Former Tough Enough winner Maven explains why he can’t watch wrestling

Despite running one of the most popular wrestling channels on YouTube, former Tough Enough winner Maven does not watch the current product.

Maven’s WWE run ended two decades ago, but he’s found new life as a YouTube content creator. He discussed that during a Monday appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, noting that this provides a better living for him financially than wrestling ever did. Maven said he focuses his videos on evergreen topics instead of current-day happenings because it has a longer shelf life of earning potential. And watching wrestling is something that is just too hard for Maven because it makes him jealous.

“It’s too hard,” he said. “It’s just too difficult. It’d be like watching the love of my life, my ex, going on her next date. And telling me, ‘Hey, this is my new boyfriend. He’s great.’ It’s still too difficult.

“I love wrestling. I love it. I love everything about it. I think it’s truly one of the best forms of entertainment going, and I root for its success. I hope all the superstars — I hope the Cody Rhodes’, I hope the Seth’s, I hope The Usos’, I hope the MJF’s, I hope the Adam Page’s — I hope all those guys have careers I never dreamed of. I just can’t watch it. It’s just, I’m a human being, I get jealous. I watch them and a little bit of me is upset that I still can’t do it. That age, Father Time, has indeed done what Father Time does. And it’s just too tough. Yeah, it’s too hard.”

Maven said it’s been this way since 2005, though he did get up to speed for a few weeks when he had a WWE commentator tryout in 2020. He said he does not feel resentment toward wrestling and doesn’t blame anyone else for anything bad that’s ever happened to him, but there was a period of time where he had to distance himself from the business completely and wouldn’t take any bookings related to the industry.

Recently, Maven noted that he’s open to having another match but does not consider himself a pro wrestler anymore. He’s competed in occasional indie matches since 2015, with the most recent of those happening in 2024. Maven has said he might need to undergo surgery at some point for herniated discs that he’s dealing with.

Maven currently has 740,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel. He still works a regular job in finance as well.

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Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier

Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.

In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.