WWE Global Ambassador and RAW Star Titus O'Neil recently spoke with Beckles & Recher on his future as an in-ring competitor for the WWE and how even though he hasn't wrestled for quite some time he isn't retired yet and that he is still very much with the company, but he had a procedure done on his knee, so he has been undergoing rehab.
Titus O’Neil said:
“I’m not retired.” “Not even close. Well, I mean, I haven’t wrestled in a minute. I had a procedure done on my knee so I’ve been rehabbing. But a lot of people don’t know that, so they just assumed that I’ve been retired but I’m a global ambassador for the company. I’m in Saudi Arabia and everywhere else so it should show somebody that I’m still with the company.”
Titus O'Neil also spoke about how he was close in quitting football altogether, but he was approached by Mr. Ferraro, the owner of the Las Vegas Gladiators and he ended up playing arena football for 6 or 7 years.
Titus O’Neil said:
“I went to Jacksonville after the UF and I tore my ACL here in training camp.” “I actually was going to be done with football altogether. I was like, ‘hey, I’m gonna go coach.’ I had a few opportunities to go coach and then I was on a plane, going to Las Vegas, and I met Mr. Ferraro, who was the owner of the Las Vegas Gladiators. And he was like ‘hey, do you play football?’ And I was like ‘no, I did. I just came off of rehabbing my knee.’”
“And he was like ‘we have a football team out here. You ever heard or have any interest in arena football?’ I was like ‘I don’t really know much about it.’ He was like ‘meet me down at such and such and we’ll have lunch.’ I met with the coach, and next thing you know, I’m signing with Las Vegas. And then I ended up playing that for arena football for six or seven years. Two years in Vegas, two years in Utah, two years in Tampa.”
Titus O'Neil then talked about the time he accidentally slipped at WWE Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia and how his pride was shot for a number of seconds, but then he realized that he needed to get up and do what he needed to do and a day after the slip happened, he realized that he's about to make a lot of money and he did, so that was the greatest, most lucrative fall he ever had in his life.
Titus O’Neil said:
“It was very slippery because it was very humid.” “I mean, we were in Saudi Arabia. It’s 105° at nighttime. When Kurt Angle came back into gorilla, he said ‘hey guys, be careful on the ramp. It’s slippery, it’s slick.’ And he actually tore his groin that night. And a couple of other guys tweaked some stuff too. But yeah, running full speed and I slip and fell, and thank God there was no metal bar in the ring. Nothing at all.”
“My pride was shot for about thrifty seconds. Then I realized I needed to get up and do what I needed to do. And then probably a day after it happened, I realized I’m about to make a lot of money. And I did. I had t-shirt sales, another action, so my house is paid off now. It’s the greatest, most lucrative fall I ever had in my life.”
You can check out Titus O'Neil's full comments at this link. H/T to Wrestling Inc. for transcribing the above quotes.
