Titus O'Neil Discusses Possible WWE Reunion With Fred Rosser, Infamous Greatest Royal Rumble Moment, & More! - Exclusive
Titus O'Neil simply does not stop. While not an active competitor in the ring these days, O'Neil has carved out a place for himself in WWE as their official Global Ambassador, and the big man has taken his love of philanthropy and public service to new heights as he routinely finds ways for WWE to engage the various communities they visit. His passion for outreach has even earned him a place in the coveted WWE Hall of Fame, where he was the recipient of the Warrior Award in 2020. The next year, he was also honored as a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Hall of Fame.
WWE's trip to San Antonio for the Royal Rumble once again saw O'Neil step up to the plate, as he participated in a Special Olympics training session the day before the big premium live event. During the session, O'Neil took some time to speak with Wrestling Inc. Senior News Editor Nick Hausman about his connection to the WWE Royal Rumble, a possible Prime Time Players reunion, and more!
An Infectious Personality
Nick Hausman: You are a beacon of just such happiness and hope for so many people. And here you are today, working with these great athletes. When you come to an event like this, what stands out for you? What do you enjoy the most?
Titus O'Neil: I just enjoy the joy that's on everyone's faces, and especially when they announce who's coming and this and that, and they actually are huge fans, especially everyone in the Special Olympics are huge fans of WWE. It puts a huge smile on our face. Their energy is infectious. Their smiles are infectious, and so that's what I look forward to the most, is just being able to feel their energy.
Well, Hall of Famer, I mean, it doesn't get any bigger than that, but WWE Royal Rumble winner would also sound pretty good, Titus. You're a big guy. Any chance we're going to see you in there, trying to break Kane's record, tossing people over the top rope this weekend?
Man, it's the Royal Rumble, so it's always full of surprises. You never know what's going to happen, and we'll just have to wait until the Royal Rumble to see.
The Greatest Royal Rumble Moment
You are synonymous with Rumbles-
Yeah.
... a little bit.
Little bit, yeah. I mean, I had the greatest Royal Rumble moment...
... ever.
... ever.
Yeah.
And I don't know if I want to preserve that and not risk doing that, not being able to not do that again.
Sure.
But at the same token, it's a great weekend. It's one of our signature premium live events, and it's going to be a really, really good show.
What's your advice to a wrestler if their entrance doesn't go right, because you had to deal with that on the fly ... What's your advice if something similar happens to a wrestler in that situation?
Just keep going. I don't know if you can keep going the way that I did in my situation, but sometimes technical things happen, whatever it may be, but it's just like life. Something happens bad to you or a bad situation coming, you just keep going, and that's me slipping underneath the ring. I could very easily have been dead and gone and not been here having this interview with you. I'm healthy. Nothing happened. My kids are happy and I'm blessed, and I'm blessed to be able to do things like this with the Special Olympics today. I'm blessed to be able to do so many things globally, not only through WWE, but also through my Family Foundation. And I tell everybody, "You're going to have falls. You're going to have things that don't go your way. Just play through it. Just keep going through it, walking through it and eventually you'll see the light at the end of the tunnel of why it's important to just keep going."
A Potential Prime Time Players Reunion
You've done so many things, and you've embraced that role of community ambassador, you've embraced that role of host, but I don't see you wrestle enough, Titus. What does your in-ring future look like in WWE?
Again, we'll see. It's Royal Rumble weekend, so we'll see.
Last question I want to bring up. I got to ask you about Fred Rosser, man. I mean, this guy continues to grow and reinvent himself over in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. I'm sure you're proud. Would you like to reunite with Fred in WWE, now that he's gone out and carved his own path and fleshed himself out a little bit more?
I've said time and time again, I'd love to do any and everything with Darren. He's like a brother with me, Fred Rosser. Many of us know him as Fred. Darren Young here in WWE, but Fred Rosser, he is a very good friend to me. He is like a brother to me, and I'd love to, hopefully at one point, reunite the Primetime Players, even if it's only for a small stint, just because I'm extremely proud of what he's gone on and been able to accomplish on his own. Much like he's very, very proud of everything I've been able to accomplish, both inside and outside of the ring. So, great human being, going out there pushing it. Fred, keep doing your thing, and hopefully Darren will come back.