REPORT: WWF Plans MTV Reality Show

<br>STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) _ The World Wrestling Federation took a knockout punch with the demise of its XFL football league, but it's getting off the mat with a new reality television show. <br><br>``WWF

Thursday, May 17th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) _ The World Wrestling Federation took a knockout punch with the demise of its XFL football league, but it's getting off the mat with a new reality television show.

``WWF Tough Enough,'' a half-hour program co-produced by Stamford-based WWF and MTV, lets 13 would-be wrestling superstars fight it out in a home for 13 weeks, The Advocate of Stamford reported Wednesday. The show premieres June 21 on MTV.

The two left standing _ one man and one woman _ will be signed on to wrestle for the WWF.

``They all moved into a house, they're living together, training together and they are competing for World Wrestling Federation contracts,'' said WWF spokesman Jayson Bernstein.

The show is like CBS' hit ``Survivor'' but ``here, instead of winning $1 million, they win WWF contracts, which to these people is much more valuable than winning the money,'' Bernstein said.

The WWF received ``thousands of applications and videotapes'' from people around the country vying to appear on the show, Bernstein said. Two hundred semifinalists jumped into the ring at WWF New York in Times Square in the winter to audition, he said, but only eight men and five women were picked.