10 Wrestlers Who Had Their Careers Stolen From Them
6. Matt Cappotelli
WWE’s Tough Enough series was, probably more than anything else, an excuse to break into the market of reality television. Various young hopefuls battled every week for their chance to win a fulltime WWE contract. How many Tough Enough winners can you remember really making a success of themselves at the company however? Considering the number of seasons the show ran for, it’s not all that many.
That being said, Season 3’s victors were John Morrison and Matt Cappotelli. Both were sent to OVW, WWE’s developmental territory at the time, to get in WWE shape and prepare for the future. Nothing needs to be said about Morrison’s success of course, but Cappotelli’s career ended in tragedy.
Despite winning the OVW Heavyweight Championship in November 2005, three months later Cappotelli had to surrender the belt and take a leave of absence. He revealed that he had previously fought brain cancer and won but that it had returned. Cappotelli had this second brain tumour successfully removed but the surgery meant that it was unsafe for him to return to the ring and fulfil his promise.
He signed a backstage role with OVW but, unfortunately, his cancer persisted and he passed away at just 38 - having his wrestling career and his life sadly stolen from him by this horrifically tragic disease.