Ex-WWE star Maven says jealous wrestler deliberately botched move on him

Maven Huffman was a co-winner of the inaugural WWE Tough Enough season alongside Nidia Guenard in 2001. In a recent interview, the 47-year-old recalled how an unnamed wrestler was unhappy about his WWE success.

Tough Enough pitted up-and-coming wrestlers against each other in a series of challenges, with the winner earning a WWE contract. Although Maven appeared on the main roster immediately after winning the reality show, he also trained in the Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA) developmental territory.

Speaking on Vlad TV, Maven revealed that an HWA wrestler was jealous of his sudden rise and deliberately tried to hurt him during a DDT spot:

"When you fall back and you go down, you look like you're slamming the guy's head into the mat, but on the way down you just release. It looks devastating but it doesn't hurt at all. Well, I had a guy actually grab hold and spike my head into the mat. I mean, I was a rookie. There was nothing [to say]. You gotta eat a s**t sandwich and like it." [3:28 – 3:54]

The three-time Hardcore Champion worked for WWE between 2001 and 2005. He is arguably best remembered for his feud with The Undertaker after eliminating The Deadman from the 2002 Royal Rumble match.

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Why WWE gave Maven so many opportunities

Many wrestlers train for several years before receiving a chance to perform on WWE's main roster. In Maven's case, his rivalry with The Undertaker began just four months after he won Tough Enough.

More than two decades on, Maven thinks WWE's higher-ups featured him prominently to prove the Tough Enough concept worked:

"Being that Tough Enough was the very first reality show that the WWF [WWE] put out, once they had winners they wanted to keep us in the public eye, obviously, [for] business. They wanted a Season Two and the way you do that is to show that Season One was successful, so they were continuously bringing me up and they would continuously have me on and in the storylines up in the major leagues." [0:31 – 0:56]

The former WWE star often shares stories about his wrestling career on his YouTube channel. He recently explained why he refused to sue WWE after being approached about being part of a lawsuit.

What are your favorite Tough Enough memories? Hit the discuss button and let us know.

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Please credit Vlad TV and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.