Josh Bredl: Gauging WWE 'Tough Enough' 2015 Winner's Chances to Make Roster

Don't count on the WWE Tough Enough curse continuing. Josh Bredl is primed to make an impact on the roster.

Armed with the kind of physique that WWE cherishes, ever-developing charisma and a strong work ethic, the powerhouse has a realistic shot to do what recent winners of the reality show have failed to do: actually make a career in the squared circle.

On Tuesday night, the expected became official. Fans voted to make Bredl one of two winners of the 2015 edition of Tough Enough. Sara Lee won the female side of the competition.

Both victors now hold a WWE developmental deal in their hands.  

"

Congrats to the newest @WWE superstar @ToughJoshua @WWEToughEnough pic.twitter.com/d06tUPjDVI

— Amy Dumas (@AmyDumas) August 26, 2015"

Bredl has a lot of work ahead of him, though. While he has plenty of tools to work with, he's a raw prospect. Pro wrestling is a difficult art to master, and just being an impressive physical specimen certainly doesn't guarantee success.

Should Bredl accomplish even a little in the WWE world, he will be bucking a recent trend. Tough Enough winners have traveled into obscurity rather than the spotlight as of late.

In the show's fifth season, Andy Leavine outlasted his fellow competitors. After spending a few years at Florida Championship Wrestling (WWE's developmental offshoot at the time), he tallied a total of zero matches on the main roster.

MMA fighter Daniel Puder won Tough Enough in 2004. His WWE career lasted just a few months. 

He is more famous for nearly breaking Kurt Angle's arm than anything he accomplished during his tenure.

Matt Cappotelli co-won the year before Puder, but a brain tumor stalled his WWE dreams. As noted on WWE.com, a successful surgery removed the tumor. When his developmental deal was up, though, WWE didn't re-sign him.

To varying degrees, those three men faded away after taking the top spot on Tough Enough.

There's reason to be unsure of Bredl's chances then. History is not on his side. His frame is, however. 

WWE is a place where size often trumps skill. The muscular, massive Mason Ryan earned plenty of shots despite his wooden ring work. And there's a reason that the 385-pound Braun Strowman made it to the main roster before Tyler Breeze.

Bredl is WWE-big. The former Colorado State University-Pueblo defensive end is 6'7'' and played at 300 pounds, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. 

During the Tough Enough season, he managed to sculpt that body to look less like a football player's and more like a wrestler's.

Like so many previous WWE stars, he looks like something yanked from a Conan the Barbarian movie. That alone will get him a decent leash during his time at developmental. WWE will be pulling for him to succeed because the company is in need of big men.

As PWInsider's Mike Johnson wrote of Bredl in his breakdown of the show's finale, "He's exactly what WWE wants in their talents, especially during an era where the talents aren't as massive as previous generations were."

Before trying to make it as a wrestler, Bredl was catching the eyes of NFL scouts. Writing for National Football Post, Aaron Wilson noted that the defensive lineman "bench-pressed 225 pounds 30 times at the NFL Super Regional Combine."

Viewers saw Bredl put that big, powerful body to good use throughout Tough Enough. He flourished in the physical competitions. When he and ZZ went at it in the ring, he looked like a freight train as he bowled his foe over:

To see him do so well whenever the reality show required him to lift, push or overpower has to thrill WWE officials. 

His charisma is less impressive, but it's not so deficient as to prevent him from making it. In his Tough Enough audition video, he displayed flashes of his personality. He seemed uncomfortable in front of the camera, though.

That changed for the better during the course of the show. 

Initially, he let other, larger personalities in the competition dominate. Bredl slowly found his voice and looked to be having more fun over time.

Other contestants outperformed him on the mic, as Mada did in their promo battle, but Bredl showed potential.

Having to speak with a British accent hurt him in that scene. Still, this was a hint of how compelling he can be if he sharpens his verbal skills. 

He seems to understand that this is his biggest weakness, the most likely reason for him to join Leavine on the list of winners who didn't make it. In a recent interview with The Wrap, Bredl said, "You have to break out of your shell, otherwise you don't shine." 

Embracing this "Yeti" persona he put on in later episodes, Bredl started to do just that. If he can continue his progress, Bredl can go from a project to a promising prospect.

The big man has some major catching up to do in the ring as well.

During the finale, he battled Cesaro in a short match. Standing opposite The King of Swing, he certainly looked the part in there:

As expected, his ring work is not yet smooth. His movements didn't look natural. He seemed to be waiting around for the next move at times. And while he clearly made an earnest attempt to sell Cesaro's offense, that part of his game isn't up to snuff yet.

His acting isn't realistic enough right now. He didn't sell that he was really hurt in there in the same way a guy like Seth Rollins does every night. 

As uphill of a climb as Bredl has ahead of him, a betting man would put his money on the latest male winner of Tough Enough to succeed. 

Former WWE writer Kevin Eck, for one, believes Bredl has a shot. He wrote of the big man on his blog, "He has size, a good look and seems to be a fine athlete. More importantly, he showed a strong work ethic and desire."

Those last two items up Bredl's chances of making his way to the WWE roster at some point in a major way. As grueling a journey as it is from the WWE Performance Center to the main stage, he's going to need both those traits in abundance. Being a beast of a man with a lineman's footwork won't hurt, either.