Report: Former WWE Star To Appear On Miz-Hosted American Gladiators Relaunch

Every once in a while, someone comes along and attempts to dust off the old "American Gladiators" show, the wildly popular competition that originally aired from 1989 to 1996. The first attempt to revive the show came in 2008, carrying a pro wrestling tie in the form of co-host Hulk Hogan. Alas, the revival didn't make it through the year, and since then the "American Gladiators" franchise has been at a stand still.

That's changing again, however, with Amazon Prime set to reboot the series in the near distant future, tapping WWE star The Miz to host the program. And he won't be the only wrestling related figure on the show. Fightful Select reports that former WWE star Eric Bugenhagen and former TNA star Jessie Godderz are set to compete in the "American Gladiators" reboot. Other wrestlers are expected to take part as well, though no other names were confirmed.

Of the two, Bugenhagen will be remembered the most by fans, thanks to his five year stint with WWE under the names Ric Boogs, Rik Bugez, and finally, Rick Boogs. Though he didn't achieve a ton of in-ring success, many fondly remembers Boogs for his association with Shinsuke Nakamura, often playing Nakamura down to the ring with his guitar. He was released from WWE in September 2023, and later revealed he was retired from wrestling.

That's not quite the case for Godderz, as the former TNA Tag Team Champion has remained active since leaving the promotion in 2017, working first for Lucha Underground, and later OVW, where he has wrestld since 2019. Godderz is also known for his appearances on the CBS reality series "Big Brother," having been a member of the cast in season's 10 and 11 of the long-running show.