Gary Michael Cappetta (born December 12, 1952) is an American
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
ring announcer
A ring announcer is an in-ring (and sometimes on-camera) employee or contractor for a boxing, professional wrestling or mixed martial arts event or promotion, who introduces the competitors to the audience.
In boxing and mixed martial arts bouts, ...
, author, voice over artist, screenwriter, stage performer, and teacher. For years, he was dubbed "The World's Most Dangerous Announcer" by longtime friend and colleague
Jim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author and podcaster who has previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, promoter, trainer, and occasional prof ...
. Having spent more than 20 years in the middle of the pro wrestling ring, he then wrote and self-published ''Bodyslams: Memoirs of a Wrestling Pitchman''. The autobiography was later re-released by ''ECW Press'' in 2006, this time adding chapters that covered 10 additional years of his wrestling experience. Cappetta was the ring announcer on
World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
broadcasts from 1974 to 1985, followed by stints with the
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part o ...
(AWA), the
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc.
Founded in 1948, the NWA ...
(NWA) and
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
shows. He was released from WCW in May 1995 due to budget cuts. Later on, he worked backstage for
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
, doing backstage interviews for their DVD releases. He also was the ring announcer for the 2004 wrestling game Showdown: Legends of Wrestling. On the February 26, 2020 episode of ''
AEW Dynamite AEW or aew may refer to:
* Airborne early warning, airborne radar system for detecting aircraft
* Aerosvit Airlines, an airline based in Kyiv, Ukraine (ICAO airline designator: AEW)
* AEW Capital Management, a property investment management company
...
'', Cappetta presided over the
AEW Revolution
AEW Revolution is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The event was established by the promotion in 2020 and is held annually in late February–early March. The 2021 event was AEW's first PPV ...
main event weigh-in as the Master of Ceremonies between
AEW World Champion
The AEW World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Unveiled on May 25, 2019, it is the promotion's top championship for male singles competitors, an ...
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...
and
Jon Moxley
Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley. He also makes appearances for New Japan Pro-Wr ...
.
Cappetta grew up in
Kearny, New Jersey
Kearny ( ) is a town in the western part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Newark. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 40,684,Kearny High School and spent his summers in
Seaside Park, New Jersey
Seaside Park is a borough in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,436, a decrease of 143 (−9.1%) from th ...
, before moving to Ocean County, New Jersey following his high school graduation.Cappetta, Gary Michael ''Bodyslams!: Memoirs of a Wrestling Pitchman'' p. xvii. ECW Press, 2006. . Accessed October 2, 2015. "As a child, my family lived every summer in the shore community of Seaside Park. The month I graduated from Kearny High School in Northern New Jersey, my family moved to Ocean County, where my father established a lucrative amusement business on the local boardwalk."
In addition to his announcing duties, Cappetta has produced and directed commercials to promote WCW special events and was the Spanish announce voice for World Championship Wrestling programming on KCAL in Los Angeles. Cappetta has written a
screenplay
''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993.
Background
After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...
about the sport of wrestling entitled ''Fall For The Dream''. Gary wrote, directed, and starred in "Bodyslams! & Beyond", a one-man stage show based on his autobiography, ''Bodyslams: Memoirs of a Wrestling Pitchman''. Cappetta taught Spanish at Donovan Catholic aka Monsignor Donovan aka St. Joseph's High School and Christian Brothers Academy in New Jersey intermittently for years, rising to chair The World Language Department before resigning.
Championships and accomplishments
*
NWA Mid South Wrestling Hall of Fame
NWA or Nwa most commonly refers to:
* N.W.A ("Niggaz Wit Attitudes"), a hip hop group from Compton, California, US
* National Wrestling Alliance, a professional wrestling organization
NWA or Nwa may refer to:
Music
* New Weird America, a subgen ...
**Class of 2017
*
New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame
The New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame and Fan Fest is an American professional wrestling hall of fame. It was established in January 2008 to honor select wrestling personalities who have made significant contributions to professional wrestli ...
**Class of 2019
Bibliography
* Ettkin, Brian (2004). "Get this: The Animal is a good guy." ''Albany Times Union''. May 8.
* Gramarrosa, Andrew (2001). "Wrestling pitchman pins insider's look at sport." ''South Bend Tribune''. July 15.
* Russo, Ric (2000). "Circling the Square." ''Orlando Sentinel''. October 13.