Every WWE Tough Enough Winner: Where Are They Now?

Then: You'll remember Matt Cappotelli as the bushy-tailed young hopeful that Hardcore Holly kicked the crap out of during Tough Enough's third season. It was a disgraceful display of bullying from Bob, one he later defended whenever he was asked about why he'd been so heavy handed.

Truthfully, there was no defending it. Cappotelli didn't deserve to be roughed up that way whether he 'needed to earn his stripes and respect the business' or not. Wrestling obviously isn't easy, but stalwarts outright beating up rookies wasn't a great look for WWE's reality show or the industry as a whole.

Regardless, Matt was a co-winner alongside John Hennigan and bagged himself a contract with the biggest promotion in the world. Then, whilst working in the developmental system, tragedy struck.

Now: Cappotelli died from brain cancer in 2018. He was only 38 years old. Previously, Matt had undergone successful surgery to have another tumour removed in 2006, then was released from his WWE deal in 2009. Fair play to the organisation for sticking by him for as long as they did - Cappotelli's last match was in October 2005, but the entire wrestling community felt compassion and sympathy for his life-threatening plight.

It'd eventually claim his life.

There was a heaviness to his announcement that he planned to stop medical treatment for his recurring cancer in 2017. Then, as aforementioned, Matt passed away the following year. WWE history will always remember him for Tough Enough, the Holly incident, and for his OVW Title win in developmental.