Jim Ross On Bob Holly’s Role On Tough Enough, Incident With Matt Cappotelli, Bullying In Wrestling

In a recent edition of Grilling JR, Jim Ross discussed Bob Holly’s role on Tough Enough, his incident with the late Matt Cappotelli, and much more. You can read his comments below.

Jim Ross on Bob Holly’s role on Tough Enough in 2003 and his incident with Matt Cappotelli: “He was a TV character. That’s why he got the assignment. It wasn’t good. I don’t know if it went all the way to an HR issue, but it would now. Today, it wouldn’t pass the mustard at all. It wasn’t good. I’m a big believer that sometimes karma is a bitch. Of course, in Matt Capotelli’s story, poor Matt battled cancer seemingly forever. What a sweetheart of a kid, and he was very popular. People knew that he was fighting an enemy that many of us had never even thought of in cancer. So, it wasn’t good, and Bob got carried away. He went over the line on some of this stuff. But Vince wanted a character in the show, somebody that would stir it up and a lightning rod. With that, here comes Bob Holly, and it worked in that respect.”

On bullying in wrestling and Holly nearly getting fired: “It was an unnecessary situation. It got Bob the wrong kind of heat with a lot of people. The bully thing was not selling well. It should never sell well. There’s no place for it. There’s no time in history for it. It’s never OK. People shouldn’t teach their kids to be bullies. But Bob was a bully on those occasions, but I don’t if that was 100 percent Bob’s call. I think John Gaburick was producing those shows, and he got orders from headquarters from Kevin Dunn, who got them from Vince. He carried out his orders. I’m not saying it makes it right. I’m saying this is how it was. That’s kind of how I see that. Bob got out of step there, and he’s lucky he didn’t get fired.”

On whether the Tough Enough incident drove Holly out of wrestling: “I don’t think Bob beating up Matt took Bob out of the wrestling business. It was not a highlight on his career, obviously, but I don’t think it was the bullet to the head. Maybe it should’ve been, I don’t know. If it happened today, we know what the result would be. He would be future endeavored.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit Grilling JR with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.