What Happened to WWE Tough Enough Winner Daniel Puder

Summary

Daniel Puder was considered a potential star in the making in the WWE, after winning the 2004 edition of ‘Tough Enough’.
His career with the company was short-lived, featuring appearances at just two pay-per-views.
Puder drew the ire of, amongst others, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle.

The name Daniel Puder will be a familiar one to long-term fans of the WWE. Unfortunately for the ex-wrestler himself, though, as much comes for altogether more negative reasons than positive ones. Puder, for his part, made his name through the company’s ‘Tough Enough’ programme, beating out competition from The Miz to secure champion status back in 2004. Despite being tipped for big things in the world of wrestling, however, things quickly took a turn for the worse for the California native. 20 years on from Puder announcing himself onto the stage of the big leagues in the WWE, we have in turn taken a look back at his short-lived career, as well as some of the leading causes for his eventual demise.

Puder was a contestant on the 4th edition of WWE’s ‘Tough Enough’ series, a competition which afforded those involved a shot at a contract with the company, as well as a $1 million cash prize. After thoroughly impressing with his endeavours in the ring – Puder boasted noteworthy strength and technique alike – he was ultimately pitted against The Miz in the season’s finale. The pair, somewhat bizarrely went head-to-head in a boxing match at the Armageddon PPV in 2004, with Puder having in the end triumphed. Safe to say, however, that his success in the WWE proved to be short-lived…

Kurt Angle Controversy

Before Puder had even secured his status as Tough Enough winner, he was involved in his first legitimate ‘heat’ with one of the sport’s star names. This came after the now-43-year-old was afforded the chance to prove his talents, in a shoot match against none other than Kurt Angle on an episode of SmackDown. And the clash almost proved itself to be nothing short of a disaster for the WWE. As Puder and Angle alike attempted to showcase their respective wrestling talents on the mat, the former put ‘The American Hero’ in a legitimate Kimura lock. In a piece of quick thinking, intended to stave off any chance of Puder doing serious damage to Kurt Angle’s arm, the referee involved felt it necessary to call a pinfall in favour of the superstar latter, highlighting Puder’s shoulders as having been pinned to the mat. The series of events did not sit at all well with Angle, kicking the upstart’s career in the ring into gear in less than ideal fashion.

Royal Rumble Embarrassment

Once the dust had settled on the Angle drama, as well as Puder’s ‘Tough Enough’ triumph, he was thrown into a first-ever storyline by Vince McMahon and co. This came on the live circuit, in an ongoing feud with veteran Hardcore Holly. The intention, initially, was for Puder to be put over by Holly, in an attempt to establish the former as an increasingly prominent profile amongst the WWE universe. Puder’s attitude, however, soon proved to be his downfall once more. Accused of celebrating his victories over Holly to a frankly over-the-top degree, the Californian began to rub a number of his co-workers the wrong way, mere months into his journey as a member of the main roster.

This set the stage for what was Puder’s 2nd and final PPV appearance as part of the WWE. In January 2005, he was an entrant in the 30-man Royal Rumble, in his home city of California. Safe to say, though, that the event proved to be one to forget for Puder… Widely construed after the fact as little more than an opportunity to teach the up-and-comer a lesson, he was essentially thrown to the wolves by the scriptwriters. Left alone in the ring with a trio of veterans in Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Hardcore Holly, Puder was mercilessly beaten from pillar to post, hit with a series of ruthless chops to the chest, before being unceremoniously dumped over the top rope. Considered to be getting too big for his boots by his more seasoned co-workers, Puder was brought back down to earth, and then some, in being made an example of on one of the very biggest stages in all of wrestling.

Career After Wrestling

This signalled the beginning of the end for the Mixed Martial Artist. After a stint back with Ohio Valley Wrestling, he was ultimately let go by the WWE in September 2005. Puder, in the years which followed, tried his hand with several other organisations, including Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. In the end, however, it simply wasn’t to be for Puder in the wrestling industry. A perfect example of when talent isn’t enough to make a career. When speaking about his time in the WWE in the decades since, the Tough Enough winner has often cut an angry and bitter figure, who felt that he was treated altogether unfairly by those in the locker room and boardroom alike.

Puder, since leaving his career inside the ring behind, has put his hand to a whole range of projects. The 43-year-old is the founder of the non-profit organisation ‘My Life My Power’, which aims to provide support to young people suffering from bullying. The initiative remains active to this day. Elsewhere, Puder has put his talents in the field of public speaking to good use, by way of hosting a podcast, and even acting as a lead speaker in a TED talk. Returning to his wrestling roots, he also opened an MMA gym and even acted as a part-time police officer in the state of Arkansas.

Daniel Puder – a name which will be remembered by wrestling fans the world over for years to come. Unfortunately for the American himself, however, his will continue to live on as more of a cautionary tale than anything else.