Maven Huffman was co-winner of the inaugural 2001 season of Tough Enough, and it seemed he had a big future in the wrestling business. He’d memorably eliminate The Undertaker during the Royal Rumble match in 2002 and even challenged Triple H for the World Heavyweight Champion. However, he fell down the card and was eventually released in 2005. He would work a few shows for TNA and make independent appearances but ultimately disappeared from the business.
Now though, the former WWE Harcore Champion has revealed in an interview with That 90s Wrestling Podcast that in 2020 he traveled to meet with Triple H and Matt Bloom about possibly returning to the promotion to work as an announcer.
I actually traveled to Orlando and met with Hunter and with Albert, who is running the developmental down there now. And I was talking to them about maybe doing some announcing stuff, and I did that, and I went there on March 11 of 2020. And if you remember, in America, that’s the day America shut down. So, I never want to turn my back or say, “No, or it’ll never happen,” because I don’t know.
I still and will always have wrestling in my blood. I still have wrestling dreams every week. I still have a dream where I’m either putting my boots on or I’m in the ring, or I’m getting ready to wrestle somebody, and my love for the business is never gonna leave. I would definitely entertain any opportunity to be back in wrestling in any capacity.
While it does seem strange for WWE to consider bringing back a former talent after so many years in an unfamiliar role, it should be noted that Maven did gain television experience with BET and the Home Shopping Network post-WWE. Obviously, nothing more came from the meeting, but it is good to hear that Maven still remains enthusiastic about the wrestling industry.
Maven’s overall wrestling legacy seems set to be a case of what could have been, and while being on Tough Enough got him into the WWE, it did work against him in the eyes of fans. Although sadly, his life went downhill post-WWE due to prescription drug issues, WWE-sponsored rehab assisted him in turning things around. Nowadays, he works on Wall Street in the financial industry, and given how frequently WWE releases talents, it is likely a much more stable career.
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