From WWE.com:
An Inspirational Champion
Feb. 9, 2006
The entire OVW roster surrounded the ring Wednesday night in Louisville, KY, as WWE Tough Enough III winner and OVW Champion Matt Cappotelli addressed the crowd in a truly touching moment.
The 26-year-old Cappotelli, who was on the verge of debuting on WWE television several times before being sidelined by a series of unfortunate events, was making his first OVW appearance since being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. During his speech, Cappotelli expressed his love for professional wrestling and said that he would like to lead by example. He then did exactly that when he surrendered his title over to OVW official Danny Davis. According to the emotional Cappotelli, he fully accepts the responsibility of being a champion and his current situation unfortunately prohibits him from being champion right now.
Being a man of faith, Cappotelli believes that being diagnosed with a brain tumor happened for a reason. During his emotional speech, the Tough Enough III winner said that his faith will never waiver. In fact, he hopes to be an inspirational example to others going through similar situations.
The touching moment continued as many members of the OVW roster offered words of support as the crowd chanted “We love you, Matt.”
Afterwards, OVW official Paul Heyman was visibly moved by Cappotelli’s heartfelt speech, saying “It was surreal. It was amazing. It was divine.”
WWE.com will have video footage of Cappotelli’s speech later today.
