Daniel Puder

Daniel Puder (born October 9, 1981) is an American retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist.

As a mixed martial artist, Puder trained at the American Kickboxing Academy, in San Jose, California.

He is undefeated in MMA competition, holding a record of eight wins and zero losses.

As a professional wrestler, he trained at Ohio Valley Wrestling.

He is best known for having won the WWE's $1,000,000 Tough Enough, the fourth Tough Enough competition.

He has also worked for Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Puder was born on October 9, 1981, in the San Francisco Bay Area suburb of Cupertino, California, and was raised by his parents, Brent and Wanda Puder.

Puder started amateur wrestling when he was 12 years old.

In high school at Monta Vista High School, in Cupertino, California, he finished first place in his weight division in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Central Coast Section, in amateur wrestling, while wrestling with a broken hand.

At the age of 16, he began training in mixed martial arts and professional wrestling.

Puder entered the fourth Tough Enough competition that was conducted as part of WWE SmackDown between October and December 2004.

The prize was announced as a $1,000,000 professional wrestling contract, however, it was in reality a four-year contract at $250,000 a year, with the option to terminate the contract after the first year.

On November 4, 2004, episode of SmackDown!, taped in St. Louis, Missouri, during an unscripted segment of Tough Enough, Kurt Angle, a former American amateur wrestler and 1996 Olympic gold medalist, challenged the finalists through a squat thrust competition.

Chris Nawrocki won the competition and the prize of a shoot match against Angle.

Angle quickly took Nawrocki down with a guillotine choke, but Nawrocki managed to make it to the ropes, forcing Angle to break the hold.

Angle then took Nawrocki down with a double leg takedown, breaking his ribs.

Angle locked another guillotine choke on Nawrocki, pinning him in the process.

After Angle defeated Nawrocki, Angle challenged the other finalists.

Puder accepted Angle's challenge.

Angle and Puder wrestled for position, with Angle taking Puder down.

However, in the process, Puder locked Angle in a kimura lock.

With Puder on his back and Angle's arm locked in the kimura, Angle attempted a pin, and one of two referees in the ring, Jim Korderas, quickly counted three to end the bout, despite the fact that Puder's shoulders were not fully down on the mat, bridging up at two.

Dave Meltzer and Dave Scherer gave these following comments:

It was real.

If you don't follow fighting, Puder had Angle locked in the Kimura, or keylock as Tazz called it, although Tazz didn't let on the move was fully executed.

Not only was Angle not getting out of the move, but most MMA fighters would have tapped already.

Angle couldn't tap for obvious reasons.

The ref counted a three even though Puder's shoulders weren't fully down, trying to end the thing, because the reality was Angle would have been in surgery had it gone a few seconds longer or had Puder not given up the hold.

― Dave Meltzer

As you would expect, Kurt Angle was less than happy backstage at Smackdown after almost being forced to tap out to Tough Enough contestant Daniel Puder.

Downright ticked off would probably be the best way to describe his mood.

The unscripted nature of the contest was the main reason that Angle was made to look so bad since Puder just reacted to the situation and could have forced Angle to submit had the referees not thought quickly and counted a pin that wasn't there on Puder.

― Dave Scherer

On December 12, 2004, Puder competed in his first WWE pay-per-view event, Armageddon, defeating Mike Mizanin in a Dixie Dog Fight.

Puder was announced as the winner on December 14, 2004 (televised on December 16, 2004).

On January 30, 2005, Puder competed in his second WWE pay-per-view event, being entered in the Royal Rumble match.

Puder, however, was shortly eliminated after being chopped by Chris Benoit, Hardcore Holly, and Eddie Guerrero.

Puder was eliminated by Holly.

In January 2005, Puder participated in the WWE's developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW).

In September 2005, Puder was released by WWE as a cost-cutting move.