Maven (wrestler)

Template:Short description Template:Unreliable sources Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox professional wrestler Maven Klate Huffman<ref name="most searched">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Interview">Template:Cite web</ref> (born November 26, 1976)<ref name="officialbio"/> is an American retired professional wrestler. The inaugural male winner of Tough Enough, he went on to wrestle under his first name in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/WWE) from 2001 to 2005, in which time he became a three-time Hardcore champion and was named 'Rookie of the Year' by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.<ref name="OWOW"/> Since his departure from the WWE he has made occasional appearances on independent circuits and in the media, including two years as a presenter on HSN. Maven launched a YouTube channel in 2023, on which he discusses his experience of being a professional wrestler.

Early life

Maven Huffman was born on November 26, 1976, in Nashville, Tennessee,<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> but raised in Crimora, Virginia.<ref name="Birthplace">Template:Cite AV media</ref><ref name="officialbio"/> He has African and European ancestry.<ref name="MyHeritage"/> After his father left the family, his mother died by suicide the day after Christmas in 1978 when he was two years old.<ref name="MyHeritage">Template:Cite web</ref> He was adopted by his maternal uncle and his aunt, who began raising him at age two.<ref name="officialbio"/> His aunt died from cancer in 2004.<ref name="officialbio"/> Huffman graduated from Wilson Memorial High School in Fishersville, Virginia, before attending Eastern Mennonite University.<ref name="officialbio"/>

In 1999, he moved to Portland, Oregon, where he began playing baseball for the Aloha Knights team.<ref name="officialbio"/> Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, Huffman was a middle school teacher at Twality Middle School in Tigard, Oregon, for two years.<ref name="SLAM! story">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="officialbio"/>

Professional wrestling career

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (2001–2005)

Tough Enough; Hardcore Champion (2001–2002)

Huffman began his professional wrestling career in 2001 upon being selected to participate in the inaugural season of Tough Enough, a reality television show used by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) to find new WWF stars. Ultimately, Maven would become the co-winner of the competition alongside Nidia Guenard, and he was sent to the Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA) to receive further training.<ref name="officialbio"/>

On the October 4 episode of SmackDown!, Maven made his in-ring debut against Tazz, one of his Tough Enough trainers, who forced him to submit to the Tazzmission.<ref name="OWOW"/> Following the match, Tazz helped Maven to his feet before clotheslining him, thus starting a feud between the two.<ref name="OWOW"/> After losing to Tazz via submission in a rematch the following week on SmackDown!, Maven clotheslined Tazz following the match.<ref name="OWOW"/> On the October 18 episode of SmackDown!, Maven won his first wrestling match as he defeated Tazz with assistance from Tough Enough co-winner Nidia Guenard.<ref name="OWOW"/> Following this brief feud, Maven began a feud with The Undertaker after he eliminated The Undertaker from the 2002 Royal Rumble by dropkicking him from behind; The Undertaker responded in turn by returning to the ring, eliminating Maven.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He proceeded to hit him with a steel chair, and beating him all the way back to the concession stand area.<ref name="OWOW"/>

On the January 28, 2002, episode of Raw, Maven was awarded a title bout by WWF co-owner Ric Flair against Chris Jericho for the Undisputed WWF Championship by virtue of never actually being eliminated from the Royal Rumble, but lost after submitting to the Walls of Jericho.<ref name=VsY2J>Template:Cite web</ref> After the match, Maven was attacked by The Undertaker.<ref name=VsY2J/> On the February 7 episode of SmackDown!, Maven faced The Undertaker for his WWF Hardcore Championship, and after interference from The Rock and his Tough Enough trainer Al Snow, Maven defeated The Undertaker to win the Hardcore Championship, the first championship of his career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Their feud ended after The Undertaker defeated Maven and Al Snow in a 2-on-1 handicap match when The Undertaker made Maven submit to the Dragon Sleeper.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At WrestleMania X8, Maven lost the Hardcore Championship to Spike Dudley during a match with Goldust due to the title's unique 24/7 rule, but won the title back the same night from Christian due to the same rule.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following night on Raw, Maven was attacked by a debuting Brock Lesnar during his Hardcore Championship defense against Al Snow and Spike Dudley. Maven was the tenth pick for the SmackDown! brand in the WWF draft and subsequently brought the Hardcore Championship to SmackDown!, but he was punished by Vince McMahon after he lost the title to Raw superstar Raven on the March 28 episode of SmackDown!. Maven was traded to the Raw brand on November 4, 2002, where he confronted Christopher Nowinski with his former trainer Al Snow.

Various feuds and departure (2003–2005)

File:Maven.jpg

Maven in 2003

Maven entered the 2003 Royal Rumble. He attempted to eliminate The Undertaker by using a dropkick like he did the previous year, but failed and was eliminated by The Undertaker. Maven fought World Heavyweight Champion Triple H on the March 10 episode of Raw, but lost.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2004, Maven received the biggest push in his career, even gaining a victory over then-Evolution member Batista. Maven then took part in an Elimination Match at Survivor Series, teaming with Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, and Chris Jericho to face Triple H, Batista, Gene Snitsky, and Edge for the power to control Raw for one month.<ref name="survivor04">Template:Cite web</ref> Maven was attacked backstage by Snitsky prior to the match, but after Benoit was eliminated, Maven arrived to join his teammates.<ref name="survivor04"/> He was eventually eliminated by Triple H.<ref name="survivor04"/> Orton was the sole survivor and as a result, he and his team had control of Raw for one month.<ref name="survivor04"/>

Maven was the first to control Raw, booking himself in a World Heavyweight Championship match against Triple H on the November 15 episode of Raw, who tried to get out of it by offering Maven a place in Evolution.<ref name="controlRAW">Template:Cite web</ref> He declined, but despite interference from Jericho, Benoit, and Orton, Triple H retained the title due to interference from Snitsky and Ric Flair.<ref name="controlRAW"/>

On the November 29 episode of Raw, Maven competed in a battle royal to determine the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, but was eliminated by Eugene.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following week on Raw, Maven faced Eugene in a singles match, which he lost by disqualification after attacking Eugene's injured knee during the match before choking him out. After the match, Maven attacked Eugene's tag team partner William Regal as Regal came to help him, thus turning heel in the process.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Following this, Maven began feuding with Shelton Benjamin over Benjamin's Intercontinental Championship, culminating at New Year's Revolution in a singles match for the title.<ref name="NYR05">Template:Cite web</ref> Before the start of the match, Maven proceeded to blast the Puerto Rican crowd before Benjamin quickly defeated him in just a matter of minutes by using a roll-up.<ref name="NYR05"/> Maven then cut a promo on Benjamin, stating that the match "didn't count", and challenged him to a re-match.<ref name="NYR05"/> Benjamin accepted, and Maven was defeated in only seconds yet again following the T-Bone Suplex.<ref name="NYR05"/>

Following his feud with Benjamin, Maven formed a tag team with Simon Dean, where he acted as a dedicated user of Dean's "Simon System" brand of nutritional products.<ref name="former"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After beating jobbers for a month, at Backlash, Maven and Simon Dean competed in a Tag Team Turmoil match for the World Tag Team Championship which was won by The Hurricane and Rosey. The team came to an end when Dean was traded to the SmackDown! brand, while Maven was subsequently released by WWE on July 5, 2005.<ref name="OWOW"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to Huffman, Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis explained he was let go for not having progressed to the level the company was expecting, especially after having been advised to put more focus on honing his ring-work prior to shows.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In October 2023 in a YouTube video, Huffman revealed that Laurinaitis had offered him to return to WWE in 2008, saying that Huffman had been gone long enough and he will not be known as the "Tough Enough kid" anymore if he returned. Huffman declined due to the guaranteed money he was making in his Home Shopping Network role, a decision he said he regretted.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In a December video, Huffman revealed that WWE was ready to offer him to be trained as an announcer at the WWE Performance Center in 2020. The deal fell through as his interview with WWE was on March 11, 2020, the day when the World Health Organization announced that COVID-19 became a pandemic.<ref name="WWEannouncer">Template:Cite web</ref>

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling/United Wrestling Federation (2006–2007)

After WWE and working in the independent circuit Maven joined United Wrestling Federation Live on February 10, 2006, and teamed alongside Jeff Jarrett to defeat Team 3D.<ref name="OWOW"/> On March 31, 2006, Maven wrestled his first match for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he and Jarrett lost to Jeff Hardy and Kip James in a tag team match.<ref name="OWOW"/> After wrestling sporadically for the UWF and on house shows for TNA throughout the year, Maven wrestled his final match on October 5, 2007, where he lost to Test in a match for Full Throttle Wrestling.<ref name="OWOW"/>

Independent circuit (2015–present)

On July 11, 2015, Maven announced his return to pro wrestling. His return match took place at Brian Myers' Create A Pro Wrestling Academy in Long Island, New York on July 19, 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Maven teamed with Johnny Clash to defeat The Warren Cousins (Mikey Warren and TJ Warren) in his first match since 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On September 26, 2015, Maven teamed with Brian Myers in a losing effort against The Cam-An Connection (Anthony Greene and Cam Zagami).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On April 16, 2016, Maven teamed with Myers and Pat Buck in a six man tag team match losing to Aesthetic Males (Beefcake Charlie, Damian Gibbs and Mike Del) in a match for the WrestlePro promotion.<ref name="CageMatch">Template:Cite web</ref>

Maven returned to wrestling in 2021. He defeated Matt Cardona for the vacated FWF Tough Enough Trophy Street Fight title on October 9, 2022. On July 23, 2023, he won a 26-man battle royal for Dropkick Diabetes 7 in Youngstown, Ohio. On April 27, 2024, he entered Reality of Wrestling’s 30 Man Last Stand Rumble at number 21, eliminating Inferno Tiger before being eliminated by Quentin Winters in the same way that Maven had eliminated The Undertaker in the 2002 Royal Rumble Match.

Television career

In July 2005, Huffman was featured in episode three of MTV's The 70s House where he and other WWE wrestlers competed in a game of dodge ball.

In March 2006,<ref name="OWOW"/> it was announced by VH1 that Huffman would be a participant in The Surreal Life season 6.<ref name=HSNbio>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Bouncer/> On the first episode, he was picked by the existing castmates as the seventh and final cast member in a "15 More Minutes of Fame Reality Hunk Pageant," beating four other reality "hunks", including former American Idol contestant Corey Clark.

Subsequently, Huffman was a host for a show on BET J called BET's J List. He also appeared on the Home Shopping Network's weekday morning show, HSN Today, as its exercise and wellness expert as well as the co-host of HSN's NFL Pro Football Fan Shop.<ref name=HSNbio/> He was terminated from HSN after his arrest in Florida in 2012 for an offense related to prescription drugs.<ref name="ArrestYTvid" />

Maven launched a YouTube channel in June 2023 where he discusses his WWE career and offers insights into life as a professional wrestler. The channel amassed more than 100,000 subscribers in a month and eventually reached the half-million mark.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Other media

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Remuneration
2001	Tough Enough	Himself		$2,700 (9 weeks) <ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
2002	Blind Date	Himself		$2,000 (1 day) <ref name=":0" />
2005	MTV's The 70s House	Himself		$5,000 (1 day) <ref name=":0" />
2006	The Surreal Life	Himself		$50,000 (10 days) <ref name=":0" />
2006	BET's J List	Himself	Host
2010	HSN Today	Himself	Host

Video games

Video game appearances

Year	Title	Notes
2002	WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth	Video game debut

Personal life

On April 2, 2012, Huffman was arrested in Florida. Police revealed that he was doctor shopping due to an addiction to oxycodone and hydrocodone. He was released on a $2,000 bond and faced up to five years in prison if convicted.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On April 11, Huffman revealed that he was seeking help for his addiction and underwent WWE's former talent rehabilitation program.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ArrestYTvid" />

After his 2012 arrest, Huffman worked as a bouncer in New York City.<ref name="Bouncer">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ArrestYTvid">Template:Citation</ref> Maven was an account executive with the Brooklyn Nets basketball team until September 2019.<ref name="WWEannouncer" /> During a July 29, 2021, interview with Chris Van Vliet, Huffman said he works in finance on Wall Street.<ref> Template:Cite web </ref>

In July 2023, Huffman began uploading videos to YouTube, talking about his experiences within WWE.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On his channel, Huffman has been transparent about his use of anabolic steroids during his time with WWE.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Huffman is in a relationship with a woman named Gina. They met during Huffman's time in the WWE, though she was unaware of his profession at the time.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>

Championships and accomplishments

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Rookie of the Year (2002)<ref name=Awards>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • PWI ranked him #88 of the Top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2003<ref name=Awards/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• World Wrestling Federation
  • WWF Hardcore Championship (3 times)<ref name="hard-title">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Tough Enough I – with Nidia Guenard<ref name="former"/>

External links

• Template:Professional wrestling profiles
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