Chicago Sun-Times: Surprise, surprise: It's Jackie and Linda

In what came as a surprise to almost everyone, two women were named winners in the "Tough Enough 2" final Thursday night on MTV. The two winners, Jackie and Linda, now are off to sign WWE contracts while men's finalists Kenny and Jake are left wondering what happened.

During a post-show interview with Ivory, Kenny clearly implied the judges were not interested in athletic talent and other forces played into the voting. Regardless of the outcome, I doubt either of these two will make a quick jump to the majors like Maven has as they likely will see plenty of time in Ohio, but a clear message has been sent by the WWE that the women's division will not be left behind as it has been in the past.

"Tough Enough 2" was much better than the original version of the show, and "Tough Enough 3" debuts on MTV in September.

Speaking of Maven, he suffered a broken leg in his match on "SmackDown" and will be out for an unspecified period of time.

HEARD AROUND THE RING: The WWE made a smart decision bringing in Dawn Marie (former valet for Lance Storm and Justin Credible in the ECW) on Thursday. She could play a big role in upcoming WWE storylines. ... The May 25 debut of "WWE Confidential" with Mean Gene Okerlund drew a 1.3 rating. It will be interesting to see if the big number was only the result of a show that featured Shawn Michaels, who admitted publicly for the first time he knew of Vince McMahon's plan to screw Bret Hart out of the WWF title. ... Hulk Hogan gets a chance to win back the WWE title vs. the Undertaker on June 28 in Washington. The bad news for Hogan: He is scheduled to challenge the Taker again the following night at Madison Square Garden. It will be the first time Hogan appears at the Garden since a match with Roddy Piper in 1992. ... Whispers in the back claim Brock Lesner and Rob Van Dam are early favorites to win King of the Ring. ... Look for Rey Mysterio Jr. to play a big role in the WWE in the coming months. Mysterio played the role of giant killer to perfection back in the WCW. ... Goldberg remains a free agent and is considered someone who singlehandedly can turn a fledgling organization into a powerhouse overnight.

HOTLINE: I have the latest on the Rock and his decision to return to the WWE or stay in the movie business, plus updates on Scott Steiner, The New 4 Horsemen and much more on the hotline: (900) 990- SLAM ($2 per minute).