Matt Cappotelli
| Matt Cappotelli | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Matthew Lee Cappotelli |
| Born | November 12, 1979 Caledonia, New York, U.S. |
| Died | June 29, 2018 (aged 38) |
| Cause of death | Brain cancer |
| Alma mater | Western Michigan University |
| Spouse(s) |
Lindsay Seeders (m. 2006) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Matt Cappotelli The Flava |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Billed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Billed from | Rochester, New York |
| Trained by | Al Snow Bill DeMott Eugene Ivory |
| Debut | January 27, 2003 |
| Retired | April 4, 2007 |
World Wrestling Entertainment
Tough Enough
Cappotelli, along with John Hennigan, won a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) contract by winning Tough Enough III.[1] During the show, Hardcore Holly stiffed him during a match in training, leaving him bleeding.[2][3]
After winning, he made several appearances on WWE shows: on Monday Night Raw, a match against Hennigan ended with Christopher Nowinski interfering and Tommy Dreamer attacking everyone, on Sunday Night Heat Cappotelli and Hennigan took on Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak, at Vengeance Cappotelli competed in The APA Invitational Bar Room Brawl which Bradshaw won, and on February 28, 2004, Hennigan and Cappotelli were defeated by Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin in a match on WWE Velocity.
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Cappotelli was then sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) to continue his training and work on his promo skills. There, he formed a tag team known as The Thrill Seekers with Johnny Jeter.
On November 9 at an OVW television taping, Cappotelli captured the OVW Heavyweight Championship by defeating his former tag team partner, Johnny Jeter. On February 8, 2006, he announced that he had previously been diagnosed with a grade 2/3 astrocytoma and surrendered the title to OVW owner Danny Davis at a television taping in Louisville, Kentucky.[4] Cappotelli announced to OVW wrestlers and fans on April 4, 2007 that he would undergo surgery for brain cancer in Boston on May 1.[5] WWE's official website later reported that the surgery was a success,[6] and that the majority of the brain tumor was removed.[7]
Toward the end of 2013, Cappotelli became the trainer for OVW's Beginner Program.[8][9]
Personal life and death
Cappotelli attended college at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he was also a member of the football team.[10][3]
Cappotelli married Lindsay Seeders in March 2006. They resided in Louisville, Kentucky. He was close friends with professional wrestler and Western Michigan alumnus, Colt Cabana.[11] His cousin is Big Brother winner Lisa Donahue.[12]
In July 2017, Cappotelli announced that he was diagnosed with grade IV glioblastoma multiforme.[13] In May 2018, Cappotelli's wife announced that, after consultations with his neuro-oncologist, Cappotelli was ceasing medical interventions for the tumour.[14][15] He died on June 29, 2018, at the age of 38.[16]
Championships and accomplishments
See also
References
- ^ a b "MTV Onair – Toughenough". MTV. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
In the end, Matt and John were chosen to be the winners of Tough Enough 3.
- ^ "The Ringside Voice Interviews – Matt Cappotelli". The Ringside Voice. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Mooneyham, Mike (2006-02-26). "Cappotelli Proves He's Tough Enough". The Wrestling Gospel According to Mike Mooneyham. Retrieved 2015-08-26.
- ^ Brady, Hicks. "2006: The year in wrestling". PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 17. 2007 Edition.
- ^ Dee, Louie (2007-04-06). "Matt Cappotelli to undergo brain surgery". WWE.
- ^ "Cappotelli undergoes surgery". World Wrestling Entertainment. 2007-05-01. Retrieved 2015-08-26.
- ^ "Cappotelli recovering well". World Wrestling Entertainment. 2007-05-09.
- ^ "Helping wrestlers get a grip". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, KY. 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2015-08-26.
- ^ "Matt Cappotelli Beginner's Program". Ohio Valley Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2015-08-20. Retrieved 2015-08-26.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Football History: All-Time Jersey Roster: #34". Western Michigan University. 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2015-08-26.
- ^ Schenk, Ruth (2009-12-14). "Faith Warrior". southeastoutlookchristian.org. Archived from the original on December 14, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
- ^ @TheLisaDonahue (June 29, 2017). "Prayers needed for my cousin ❤️❤️" (Tweet). Retrieved September 4, 2017 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Matt Cappotelli". www.facebook.com. 2017-07-14. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ^ "Slam! Wrestling News". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. May 21, 2018. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
- ^ Johnson, Mike (May 21, 2018). "Matt Cappotelli to discontinue treatments in his battle against cancer, how you can assist his family". PWInsider. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
- ^ Xu, Linda (June 29, 2018). "Matt Cappotelli, Former WWE Wrestler and 'Tough Enough' Winner, Dies at 38". TheWrap. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
- ^ Westcott, Brian; Dupree, Jim. "NWA – National Wrestling Alliance NWA Ohio Valley Wrestling Heavyweight/Ohio Valley Wrestling Heavyweight Title History". Solie. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
- ^ Westcott, Brian; Dupree, Jim. "NWA – National Wrestling Alliance NWA Ohio Valley Wrestling Southern Tag Team Title History". Solie. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
- ^ Wilkens, Tom (2007-01-25). "2006 PWI Achievement Awards Winners Revealed". Wrestling News World. Retrieved 2015-08-26.