Former WWE superstar and original Tough Enough winner Maven Huffman was reportedly backstage at the AEW Collision last night. The event took place at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The specific reason for his visit remains unknown at this time but he could have just been there to visit and/or to film content.
Maven first gained prominence in 2001 as the male co-winner of WWE’s inaugural season of the reality competition show, Tough Enough. His WWE career spanned from 2001 until his release in July 2005. During his tenure, he became a three-time Hardcore Champion and created one of the most memorable moments in Royal Rumble history when he shockingly eliminated The Undertaker from the 2002 match, leading to a brief feud where he captured the Hardcore title from the legend. He was also part of Randy Orton’s victorious team at Survivor Series 2004, earning a World Heavyweight Championship match against Triple H on Raw.
After years largely away from the wrestling spotlight following his WWE departure, Maven has experienced a significant resurgence in popularity over the past couple of years through his highly successful YouTube channel. The channel, simply titled “Maven Huffman,” features Maven sharing candid stories and insights from his time in WWE, discussing topics like backstage etiquette, wrestler salaries, the reality of wrestling moves, and his experiences with fellow superstars. His honest, retrospective content has resonated strongly, earning him over 640,000 subscribers and millions of views as of early May 2025.
His presence backstage at AEW Collision naturally fuels interest, especially given his renewed relevance within the wrestling community via YouTube. Notably, Maven recently collaborated on his channel with current AEW performer Shelton Benjamin, another WWE alumnus, in a video titled ‘Shelton Benjamin Breaks Down His Most Iconic Moments’.
