Credit: Sean Ross Sapp
WWE announced yesterday the names of the 40 entrants who have made the early cast of the newest edition of Tough Enough. Now WrestlingInc has learned some exclusive news about the scheduling that the group is experiencing.
As of right now, many of the talents are arriving in Orlando, with several still en route. They’ll start training tomorrow after some brief instruction, and the roster will be slowly trimmed from a fairly early point. WWE cameras will be following several, but not all of the contestants for the special that will air on the WWE Network.
There are a couple of familiar faces among the cast if you’ve followed wrestling religiously. Zack Ryder’s friend “Big O” Adam Ohriner made the cast. He was seen on Ryder’s web show Z! True Long Island Story. Ohriner participated in a WWE tryout in 2013, but wasn’t offered a deal and continued wrestling independently.
Former WWE and TNA developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling played home to contestant Mike Hayes for several years. Hayes has had a successful independent wrestling career, winning the OVW Television Champion. Hayes is also a war hero, losing his leg while battling overseas in the military.
Khalil Bell is a 28 year old former NFL running back, who was a standout at UCLA. Bell played in the NFL from 2009-2013, earning stints on the New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers.
Other competitors with independent wrestling experience include Patrick Clark, Kevin Penczek, Chelsea Green and Don Arner, better known as Cassidy Stone. A couple of the cast members, Tanner Saraceno (3-1) and Daria Berenato (2-1) also have amateur MMA experience.
