Anthony Bowens Wants AEW To Create Its Own Tough Enough Program

Anthony Bowens wants to see AEW bring the Tough Enough concept back in its own version, and would love to be a judge or trainer. Bowens posted to Twitter on Tuesday to express his interest in seeing AEW create its own version of the WWE reality show.

Bowens wrote:

“I want @AEW to bring back OG Tough Enough but call it “Becoming The Elite” or something like that. WBD would love the extra content! Sign me up as a judge/trainer @TonyKhan”

WWE Tough Enough began as a reality show back in 2001, airing on MTV. The series saw prospective WWE talent going through a competition, with each season’s winners earning WWE contracts. The show ran for three seasons on MTV and moved to UPN as part of Smackdown programming in 2004.

The show then became dormant until WWE revived it in 2010 for a run on USA Network. It was brought back again for a sixth season on USA in 2015. Winners from the show included Maven, Nidia, Linda Miles, Jackie Gayda, Matt Cappotelli, John Hennigan (aka John Morrison/Johnny TV), Andy Leavine, Josh Bredl, and Sarah Lee.

AEW has generally kept away from unscripted programming with the exception of AEW All Access, which aired for a season on TBS in 2023.

I want @AEW to bring back OG Tough Enough but call it “Becoming The Elite” or something like that. WBD would love the extra content! Sign me up as a judge/trainer @TonyKhan ✌🏽 pic.twitter.com/GfqSBHOeZM

— Anthony Bowens (@Bowens_Official) May 5, 2026