# Josh Bredl
**Josh Bredl** (Joshua Bredl, born 1991 in [Thornton, Colorado](https://www.edgepedia.org/thornton-colorado)) is an American former professional wrestler and former college football player who won the 2015 revival of WWE's reality competition *Tough Enough*, earning a one-year, $250,000 contract with WWE.[1](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Joshua_Bredl) • [2](https://www.thewrap.com/wwes-tough-enough-winner-crowed-josh-sara-zz-amanda/) He trained at the [WWE Performance Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/wwe-performance-center) and appeared in the developmental system NXT under the ring name Bronson Mathews before his release from the company.[1](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Joshua_Bredl) • [3](https://whatculture.com/wwe/every-wwe-tough-enough-winner-where-are-they-now?page=9) He is known in wrestling and beyond by the nickname "The Yeti," which dates to his junior football years.[4](https://www.wwe.com/shows/breaking-ground/2015-11-09/episode-three-recap)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1991, Thornton, Colorado[1](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Joshua_Bredl) |
| Football background | Defensive end for Colorado State University-Pueblo; described as 6'8" and 275 pounds at the time[5](https://milehighsports.com/former-csu-pueblo-player-wwe-tough-enough-finalist/) |
| Tough Enough | Male winner of the 2015 season (season 6), with a one-year, $250,000 WWE contract[2](https://www.thewrap.com/wwes-tough-enough-winner-crowed-josh-sara-zz-amanda/) |
| Ring name in NXT | Bronson Mathews[1](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Joshua_Bredl) |
| WWE tenure | Signed 2015; released after his last recorded match in 2016[3](https://whatculture.com/wwe/every-wwe-tough-enough-winner-where-are-they-now?page=9) |
| Later career | Online fitness coaching under the Yeti Ultra brand; trainer of clients including Justin Bieber, Adam Levine, and Kelly Rowland[6](https://millions.co/jess.kleinschmidt/news/joshua-yeti-bredl-jessica-kleinschmidt-interview) |
## Football background
Bredl played college football as a defensive end for [Colorado State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/colorado-state-university)-Pueblo, and he also played football and basketball at Horizon High School in Thornton, Colorado.[5](https://milehighsports.com/former-csu-pueblo-player-wwe-tough-enough-finalist/) Reported measurements vary by source and date: Mile High Sports listed him at 6'8" and 275 pounds as a Tough Enough finalist,[5](https://milehighsports.com/former-csu-pueblo-player-wwe-tough-enough-finalist/) while Bleacher Report, citing the *Pueblo Chieftain*, described the former CSU-Pueblo defensive end as 6'7" who played at 300 pounds.[7](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2555468-josh-bredl-gauging-wwe-tough-enough-2015-winners-chances-to-make-roster) Before turning to wrestling he drew attention from NFL scouts; [Bleacher Report](https://www.edgepedia.org/bleacher-report), citing the National Football Post, noted that he bench-pressed 225 pounds 30 times at the NFL Super Regional Combine.[7](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2555468-josh-bredl-gauging-wwe-tough-enough-2015-winners-chances-to-make-roster) TheWrap later described him as a former [Green Bay Packers](https://www.edgepedia.org/green-bay-packers) defensive end who switched his NFL dreams to WWE earlier in 2015.[2](https://www.thewrap.com/wwes-tough-enough-winner-crowed-josh-sara-zz-amanda/)
## Tough Enough 2015
On the June 15, 2015 episode of Monday Night Raw, WWE COO Paul Levesque ([Triple H](https://www.edgepedia.org/triple-h)) announced Bredl, along with 39 others, as a finalist for the reality show *Tough Enough*; finalists attended a minicamp at the WWE Performance Center in [Orlando, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/orlando-florida), from June 10 to 12.[5](https://milehighsports.com/former-csu-pueblo-player-wwe-tough-enough-finalist/) The show premiered on the [USA Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-network) on June 23, 2015, with the winner receiving a one-year, $250,000 WWE contract.[5](https://milehighsports.com/former-csu-pueblo-player-wwe-tough-enough-finalist/)
**Weight loss and victory.** Bredl told TheWrap that the hardest part of the transition was getting lean: he entered the competition at 310 pounds and cut down to 271, crediting the change with helping him "flourish" during the season.[2](https://www.thewrap.com/wwes-tough-enough-winner-crowed-josh-sara-zz-amanda/) In the finale, aired on USA Network, he took the men's winner's belt while Sara Lee of Hope, Michigan, won among the women.[2](https://www.thewrap.com/wwes-tough-enough-winner-crowed-josh-sara-zz-amanda/) After the finale, Triple H called him a fierce competitor, and Bredl said in an interview that he knew he would have to earn respect at the Performance Center rather than be given it.[8](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2015/08/josh-bredl-on-triple-h-calling-him-a-fierce-competitor-600052/)
## NXT and the Performance Center
Bredl began training at the WWE Performance Center in early September 2015 alongside fellow Tough Enough winner Sara Lee.[9](https://tjrwrestling.net/news/news-tough-enough-competitors-join-new-class-of-recruits-at-the-wwe-performance-center/) In NXT he was renamed Bronson Mathews.[1](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Joshua_Bredl) His adjustment was documented in the [WWE Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/wwe-network) docu-series *Breaking Ground*: in the third episode, aired November 9, 2015, he stumbled in an interview class, was advised by [William Regal](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-regal) not to become too attached to the "Yeti" persona, and was urged by Head Coach Matt Bloom to find housing quickly so he could focus on training.[4](https://www.wwe.com/shows/breaking-ground/2015-11-09/episode-three-recap) The episode also noted that his $250,000 contract and his responsibility for his daughter and girlfriend, who were preparing to move from Colorado to join him, motivated him at the Performance Center.[4](https://www.wwe.com/shows/breaking-ground/2015-11-09/episode-three-recap)
**The "jobbers" tweet.** In January 2016, Bredl drew criticism from several WWE talents after a social media post in which he called WWE's "Social Outcasts" stable "jobbers," followed by a response to a [Kevin Owens](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-owens) tweet; he deleted the original tweet.[10](https://www.wrestlezone.com/news/665017-the-latest-on-tough-enough-winner-josh-bredls-backstage-reputation-how-are-promo-classes-broken-down-in-nxt) Reporting at the time, citing the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, noted that his $250,000 Tough Enough salary and inexperience made him a target for resentment, though he was described as a good listener who trained hard and had a look [Vince McMahon](https://www.edgepedia.org/vince-mcmahon) was a fan of.[10](https://www.wrestlezone.com/news/665017-the-latest-on-tough-enough-winner-josh-bredls-backstage-reputation-how-are-promo-classes-broken-down-in-nxt) In later interviews Bredl recalled having upset main roster members including Owens and [Cody Rhodes](https://www.edgepedia.org/cody-rhodes) over the episode.[11](https://wrestlepedia.substack.com/p/former-wwe-star-recalls-upsetting)
## Release and life after wrestling
Bredl's last recorded wrestling match came in 2016, before his release from WWE.[3](https://whatculture.com/wwe/every-wwe-tough-enough-winner-where-are-they-now?page=9) Fightful reported his release from the company in 2017.[12](https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/tough-enough-winner-josh-bredl-released-wwe/) In 2018, fellow Tough Enough alumnus Tanner Saraceno told Fightful that Bredl was considering a move to MMA, describing him as a "freakish specimen" with significant athleticism and work ethic.[13](https://www.fightful.com/mma/exclusive-tough-enough-s-tanner-saraceno-says-yeti-josh-bredl-considering-move-mma/)
**Fitness career.** Bredl has said that an ACL injury during his playing days led him to post his training progress on Instagram, where strangers began asking for help; he built a paid 30-day online plan priced at $30 while studying kinesiology as a full-time student athlete.[6](https://millions.co/jess.kleinschmidt/news/joshua-yeti-bredl-jessica-kleinschmidt-interview) In a 2026 interview he said more than a dozen of his online clients had each lost over 150 pounds, with his first client to reach that milestone, Laura, losing 180 pounds through remote coaching.[6](https://millions.co/jess.kleinschmidt/news/joshua-yeti-bredl-jessica-kleinschmidt-interview) He has trained celebrities including [Justin Bieber](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-bieber), Adam Levine, and [Kelly Rowland](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelly-rowland) and built Bieber's Webby Award-winning gym, and he now runs his coaching business under the Yeti Ultra brand alongside a project called Portal Health AI.[6](https://millions.co/jess.kleinschmidt/news/joshua-yeti-bredl-jessica-kleinschmidt-interview)
## References
1. [Joshua Bredl, Pro Wrestling Fandom](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Joshua_Bredl)
2. [WWE's 'Tough Enough' Winner Josh on How His 50-Pound Weight Loss Helped Him to Victory, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/wwes-tough-enough-winner-crowed-josh-sara-zz-amanda/)
3. [Every WWE Tough Enough Winner: Where Are They Now?, WhatCulture](https://whatculture.com/wwe/every-wwe-tough-enough-winner-where-are-they-now?page=9)
4. ['WWE Breaking Ground' Season 1, Episode 3 Recap: Hittin' the road, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/breaking-ground/2015-11-09/episode-three-recap)
5. [Former CSU-Pueblo player 'WWE Tough Enough' finalist, Mile High Sports](https://milehighsports.com/former-csu-pueblo-player-wwe-tough-enough-finalist/)
6. [Joshua "YETI" Bredl Jessica Kleinschmidt interview, MILLIONS](https://millions.co/jess.kleinschmidt/news/joshua-yeti-bredl-jessica-kleinschmidt-interview)
7. [Josh Bredl: Gauging WWE 'Tough Enough' 2015 Winner's Chances to Make Roster, Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2555468-josh-bredl-gauging-wwe-tough-enough-2015-winners-chances-to-make-roster)
8. [Josh Bredl On Triple H Calling Him A Fierce Competitor, Getting Props From WWE Legends, More, Wrestling Inc.](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2015/08/josh-bredl-on-triple-h-calling-him-a-fierce-competitor-600052/)
9. [Tough Enough Competitors Join New Class Of Recruits At The WWE Performance Center, TJR Wrestling](https://tjrwrestling.net/news/news-tough-enough-competitors-join-new-class-of-recruits-at-the-wwe-performance-center/)
10. [The Latest On Tough Enough Winner Josh Bredl's Backstage Reputation, Wrestlezone](https://www.wrestlezone.com/news/665017-the-latest-on-tough-enough-winner-josh-bredls-backstage-reputation-how-are-promo-classes-broken-down-in-nxt)
11. [Former WWE star recalls upsetting Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens in real life, Wrestlepedia](https://wrestlepedia.substack.com/p/former-wwe-star-recalls-upsetting)
12. [Tough Enough Winner Josh Bredl Released From WWE, Fightful](https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/tough-enough-winner-josh-bredl-released-wwe/)
13. [Exclusive: Tough Enough's Tanner Saraceno Says "Yeti" Josh Bredl Considering Move To MMA, Fightful](https://www.fightful.com/mma/exclusive-tough-enough-s-tanner-saraceno-says-yeti-josh-bredl-considering-move-mma/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Professional wrestlers and stables › American wrestlers › Modern era wrestlers › NXT wrestlers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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