWE announced that NBCUniversal Television and Streaming had acquired the exclusive U.S. distribution rights to WWE Network, and that the service would be folded into the NBCUniversal-owned streaming service Peacock on March 18, 2021 (ahead of Fastlane and WrestleMania 37 ). Existing and future WWE Network content will be hosted by

23055-441: Was known by her real name in WWE and as Desire in TNA, and who competed on season 13 of The Biggest Loser ), Jaxson Ryker and Ken Anderson (known as Mr. Kennedy in WWE) (both of whom later returned to WWE). Order of Elimination: Both winners Jackie Gayda and Linda Miles would go on to work on the main roster as managers. Gayda would manage future husband Charlie Haas and Rico under her real name, while Miles would manage

23214-423: Was motivated by the acquisition of BAMTech by Disney . Co-president George Barrios cited concerns over how BAMTech's relationships with third-party partners would be impacted by the sale, while WWE also sought greater control over the service and its operations, intending to partner with another vendor or take the service entirely in-house. The company decided to partner with Endeavor Streaming (formed primarily from

23373-440: Was part of the first "Double Danger Scramble" match, which was won by Michael Elgin . On July 13, Ring of Honor announced that Ciampa had signed a contract with the promotion. On September 17 at Death Before Dishonor IX , Ciampa pinned Homicide in a tag team match, where he teamed with Rhino and Homicide with Jay Lethal . At an ROH house show on January 21, 2012, Ciampa defeated ROH World Television Champion Jay Lethal in

23532-441: Was quickly defeated by Kross. After a brief hiatus, Ciampa returned as a heel on the August 26 episode of NXT , where he defeated Jake Atlas and continued his post-match assault on Atlas. He would then compete in a losing effort in the fatal four-way 60 minute Iron Man match for the vacant NXT Championship, tying with Gargano at one fall a piece. Ciampa turned face again when he began a feud with Timothy Thatcher , leading to

23691-411: Was quietly removed, and the network did not launch as advertised. WWE chief marketing officer Michelle Wilson allayed fears about the future of the WWE Network, saying "There will be a WWE network in some shape or form. We are in late-stage negotiations with distributors", and confirmed that WWE Legends' House had been filmed. In April 2013, WWE had switched plans and aimed to release the WWE Network as

23850-599: Was ready to return to the show. Producers informed her she had been removed from the competition due to her actions. The other contestants (and, subsequently, the audience) were initially told that Lisa simply decided wrestling "wasn't the right career for her." Lisa then reemerged in Louisville, Kentucky , at the Ohio Valley Wrestling training center, claiming that trainer Al Snow and producer John "Big" Gaburick had sent her for additional training, both in

24009-419: Was released by WWE. He later resigned a contact with WWE in late 2008 working for Florida Championship Wrestling . He then participated in the first season of NXT in early 2010 under the ring name Skip Sheffield, and became one of the original members of the faction The Nexus . He resurfaced on the main roster in early 2012 under the ring name Ryback, and headlined five pay-per-view events, three of those for

24168-404: Was released in 2005. On October 18, 2010, the television website Deadline Hollywood reported that USA Network was considering expanding into reality programming with a revival of Tough Enough . The website also reported that the show was expected to "run in tandem with USA's WWE Raw series." On January 3, 2011, both The New York Times and WWE further confirmed the revival, revealing that

24327-732: Was released in 2012 after a lackluster run in developmental. He would later find success while wrestling in World Wrestling Council , where he is a one time WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion and one time WWC World Tag Team Champion . He would retire from wrestling in 2014. Vélez only stayed in the developmental territory FCW and left WWE in August 2012 after frustrations with the company. Matt Capiccioni , Ivelisse Vélez , and Martin Casaus would later wrestle for Lucha Underground as Son of Havoc, Ivelisse, and Marty "The Moth" Martinez, respectively. Capiccioni and Velez both won

24486-465: Was reported Mattel , Kmart , and Pepsi would begin advertising on the network starting the week of October 13. Wilson stated that although no commercial breaks will occur during scheduled programming, 30 second adverts would run in between shows, and that one 15 or 30-second advert would be shown prior to every fourth stream of on-demand content. Tommaso Ciampa This is an accepted version of this page Tommaso Whitney (born May 8, 1985)

24645-407: Was reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer that Ciampa would have to undergo neck surgery, as well as forcing him to vacate the NXT Championship and the injury would put him out of action for at least six months. At that point, he had not wrestled since February 19. WWE later confirmed the story saying he would undergo an anterior cervical fusion . Meltzer later reported that due to

24804-509: Was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling . He debuted on February 21 and wrestled as Tommaso . After suffering an injury, he was forced to step away from in ring competition and became known as Dr. Thomas, Anger Management Specialist – during which time he managed Bolin Services (Charles Evans and Justin LaRouche ), winning the OVW tag team titles. Dr Thomas would eventually make his in ring debut during

24963-426: Was stated in the reports for the first quarter of 2015. WWE also revealed, including trial subscribers, they had 1.227 million Network users at the end of the second quarter, and over the entire lifespan of the Network, there have been over 2 million unique subscribers. The WWE Network launched in India on November 2, 2015. On November 19, a report by market research and consulting firm Park Associates announced that

25122-687: Was unsuccessful. Later that day he also failed to win a battle royal to earn the number one contendership to the IWF Heavyweight Championship. Whitney debuted in Chaotic Wrestling as "Tommy Penmanship" in 2005. On April 1, he lost a qualifying match for entry in the Chaotic Wrestling Heavyweight Championship Tournament to Fred Sampson . In June, Penmanship teamed with Arch Kincaid to unsuccessfully challenge

25281-707: Was written off TV on August 24 due to a kayfabe throat injury from Ridge Holland , ending the team; this was his final appearance as he was eventually released from the company in January. On the September 14 episode of NXT , Ciampa defeated L. A. Knight , Pete Dunne , and Von Wagner in a fatal 4-way match to win the vacant NXT Championship . At Halloween Havoc , Ciampa retained against Bron Breakker . At WarGames , Ciampa teamed with Johnny Gargano , L. A. Knight and Pete Dunne (as "Team Black & Gold") against Breakker, Carmelo Hayes , Grayson Waller , and Tony D'Angelo (as "Team 2.0"), but lost when Breakker pinned Ciampa. At New Year's Evil on January 4, 2022, Ciampa lost

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