Ohio Wrestling TV Taping for 08/02/06
By Mike Vicars and Will Turpin
There was news on the radio that Matt Cappotelli would be making an appearance tonight and there was a huge crowd at the Davis Arena. We have the drawing for the Wick’s Party Zone and are set for action.
The Eurkeans made their debut in a dark match, but we could not hear the opponent’s names. It was a good match that featured a moonsault by one of the Eurkeans and they picked up the win. After the match the Boogieman came out and stood by the ring taunting the two tag teams. He would then enter the ring and quickly take out all four guys in what was an entertaining segment.
We go to the tron with an interview by The Shooter Brent Albright grasping a leather strap saying his grandfather had one rule and that is do not embarrass the family. He went on to say that he was #1in every level of competition that had ever participated in and that is why he is the best. He said that even though he had beaten CM Punk every time they had fought he would always end up getting punked in the end by Punk. He said that last week the Shooter had punked CM Punk and that they were even and should go their separate ways but if their paths should ever cross again not only will CM get punked, he will also get the strap.
Just before the TV taping starts Dean Hill announces that Matt Cappotelli is in the house and will be coming out later in the show.
Out come Chett the Jett accompanied by Seth Skyfire. His opponent was The Miz accompanied by Chris Cage. Chett slightly overpowers the Miz during this match that would later turn into a fight between all four men. The ref stopped the match and it was a double disqualification. All four men continued to fight and other referees had to come out to break it up. The entire arena was shouting “let them fight”. Briscoe gets on the mic and says that if these guys wanted to fight they could and it would be for the OVW tag team titles. They had a decent match and Cage would hit Chett in the head with one of the belts while the ref had his back turned. The Miz would get the pin on Chett and we have new tag champs.
We go back to the monitor and see Maria interviewing CM Punk in the back. Punk cuts a promo on the Spirit Squad saying that they are a bad looking version of the Nitro Girls. He said that if he had to take on 5 football players, 5 lawyers, or even 5 Samoans he might be worried, but 5 cheerleaders don’t worry him. He said that when The Shooter had him unconscious all Shooter could think to do was steal Punk’s line. Punk says he has Shooter right where he wants him and even when CM Punk gets punked by Shooter its still the Shooter getting punked in the end.
Tank and Chad also known as the Dicks head to the ring to face Elijah Burke. The match was fast paced and Elijah would get attacked by Chad every time he got the chance. Elijah would get the win and got lots of support from the crowd. There were several signs in the crowd tonight that would lead me to believe Burke may be heading to the DSW. A few of the fans said they had heard that rumor going around.
Our main event is a ten man tag team match where the Riggs Brothers, Johnny and Jason, their partners Mikey Batts, Danny Inferno, and someone with the last name Simpson would face the Spirit Squad. The Spirit Squad had lots of air horns and mega phones as they entered the ring. Jeter and Doane really carry the match well for the Spirit Squad as they pick up the win when Jeter pinned Johnny Riggs. After the Match the Spirit Squad would prepare to do a cheer. CM Punk sneaks into the arena and goes into the ring from behind and attacks the squad. While his back is turned Albright comes in and attacks Punk. He would then beat and choke Punk with the leather strap. Shooter then gets on the mic and says he would shake Punk’s hand but it would not be worth the effort. Shooter then blew a snot rocket on punk and left the ring. Punk is left knocked out in the ring and would take a few minutes to get up as he sold the whipping hard on his way to the back.
In my twenty plus years being a wrestling fan I have experienced a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, twists and turns, but nothing I have ever seen or experienced in this business prepared me for the heartfelt yet gut wrenching tribute to and interview by Matt Cappotelli. What we witnessed in the Danny Davis arena tonight was nothing short of awe-inspiring, and I will be hard pressed to convey its significance in print. It had been announced by Dean Hill earlier in the show that Cappotelli was present tonight and would be making a statement. We all knew that this was going to be highly emotional, but by the time the lights came back on and we were ushered out the door there was barely a dry eye in the building, and there were no small amount of people there.
After the main event, the whole arena grew quiet and had a somber feel to it as the entire OVW roster proceeded to surround the ring signifying the importance of what we were about to witness. Danny Davis then entered the ring to a thunderous ovation of “we want Matt” and “capp-o-telli” chants. Danny then said that he would like to introduce the current OVW champion, and as Cappotelli appeared thru the curtain the pop was deafening. The Road Warriors themselves would have been proud of a pop like this. Davis and Cappotelli shared a heartfelt embrace before Davis handed over the mike.
Before Matt could get out his first word he was cut off by such an emotional string of “we love you Matt” and “thank you Matt” cheers that he was so overcome with emotion that it took him a good 5 minutes before he could compose himself enough to say what he needed to say. He started off with business, saying that he felt that he was not currently capable of living up to his duties as OVW heavyweight champion, and that he was going to relinquish the belt. As I looked around and saw the sheer number of bawling and sobbing females in the audience there was no doubt in my mind that Matt Cappotelli was/is without a doubt the most beloved heavyweight champion in OVW history.
Next Danny Davis said that he felt that Cappotelli needed to explain his current situation to the audience. Again Matt was so overcome with emotion that it took another few moments to compose himself. Matt explained that how several weeks ago he had been knocked out by Chris Cage and as a result gone to the hospital. It was this event that may have saved his life as one of the tests run on him that night revealed a large tumor in his head. For obvious reasons he was forced to step out of the ring until the severity of his condition could be determined. Only as recently as yesterday did he finally get some answers.
While the news wasn’t as bad as it could have been, it wasn’t as good as he had hoped either. On a scale of 1 to 5 he said it was a 2. The worst part being that the tumor is the kind that can potentially spread to other parts of his body. He said his faith in the lord, a positive attitude, and support from the fans is what has gotten him thru this trying time. He went on to request that the crowd join him in a short prayer. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop as the crowd, sobered by the gravity of the situation, bowed there heads in prayer. After that Matt went on to say that he hoped that if nothing else came out of this that his story would inspire others to continue to fight whatever struggles or obstacles had arisen in their lives. No matter who you are you have struggles and fights he said and I hope my story can help you continue to keep fighting.
As hard as it would seem to top this highly intense moment, Johnny Jeter did just that when he broke kayfabe and gave Cappotelli a long heartfelt embrace. You could actually feel the brotherly love and friendship that these two exceptional young men shared between them. The moment only got heavier as one by one Al Snow, Robby Dawber, Danny Inferno, Maria and the entire group of OVW wrestles entered the ring and spoke words of support and comfort to Matt. Finally Matt was hoisted up on their shoulders again to deafening chants of “we love you Matt” and “come back soon”. Dean Hill allowed as how Matt Cappotelli would always be part of our OVW family.
As Will and I left the arena some 15 minutes later the swarm of adoring fans surrounding Matt Cappotelli was so thick that we couldn’t even get close to him. All in all the segment probably lasted a good 25 minutes.
Many times we have expressed our shame and displeasure at the current state of the business in an era of distasteful angles, bad gimmicks, poor booking, and unwatchable television. I can honestly say that tonight I have never been more proud to be a wrestling fan. I was truly proud to be a member of the live audience that got to witness the special event, and I think that every man woman and child in attendance tonight would agree with me. I think I can safely say that moments like these are what we as wrestling fans live for and love about this business. Although the reason for this touching moment was an extremely sad one, the support, love, and respect that I saw tonight gave us reason to leave with high spirits. Make no mistake Matt Cappotelli has a long hard road ahead of him, but I have to believe that his character, faith, and perseverance will get him thru, helped in no small part by the support of his friends and family. Matt Cappotelli is an admirable human being, and I have to believe that he has the will and the spirit to overcome this enormous obstacle. We will see Matt Cappotelli wrestle again, I’m sure of it.