In the summer of 2015, I had the honor of interviewing award-winning WWE Superstar and Global Ambassador Titus O’Neil.
He and I had an amazing conversation; the chiseled 6’6”, 270LB University of Florida football champion turned professional wrestler gave me a gold brick about his marketability, but the recorded file experienced an error that made it unusable. I thought the interview was lost forever.
Thanks to advancements in technology, I finally recovered the interview with O’Neil and proudly present it to you right now! Please enjoy THE LOST INTERVIEW!
Titus, you’re one of the WWE Superstars who really throws their weight around in the ring. You’re also strong on the microphone too, and often really funny. Why do you joke so much for such an imposing individual?
I like to have fun! And there’s lots of guys out there that are big, but when they open their mouth you’d be like, “Yo, close your mouth”.
The WWE audience, who you all refer to as the WWE Universe, is pretty vocal too. They’re even hard on you guys in your own hometowns sometimes.
There’s no home team with WWE. Everyone’s entitled to cheer for whomever they want to cheer for.
There’s been episodes of RAW and SMACKDOWN emanating from different cities in Florida, your home state, and they weren’t showing any love! Doesn’t that bother you?
I can’t go out there thinking, “Oh, I’m in Tampa; this is where I live,” and people are going to love me. I might go out there and they’ll boo me out the building – and I’m the good guy!
Audiences are so unpredictable. Does that help make what you do exciting?
Absolutely! You don’t know what you’re going to get with the WWE which makes it very, very exciting.
You attended the University of Florida where you became a NCAA football champion with the Gators, you’re a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and you played in the Area Football League. Did your involvement in each of those help prepare you for your career in the WWE?
I’ve been exposed to a lot of situations to prepare me for the WWE. I’m very marketable. I’m a college educated guy, I dress well, and I represent the company well. All those things together are a great mix. And I work hard in the gym so I’m not bad for people to look at with some underwear, boots, and baby oil on.
The people who become majorly successful in your profession seem to be the men and women who really sell their character – who they play on television and the person they really are. And they do it in and out the ring. So, Titus, what does the term “marketability” mean to you?
Marketability to me is people understanding who they are. That’s going to come off more genuine than someone trying to play someone else.
Who is someone you admire that’s a good example of this?
Muhamad Ali. He was an entertainer but also a humanitarian. I might play a bad guy on TV but I stay involved in community missions. Whether I’m playing a good guy or bad guy, a person who helps others will always be who I am. | By Mr. Joe Walker
