Report: No new Tough Enough on WWE Network as a result of spending cuts

A lot of fans were excited, or at least intrigued, when company officials teased that a new incarnation of Tough Enough would be part of WWE Network's programming slate.  The show was specifically listed during their first quarter investor conference call as part of the strategy to add features and content to boost subscriber numbers on the fledgling over-the-top service.

Questions about if Steve Austin would return as host (a role he served in for the last incarnation of the show on USA Network), if it would be filmed at the Performance Center and whether it would focus on unsigned talent or performers already under contract at NXT quickly became topics of discussion among fans.

Like the booking of your average Monday Night Raw, though, the company's plans started to change.  Disappointing subscriber numbers led to across the board cost-cutting measures for WWE, and word came out that Tough Enough filming had been delayed until October.  Without any details or answers to the questions that were raised after the initial announcement, speculation swirled that the show had been axed before it even began.

Now, that's what has happened - according to the latest from The Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  With the planned fall filming date just weeks away and budget cuts that were even more drastic than initially suspected, it looks like a new season of the reality competition show will join other Network-enhancements like live pre-shows and post-event "press conferences" in the discard pile.

In fact, with a second season of Legends House also nowhere on the horizon, it seems that the only original series content that will run on WWE Network will be projects that were planned and/or completed before its launch, like The Monday Night War.  Officials seem to be banking on beefing up archive content, such as the announcement of WCW Nitro episodes being added to the online library, rather than on original programming.

Would new shows like Tough Enough have made a difference for subscriber numbers?  Hopefully, WWE had market research indicating that they would not - indicating that this is a strategic cost-cutting move and not just a result of across the board cuts.

What do you think, Cagesiders?  Would original programming attract or keep you on the Network's list of paying customers?