The Ringside Voice Interviews
Cappotelli, along with John Hennigan, won a WWE contract by winning Tough Enough III. He was then sent to OVW in order to continue his training and work on his vocal skills. In OVW, Cappotelli formed a face tag team known as The Thrill Seekers with Johnny Jeter. Cappotelli was embroiled in controversy when one of the Tough Enough trainers, Bob "Hardcore" Holly, assaulted him in the course of a practice match, leaving him bruised and bloody. Holly later accidentally concussed Cappotelli while wrestling him at a live event on April 24, 2004. On July 31, 2005, Cappotelli suffered a broken fibula during a match against The Blond Bombers (Chad and Tank Toland) at an OVW event in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, in which he landed awkwardly after a suplex. He was out of action for approximately eight weeks.
His entrance theme is entitled "The Slam" and is performed by Toby Mac. On November 9, 2005, at an OVW television taping, Cappotelli captured the OVW Heavyweight Championship by defeating his former tag team partner, Johnny Jeter, who would later be called up into WWE as part of the Spirit Squad. WWE were planning to bring Cappotelli up into the main roster but before this could happen, he was diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma in December 2005. He was scheduled to undergo tests to further diagnose the tumor and plan treatment.
TolerancE: Matt, before we get started I want to take this time to thank you for your cooperation. Your are a strong person, and I know that many people, including myself admire your desire and passion to overcome. Through Jesus Christ, you will...
Matt: thank you, i'm confident in all God is doing in my life, i'm just a servant.
TolerancE: First of all Matt, lets discuss your current situation regarding your health. How are you doing there?
Matt: I'm feeling great, God has blessed me with very minimal symptoms. I can do everything I normally do, well, except wrestle.
TolerancE: What were your feelings when you first heard that you had cancer?
Matt: I was obviously shocked and scared to say the least, but that's where faith comes in. I'm confident this is all part of God's plan for my life and I'm willing to do whatever I need to do in order to serve that plan.
TolerancE: What kind of treatment are you currently under? And what are the doctors saying?
Matt: I'm not currently under any sort of treatment, some doctors have recommended surgery, while others seem to think we can monitor the tumor through MRI's. Treatments would only be beneficial post-surgery, so that is why I am not being treated right now.
TolerancE: Has anyone from the main roster, including Vince McMahon kept in touch with you concerning your health status? If so, who and how often do they keep in touch?
Matt: Yes, I have spoken with Vince and he assured me that the WWE would stand 100% behind me during this situation, which is a huge blessing. There are many others who have kept in contact - Stephanie, JR, among my other close friends on the roster.
TolerancE: Do you still make it to WWE events?
Matt: If there are some in the area, I would definately make the trip, but there hasn't been a show nearby lately.
TolerancE: Who are your closest friends backstage?
Matt: I have alot of close friends backstage. I'm closest to joey Mercuy, Nitro and Melina.
TolerancE: Have any vetrans ever approached you to offer you advice prior to, or after your WWE dark matches?
Matt: all the time, guys are always looking to help out the younger guys when they work. It's great to get input from those guys.
TolerancE: Who has been the biggest influence or help to you during this difficult time?
Matt: God, family, close friends, and strangers. Even people I don't know send me emails and tell me their praying for me. It's humbling to know how many people really care.
TolerancE: Since you are no longer active in wrestling, how do you manage yourself financially? I mean, is WWE still honoring your contract and paying you?
Matt: Yes, like I said earlier, Vince told me the company would stand behind me 100% which includes honoring my contract. I have had alot of medical bills, so being able to still make a living is neccessary for me. I'm very thankful for that as well.
TolerancE: I want to move along to Tough Enough now. What was going through your mind when you were selected as one of the winners?
Matt: I was excited and ready to take on the next challenge. I knew that this was the beginning of a long road, but I really had no idea how tough and long the road would end up being.
TolerancE: What kind of expertise does Al Snow and Bill Demott bring to the table as trainers?
Matt: they both have alot of experience. Al looks past the physical side of westling and makes you think outside the box. He stresses the importance of the mental and emotional side of wrestling.
TolerancE: Let's talk about the Bob Holly incident. We know that he has a history of working stiff, but do you still feel that he was going too far to break you in? I mean you were still in the learning process and were putting your trust and well being in his hands and I feel, he took andvantage of that. What are your thoughts and do you and Bob have any heat presently?
Matt: no, bob and I don't have any heat. he's always been helpful to me and I don't hold grudges. I was so green at the time that I had no idea how the wrestling business worked at all. All i knew was to respect and trust your body with the other guy you're working with. That's the old school mentality that came out of Bob, I don't agree with it, but I understand why he did it.
TolerancE: What was the most important thing you leanred during your tenure on Tough Enough?
Matt: You've gotta watch your own back and be careful of who you trust.
TolerancE: Do you think that Tough Enough really got you ready for the business, or did you have to learn a whole new side after the physical stuff?
Matt: It scratched the surface of the business. I learned the most when I trained in OVW with Al and Lance Storm.
TolerancE: Do you keep in contact with the big man Jonah? If so, what is he up to these days?
Matt: No, i haven't spoken with him a long time.
TolerancE: It was said that you were going to be called up with John Hennigan (Nitro) as the other half of MNM, then it was later said that you were going to be paired with Mizanin. What was really the plan?
Matt: I was never supposed to be in MNM, not quite sure how that got rumored. Yes, i was supposed to tag with mike right before my diagnosis.
TolerancE: Tell me about the bizarre ending to the August 10th 2005 OVW taping, where Johnny Jeter went nuts and nailed you repeatedly with the chair.
Matt: It was the split of former tag team champions. Jeter showed alot of jealously and thought I was stealing his spotlight. Finally when he won the OVW title, with me at ringside with a broken leg, he decided he didn't need me anymore and severely beat me bloody.
TolerancE: Who is your favorite guy to work with in the ring, and why?
Matt: I love working with Jeter, Nitro, and Mercury.
TolerancE: What are your thoughts on your feud with Johnny Jeter?
Matt: It was the highlight of my time at OVW. I enjoyed it alot and hope to work with him again.
TolerancE: If you were still active and were pitched the idea to working as a member of The Spirit Squad, would you accept the idea?
Matt: yeah, i loved the idea when I first heard about it and look how well they've done.
TolerancE: Is Ken Doane as good as they say?
Matt: guess it depends on who's talking. I think Ken is extremely talented and will be a star as long as he doesn't get overconfident.
TolerancE: What about CM Punk? How do you think he will stack up in the new ECW?
Matt: I think Punk is the next big star and I think he will change the standard of what the prototype professional wrestler has to look like. He's so talented and I can't wait to see what he does.
TolerancE: Do you have any plans to get back into the ring?
Matt: That's up to God and he hasn't told me anything yet. Time will tell, hopefully someday.
TolerancE: What can we expect from Matt Cappotelli in the future?
Matt: I will beat cancer, after that, who knows!
TolerancE: If our members wanted to email you or get the latest info concerning you health where can they do that?
Matt: they can go to www.matt-cappotelli.com and email me there or sign the guestbook.
Brief Word Association...
John Hennigan: crazy
Paul Heyman: crazy genius
Wrestlemania: Cappotelli
Maven: TE original
Bob Holly: longevity T
TolerancE: Matt, again, I appreciate your valuable time and will continue to pray for your health and family. I certainly hope if there is ANYTHING I can do for you, you will let me know.
Matt: thank you , it was my pleasure
His entrance theme is entitled "The Slam" and is performed by Toby Mac. On November 9, 2005, at an OVW television taping, Cappotelli captured the OVW Heavyweight Championship by defeating his former tag team partner, Johnny Jeter, who would later be called up into WWE as part of the Spirit Squad. WWE were planning to bring Cappotelli up into the main roster but before this could happen, he was diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma in December 2005. He was scheduled to undergo tests to further diagnose the tumor and plan treatment.
TolerancE: Matt, before we get started I want to take this time to thank you for your cooperation. Your are a strong person, and I know that many people, including myself admire your desire and passion to overcome. Through Jesus Christ, you will...
Matt: thank you, i'm confident in all God is doing in my life, i'm just a servant.
TolerancE: First of all Matt, lets discuss your current situation regarding your health. How are you doing there?
Matt: I'm feeling great, God has blessed me with very minimal symptoms. I can do everything I normally do, well, except wrestle.
TolerancE: What were your feelings when you first heard that you had cancer?
Matt: I was obviously shocked and scared to say the least, but that's where faith comes in. I'm confident this is all part of God's plan for my life and I'm willing to do whatever I need to do in order to serve that plan.
TolerancE: What kind of treatment are you currently under? And what are the doctors saying?
Matt: I'm not currently under any sort of treatment, some doctors have recommended surgery, while others seem to think we can monitor the tumor through MRI's. Treatments would only be beneficial post-surgery, so that is why I am not being treated right now.
TolerancE: Has anyone from the main roster, including Vince McMahon kept in touch with you concerning your health status? If so, who and how often do they keep in touch?
Matt: Yes, I have spoken with Vince and he assured me that the WWE would stand 100% behind me during this situation, which is a huge blessing. There are many others who have kept in contact - Stephanie, JR, among my other close friends on the roster.
TolerancE: Do you still make it to WWE events?
Matt: If there are some in the area, I would definately make the trip, but there hasn't been a show nearby lately.
TolerancE: Who are your closest friends backstage?
Matt: I have alot of close friends backstage. I'm closest to joey Mercuy, Nitro and Melina.
TolerancE: Have any vetrans ever approached you to offer you advice prior to, or after your WWE dark matches?
Matt: all the time, guys are always looking to help out the younger guys when they work. It's great to get input from those guys.
TolerancE: Who has been the biggest influence or help to you during this difficult time?
Matt: God, family, close friends, and strangers. Even people I don't know send me emails and tell me their praying for me. It's humbling to know how many people really care.
TolerancE: Since you are no longer active in wrestling, how do you manage yourself financially? I mean, is WWE still honoring your contract and paying you?
Matt: Yes, like I said earlier, Vince told me the company would stand behind me 100% which includes honoring my contract. I have had alot of medical bills, so being able to still make a living is neccessary for me. I'm very thankful for that as well.
TolerancE: I want to move along to Tough Enough now. What was going through your mind when you were selected as one of the winners?
Matt: I was excited and ready to take on the next challenge. I knew that this was the beginning of a long road, but I really had no idea how tough and long the road would end up being.
TolerancE: What kind of expertise does Al Snow and Bill Demott bring to the table as trainers?
Matt: they both have alot of experience. Al looks past the physical side of westling and makes you think outside the box. He stresses the importance of the mental and emotional side of wrestling.
TolerancE: Let's talk about the Bob Holly incident. We know that he has a history of working stiff, but do you still feel that he was going too far to break you in? I mean you were still in the learning process and were putting your trust and well being in his hands and I feel, he took andvantage of that. What are your thoughts and do you and Bob have any heat presently?
Matt: no, bob and I don't have any heat. he's always been helpful to me and I don't hold grudges. I was so green at the time that I had no idea how the wrestling business worked at all. All i knew was to respect and trust your body with the other guy you're working with. That's the old school mentality that came out of Bob, I don't agree with it, but I understand why he did it.
TolerancE: What was the most important thing you leanred during your tenure on Tough Enough?
Matt: You've gotta watch your own back and be careful of who you trust.
TolerancE: Do you think that Tough Enough really got you ready for the business, or did you have to learn a whole new side after the physical stuff?
Matt: It scratched the surface of the business. I learned the most when I trained in OVW with Al and Lance Storm.
TolerancE: Do you keep in contact with the big man Jonah? If so, what is he up to these days?
Matt: No, i haven't spoken with him a long time.
TolerancE: It was said that you were going to be called up with John Hennigan (Nitro) as the other half of MNM, then it was later said that you were going to be paired with Mizanin. What was really the plan?
Matt: I was never supposed to be in MNM, not quite sure how that got rumored. Yes, i was supposed to tag with mike right before my diagnosis.
TolerancE: Tell me about the bizarre ending to the August 10th 2005 OVW taping, where Johnny Jeter went nuts and nailed you repeatedly with the chair.
Matt: It was the split of former tag team champions. Jeter showed alot of jealously and thought I was stealing his spotlight. Finally when he won the OVW title, with me at ringside with a broken leg, he decided he didn't need me anymore and severely beat me bloody.
TolerancE: Who is your favorite guy to work with in the ring, and why?
Matt: I love working with Jeter, Nitro, and Mercury.
TolerancE: What are your thoughts on your feud with Johnny Jeter?
Matt: It was the highlight of my time at OVW. I enjoyed it alot and hope to work with him again.
TolerancE: If you were still active and were pitched the idea to working as a member of The Spirit Squad, would you accept the idea?
Matt: yeah, i loved the idea when I first heard about it and look how well they've done.
TolerancE: Is Ken Doane as good as they say?
Matt: guess it depends on who's talking. I think Ken is extremely talented and will be a star as long as he doesn't get overconfident.
TolerancE: What about CM Punk? How do you think he will stack up in the new ECW?
Matt: I think Punk is the next big star and I think he will change the standard of what the prototype professional wrestler has to look like. He's so talented and I can't wait to see what he does.
TolerancE: Do you have any plans to get back into the ring?
Matt: That's up to God and he hasn't told me anything yet. Time will tell, hopefully someday.
TolerancE: What can we expect from Matt Cappotelli in the future?
Matt: I will beat cancer, after that, who knows!
TolerancE: If our members wanted to email you or get the latest info concerning you health where can they do that?
Matt: they can go to www.matt-cappotelli.com and email me there or sign the guestbook.
Brief Word Association...
John Hennigan: crazy
Paul Heyman: crazy genius
Wrestlemania: Cappotelli
Maven: TE original
Bob Holly: longevity T
TolerancE: Matt, again, I appreciate your valuable time and will continue to pray for your health and family. I certainly hope if there is ANYTHING I can do for you, you will let me know.
Matt: thank you , it was my pleasure