Former FIU Panther in WWE ‘Tough Enough’ finals


Andy Leavine is about to find out if he’s tough enough.

The 2010 FIU alum and former Panther football player is one of two last men standing on USA Networks’ Tough Enough, a reality show that gives contestants a shot at a professional wrestling career in the WWE.

“Growing up, I had a cousin who was a really great athlete,” Leavine said. “He played football. Even played for the [New York] Jets. After that, he got into wrestling and made a good name for himself. I always wanted to follow in his footsteps.”

A native of Tampa, Leavine, 23, achieved one of his early dreams — to play Division I football — when he joined the FIU football team as an offensive lineman, starting 41 of 43 games in his four-year career. Upon graduation, he got a shot at the pros signing with the Miami Dolphins as a free agent. But Leavine didn’t make the final cut for the team’s 53-man roster. Married to his college sweetheart and with a new baby daughter, Leavine started thinking about life after football.

Then the USA Network announced the newest reality show in its lineup — a wrestling competition starring Stone Cold Steve Austin. The top prize is a wrestling contract with the WWE.

Leavine didn’t hesitate to get his audition tape ready.

“All my [football] teammates knew I wanted to wrestle. They even told me I looked like a wrestler,” he said. “My wife always knew too. The first time I went to dinner at her family’s house, her parents asked me what I wanted to do. I said I wanted to be a professional wrestler…. Fortunately, they were pretty open-minded.”

As many as 20,000 people auditioned for Tough Enough, Leavine said, with 14 making the final cut. During the season, the competitors, nine males and five females, learned skills from some of the best in the business including Booker T, Trish Stratus, Bill DeMott, John Cena, Bret Hart, Big Show, The Bella Twins, Stacy Keibler and The Rock.

Each week, an aspiring wrestler has been cut. And each week, Leavine has stayed. Now, with only two wrestlers left, the winner will be announced on USA’s WWE Raw at 9 p.m., Monday, June 6.

“Being part of the WWE has been a very humbling experience,” Leavine said. “But going into this deal from day one, I expected to not only make the show but expected to win.”

While Leavine looks to his future with confidence, he reflects on his experiences at FIU with gratitude.

“At FIU, the coaches used to run us in the dirt, putting us through the physical grind. So I was really ready for the physical aspect of wrestling,” he said. “As far as teammates go, I really had a bunch of supportive teammates. They still are.”

But with all the support, hard work and confidence, it still doesn’t answer a lingering question for Leavine. Is he tough enough?

That answer will come Monday night.

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