"WWE Tough Enough 3" winner Matt Cappotelli says he's undergoing emergency brain surgery on Thursday after doctors found a "very large tumor" in his brain.
Cappotelli was diagnosed with a tumor in 2005 -- just a couple years after winning a WWE contract in the reality TV competition. His big break was coming ... but surgery forced him into retirement at age 28.
Everything seemed to be going well ... until the tumor returned.
"Waiting to be taken for my MRI and get prepared for my second brain surgery tomorrow," Cappotelli said in a statement Wednesday on his wife's Facebook page.