After the current scandal going on with Hulk Hogan, WWE has taken steps to cleanse as much of their programming as possible of his namesake to distance themselves from him. One of the most drastic changes to the current setup is WWE Tough Enough, where Hogan serves as one of the three judges on the show alongside Daniel Bryan and Paige.
Obviously, Hogan will be replaced in some fashion, but there’s yet to be an official announcement regarding what WWE and USA have planned. Speculation has run rampant with ideas such as an alternating spot for the three trainers (Booker T, Billy Gunn and Lita), repositioning primary host Chris Jericho or Tough Talk host The Miz into this role and finding someone new for their spot, or even possibly a flat out cancellation of the show, which is highly unlikely.
With that being said, who do I think are some of the best possible candidates to take Hogan’s place on the panel of judges?
Ric Flair
Right now, The Nature Boy is the frontrunner. Although I think there are some other people that may be more entertaining and even more qualified (yes, I said it), it’s hard to argue against this idea. Flair and Hogan have always been grouped together as two legends who paralleled one another and represent an era completely different from what Bryan and Paige hail from. The only other name that could have ever matched up to Hogan for this kind of a role would have been Macho Man Randy Savage, who sadly is not with us anymore to be able to take the job.
Flair has a ton of character, is widely regarded as one of the best wrestlers of all time by his peers, and has a personal connection when it comes to the developmental system as he’s been able to watch his daughter, Charlotte, climb up the ranks to a recent main roster spot.
Mick Foley
There’s no questioning what Mick Foley has done for the wrestling business and his passion for the subject matter. This has led to him being very outspoken over the past few years about the way things go down in WWE. He’s broken his television set over the Yes Movement, successfully called Cesaro and Tyson Kidd as people to watch out for, and just recently expressed his frustrations with Tough Enough itself.
Adding Foley into the mix not only brings a different perspective when it comes to his wrestling style and look, showcasing that you don’t have to be 6’3 and chiseled out of stone to be a top star in the company, but also his brilliant mind for the sports entertainment brand. Perhaps, with him as a judge, he could help turn this show around and save it from being looked at as a complete joke of a contest.
Stone Cold Steve Austin
The last season of Tough Enough had one big star above the rest with The Rattlesnake taking charge and laying down the law. Right now, Paige is coming off as the most confrontational judge, but Austin could take things to a whole new level.
When people talk about the biggest icons in wrestling history, typically the two that get compared to each other the most as being the faces of the company for their eras are Hogan and Austin, so there’s no drop in quality as far as his credentials go.
Plus, with Broken Skull Challenge having issues at the moment, Austin might just have the down time to spend a few weeks in Florida.
Shawn Michaels
Let’s be blunt: do I really need to explain why Shawn Michaels could be an awesome judge for Tough Enough? The man is almost unarguably the absolute definition of the greatest professional wrestler to have ever lived. He’s at least partly responsible for helping train Daniel Bryan, so he has an eye for talent, he’s got the charisma to not be someone boring on the show, and he’s also from an older time frame to help separate him from Paige and Bryan as discussed above.
Perhaps most importantly, HBK knows what WWE not only wants, but needs. He’s pushed the company in directions before that some others were hesitant about, but the gamble pulled off. Michaels is in tight with the McMahon family—particularly Triple H—so they’ve had to have had discussions in the past about what they want the future to consist of. That knowledge could be very useful in picking the two winners of this competition.
Bret “The Hitman” Hart
Bret Hart might be a hard sell for the job, but having grown up in the Hart Family, wrestling in the dungeon, and reaching a point where his moniker became “the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be” all are valid reasons for why he makes sense.
The Hitman is an icon who helped hold the wrestling business up in the 1990s when times were rough and people needed a star to rally behind. Now that the tension has been relieved between him and WWE, the company can really make use of his skills and knowledge when choosing which people to give the contracts to.
Edge
As a lifelong WWE fan who grew up to become one of the greatest, Edge is a success story of that kid who found a way to achieve his dream. He could just as easily have been another face in the crowd watching Hogan and Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI, but he had the dedication and the talent to main event that pay-per-view and have a Hall of Fame career.
The Rated R Superstar is younger than the rest of the candidates, but that does not sully his status as a legend with a keen mind for character and connecting with the WWE Universe. He’s been through it all as a heel and a babyface, working through different eras with every name in the business.
Vince McMahon
If Vince McMahon is so hands-on when it comes to Tough Enough lately, why doesn’t he just step into the ring and get those hands dirty himself? After all, he is the one who truly makes the calls at the end of the day and will decide if any of these men and women, eliminated or not, will end up appearing on WWE television.
Perhaps that’s exactly why Vince shouldn’t be a judge, as his point of view could skew the audience into voting a certain way, but doesn’t that already happen with the format of the show? All it takes is for the editors to focus on a particular argument and cast someone as the villain with some ominous music and suddenly, the audience can turn on them. ZZ has somehow made his way this far into the competition without improving much at all because of how he’s being portrayed in a more positive light rather than being someone to pity and disrespect, so what’s the difference when it comes to Vince McMahon giving his point of view? It might even be a good means for the show to cut to the chase and have him explain to everyone just what it is that makes someone stand out that even we as fans are not aware of, as sometimes, history has proven that fans don’t always know what’s best for the business.
Who do you want to see replace Hulk Hogan as a judge on Tough Enough? Are you still even watching the show after Patrick Clark’s elimination? Do you happen to be as enamored with Sara Lee as I am (dibs)? Tell us what’s on your mind in the comments below!
