Titus O'Neil

At 46 years old, Titus O'Neil has this physical status:

Thaddeus Michael Bullard Sr. (born April 29, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and former American football player.

Titus O'Neil is the ring name that he has used on WWE, where he appears on the Raw brand.

Bullard played college football for the University of Florida and later competed in the Arena Football League (AFL).

He began wrestling professionally in the second season of NXT and later competed in the show's fifth season, NXT Redemption.

He is also a former WWE Tag Team Champion, as part of The Prime Time Players, with Darren Young and a one-time WWE 24/7 Champion, becoming the first holder of the former title.

Early life

Bullard was born in Boynton Beach, Florida, to Daria Bullard, when she was 11 years old. At ten years old, her mother's boyfriend molested and assaulted his mother, and as a result, Bullard became pregnant. He grew up in Live Oak, Florida, where he attended Suwannee High School. He was a standout performer for the Suwannee Bulldogs high school football team, and USA Today and Parade magazine named him as a high school All-American as a senior in 1995.

Personal life

Bullard was married and had two sons named Thaddeus Jr. ("TJ") and Titus. He lives in Tampa, Florida, and is a devout Christian. He received the MEGA Dad Award for 2015 for "Celebrity Dad of the Year" (the year's longest-serving father). He is a good friend of Dave Bautista, who defended Bullard during his WWE suspension in early 2016.

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Football career

Bullard earned an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, and competed for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team from 1997 to 2000. He redshirted during the 1996 national championship season for the Gators. The Bullard lettered the next four seasons, appearing in 44 regular season games with three of them starting with three. He was elected student body vice president in April 2000 and graduated in August 2000. He was born as a brother of Omega Psi Phi while an undergraduate. Bullard competed in the Arena Football League from 2003 to 2007, with the Utah Blaze, Tampa Bay Storm, Las Vegas Gladiators, and Carolina Cobras.

Professional wrestling career

Bullard signed a developmental contract with WWE in mid-2009 and began training with them, Florida Championship Wrestling, which was part of the company's growth territory. Titus O'Neil took the team of Skip Sheffield to face Team Viance Archer and Alex Riley in a tag team match on Bright House Sports Network on January 16, 2010. After losing Xavier Woods and Mason Ryan in a match for the vacant championship on December 3, O'Neil teamed with Damien Sandow to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship. On March 25, 2011, the pair lost the championship to Seth Rollins and Richie Steamboat.

In the second season of WWE NXT, O'Neil had a mentor named Zack Ryder. He debuted on June 8, while assisting Ryder in losing to John Morrison and Eli Cottonwood. During and after the contest, the two fighters argued. The two men improved the following week. O'Neil, the first person to be barred from the second season of NXT, gave a farewell address before leaving the arena two weeks later. On August 31, O'Neil returned for the season finale, joining the other unbeaten rookies in attacking Kaval, the winner.

In March 2011, O'Neil was selected one of the six former NXT contestants to return to the show in its fifth season, NXT Redemption, being mentored by Hornswoggle. O'Neil defeated Lucky Cannon in the main event of the season premiere. Chavo Guerrero, Darren Young's old nemesis, and the two friends also feuded with his protege, Hornswoggle. Lucky Cannon's death on the May 14, 2011 episode of NXT Redemption, O'Neil and O'Neil lead the fans in a tribute to the recently retired Edge. On the June 21 episode of NXT Redemption, O'Neil's pro from season two, Zack Ryder, returned for one night only to face and defeat O'Neil. In a triple threat elimination match that saw him lose to Bateman, he faced Darren Young and Derrick Bateman in an episode of NXT on July 12, 2011. After Young was pinned by O'Neil, O'Neil teamed up with NXT host Matt Striker in a winning battle against Darren Young and Derrick Bateman.

On the September 8 episode of WWE Superstars, O'Neil teamed with Percy Watson in a losing battle against Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks. O'Neil and Watson defeated Derrick Bateman and Tyson Kidd, as well as Bateman and JTG, but lost to Darren Young and JTG.

A returning Darren Young assaulted O'Neil on the November 16, 2011 episode of NXT, killing him. In tag team matches, the youngster was then able to defuse O'Neil twice. On the 18th episode of NXT, the end to O'Neil's feud with Young came as O'Neil defeated Young. After the match, O'Neil turned heel, blaming the audience, his ex pro Hornswoggle, and NXT's own.

On the January 25, 2012, episode of NXT, O'Neil later begged his friend Percy Watson to take his revenge on the fans. Watson refused, O'Neil shoved him and a match between the two teams was scheduled, culminating in O'Neil defeating Watson. After the match, O'Neil continued to harass Watson, resulting in Alex Riley saving Watson. On the 29 episodes of NXT, O'Neil formed an alliance with former enemy Darren Young, and the two teams joined up to defeat Watson and Riley. On the February 22 episode of NXT, O'Neil also met and defeated Riley. O'Neil met Watson on March 7 in NXT's third episode, resulting in a loss for O'Neil. O'Neil and Young then turned to rivalry with the Usos.

On the 18th episode of NXT, it was revealed that O'Neil and Darren Young had been promoted to the main roster. With a victory over The Usos on April 20, the team made their debut on SmackDown's episode. They started winning streaks before losing on May 18 by WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth on May 18.

After A.W., O'Neil and Young became the top contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship at No Way Out pay-per-view. Primo & Epico, a self-employed designer, was focusing on his clients. O'Neil and Young unsuccessfully challenged Kofi Kingston and R-Truth for the WWE Tag Team Championship on July 16 on Raw. They defeated Primo & Epico in a top contenders match by disqualification on August 10 of SmackDown.W. Kingston and R-Truth, who were on commentary, were compelled to participate in the game, sparking Kingston and R-truth to interfere in the match. A.W. was born on the same day that A.W. was born. He was let go of his work. Despite losing A.W., the Prime Time Players had a championship shot at SummerSlam, but were defeated by Kingston and R-truth once more. The Prime Time Players defeated Primo and Epico and The Usos in a triple threat tag team match on September 7 for their second shot at the title. The Prime Time Players lost their championship shot to Kane and Daniel Bryan on Raw three days later. O'Neil competed in a 10-man elimination tag team competition at Survivor Series, but Tyson Kidd was disqualified.

O'Neil appeared in the Royal Rumble match at number 7 but Sheamus was disqualified by Sheamus. On the 18th episode of Raw, O'Neil played Rufus "Pancake" Patterson, his "uncle" who was accompanying Darren Young, who was defeated by Young.

The Prime Time Players defeated The Real Americans (Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger), a week after O'Neil's tag-team partner Darren Young's (legitimate) debut out, which attracted mainstream media attention. On the Night of Champions pre-show, O'Neil and Young survived a tag team fight for the first time in history, but Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns lost in the pay-per-view. The pair were among the few people who prevented Daniel Bryan from being injured by Randy Orton, extending their face turn. The Prime Time Players will be compelled into a 3 on 1 handicap gauntlet match against The Shield, which is the same as Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, and Rob Van Dam.

Curtis Axel pins Young during a tag-team match on January 31, 2014 episode of SmackDown. O'Neil had a narcotic compulsion to Young to heel and disbanded the Prime Time Players after the match. Young was defeated by O'Neil in the Elimination Chamber.

On the February 26 episode of Main Event, O'Neil defeated Young in a rematch. Following this loss, O'Neil began a losing streak that rivals Big Show, Sheamus, and Dolph Ziggler. O'Neil starred on Superstars from mid-April to mid-June, where he suffered many setbacks to Kofi Kingston and Big E. He was also unsuccessful in winning four battle royals: the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in May, a money in the Bank qualifying battle royal in June, and a brawl at Battleground for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at Battleground.

Heath Slater, later identified as Slater-Gator, joined O'Neil in July. They competed on Main Event and Superstars in July and August. Despite victories over Zack Ryder, Sin Cara, Gold, and Stardust, the players suffered losses to El Torito and Hornswoggle, as Kofi Kingston and Big E and Kofi Kingston were both lost. Slater-Gator suffered in multiple matches against Adam Rose in September and the Rose and The Bunny team. O'Neil entered the Royal Rumble after being defeated by Dean Ambrose and eventual winner Roman Reigns in 4 seconds.

On the February 16 episode of Raw, O'Neil saved his former tag team partner Darren Young from an attack by The Ascension, disbanding Slater-Gator. Slater announced on social media that he would'focus on himself' in response to the breakup. On the episode of Raw, The Prime Time Players had reunited to face The Ascension, with Young taking the lead. At WrestleMania 31, O'Neil competed in the 2nd Annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal before being defeated by Ryback. The Prime Time Players took part in the first-ever tag team Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but they were the last team to be disqualified by the winners and defending champions The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods) at Elimination Chamber. O'Neil and Young won the Tag Team Championship, their first titles in WWE, at Money in the Bank. They defeated The New Day in a rematch at Battleground, which was later defeated in a match at Battleground. The WWE Tag Team Championships returned to SummerSlam in a thrilling four-way match, as well as involving the Lucha Dragons and Los Matadores. For the September 14 episode of Raw, O'Neil and Young would use their champion rematch policy, which they lost against New Day.

On the November 9 episode of Raw, O'Neil will face Kevin Owens in the first round to crown the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion. O'Neil appeared on the Survivor Series kick-off show, teaming up with The Dudley Boyz, Neville, and Goldust to defeat Stardust, The Miz, and Bo Dallas. On the episode of Raw, O'Neil's "playful, physical" altercation with Vince McMahon occurred as the show was off the air while the two were on stage during Daniel Bryan's retirement celebration. O'Neil was suspended for unprofessional conduct relating to the incident the day after, with the suspension likely lasting up to 90 days. Later, it was announced that he would be banned for 60 days.

O'Neil returned from suspension, competing in a tournament royal, to determine the top contender to the WWE World Championship on May 2nd. O'Neil and United States Champion Rusev clashed on May 26 on SmackDown's May 26 episode. This brought together a match between O'Neil and Rusev for the United States Championship at Money in the Bank, which he lost. Rusev taunted and insulted O'Neil's children after the match. On Raw, a rematch was called, but O'Neil assaulted Rusev before the match began. On the July 4 episode of Raw, O'Neil lost in another title match to Rusev, effectively ending the feud.

O'Neil was drafted to Raw on July 19 in the 2016 WWE draft. On the O'Neil's August 1 episode, he turned down his former tag team partner Darren Young on his motivations for being "great again." He stunned Young later that night by grabbing Young's tights. O'Neil got into a backstage brawl with Young's boss Bob Backlund, resulting in Young coming to Backlund's defense by attacking O'Neil. Young pinning O'Neil's tights while mimicking the way O'Neil beat him this week. O'Neil and Young, who were reunited on the episode of Raw, were placed in a match against the Shining Stars on August 15. O'Neil launched a Clash of the Titus during the match, cementing O'Neil's heel turn. He started losing streaks from September 2016, when not debuting "The Titus Brand" a new gimmick. On the upcoming Survivor Series pay-per-view against Team SmackDown, O'Neil competed in a contest royal to determine who would join Team Raw against Team SmackDown on October 31. Sami Zayn was disqualified by Sami Zayn.

After being drafted to Raw and recruited him on the brand, Apollo Crews caught O'Neil's new "Titus Brand" in April 2017. He later recruited cruiserweight Akira Tozawa to his business, which he renamed to "Titus Worldwide" and turned him into the process. After Dana Brooke defeated Asuka in a match on November 27, 2017, which she lost, O'Neil recruited Brooke to join the brand. Brooke made her first official appearance with the team on January 1, 2018, along with O'Neil, in a match against Bray Wyatt, in which he was defeated, but Tozawa had left the team at this time. The O'Neil and Crews won by Cesaro and Sheamus on January 8, 2018. Raw, Crews and O'Neil's January 29 episode was a contest between Cesaro and Sheamus for their Tag Team Championships, in which they were unsuccessful at capturing the titles. In a losing attempt, they were competing in another match for the Raw Tag Team Championships on February 25 in Elimination Chamber. Cesaro and Sheamus defeated Titus Worldwide in a 2 out of 3 falls match on Raw, defeating 2-0 to end the feud. Later that week, O'Neil appeared in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at the WrestleMania 34 kickoff show, but he was disqualified in both matches. He was also in the 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble contest, in which Braun Strowman was evicted by Braun Strowman. He infamously tripped and slid underneath the ring while trying to qualify for this competition, sparking a slew of internet memes and reactions from fellow celebrities. A few days later, O'Neil would attempt to make amends for the mistake, but he slipped and fell from the apron as he entered the ring. Dana Brooke left Titus Worldwide after a mid-match coaching fiasco, leaving Brooke and Ember Moon to miss to Bayley and Sasha Banks on September 3 episodes. On the October 15 episode of Raw, Crews, without O'Neil, the neil competitor, thus disbanding Titus Worldwide. O'Neil returned to singles action after losing to Mojo Rawley on the November 2 episode of Main Event.

He began at No. 1 in the 2019 men's Royal Rumble tournament. Curt Hawkins had just five seconds before being defeated by the 11th minute. At WrestleMania 35, O'Neil later competed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, defeating Heath Slater but being eliminated by Mustafa Ali moments later. O'Neil became the inaugural holder of the 24/7 Championship on Raw's May 20 episode. However, his reign came to an end less than a minute after Robert Roode pinned him down.

On the May 4, 2020 episode of Raw, O'Neil competed in the Last Chance Gauntlet match at Money in the Bank; he opened the competition against Bobby Lashley, who eventually disqualified him. O'Neil tried to join The Hurt Company on October 19, only to be refused and assaulted. He challenged Lashley, a member of The Hurt Business, for the United States Championship three weeks later; O'Neil lost in less than a minute. On April 6, 2021, O'Neil co-hosted WrestleMania 37 alongside Hulk Hogan, and the Warrior Award was presented to him on April 6, 2021.

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