[OFFICIAL] Titus O'Neil / Zack Ryder Discussion Thread

[Ice Cold]

Not to be Negative Nancy but I couldn't care less about Ryder or O'Neil. A former Edgehead and a generic black guy don't exactly make me want to keep watching. The situation was worsened when "TITUS" couldn't even cut his promo and looked dumb-founded and froze trying to figure out what to say. I was only relieved when Mr. Perfects kid said something about it.

Zach Ryder is the equivalent of Rico if you ask me, and for God sake why does he have to wear the "Hardbody Harrison" pants/trunks? it's horrible.

 

[Oh Radio_ ZR]

He seems to be OK. but to be honest the only reason im paying attention to him is because he is pared with Zack Ryder

-WWWYKI -

 

[cm ben]

Yeah, I'm with Oh Radio_ZR. Without an entertaining pro to work off of, I don't think he'd go anywhere. I see him getting voted off early, not only because he seemed pretty mediocre in the ring and on the mic, but because Ryder's not exactly the most credible pro. Kind of the Carlito of season two, and we saw how well that worked for Tarver.

 

[billm75]

Titus, much like the rest of the season 2 rookies, is saddled with a horrible name. That, first and foremost, turns me off from getting behind these guys. I miss the 80's names: Hulk Hogan, ROWDY Roddy Piper, The Honky Tonk Man, The Ultimate Warrior, Andre the Giant. How did we degenerate from those larger than life names/descriptions into things like "Titus O'Neil". he doesn't look irish to me. Titus? TITUS? For chrissakes......

I'll give him a chance because I have to, but I'm betting he's gone in the first round of voting this season. Zack being his "pro" doesn't really help his cause either.

 

[KnowYoRole]

haha, this guy is so bad on the mic it's not even funny. oh wait, it is. I was rolling throughout the whole time he spoke because he was so awful, and also because of joe hennigs facial expressions. i hope he redeems himself next week.

 

[alexmedzorian]

When I saw the "sneak peak" for Titus O'Neil on the season finale of season 1 of NXT, I thought he could be good......... that is until I heard him talk. He has one of the most boring voices ever. Randy Orton has a robot voice, but he can deliver amazing promos. However, if he can wrestle, he could be an interesting asset to the WWE. He will not win NXT, Kaval or Alex Riley will. I know he has wrestled a match already, but I did not see that much of him in the match. Having Zack Ryder as a pro is awesome for Titus, as maybe some of that charisma from Ryder will rub off on Titus.

One can only hope

 

[Kayoh]

Just so you guys know, I sent this tweet...well, as you can see, one week ago.

@TitusNXT I think you should take the whole "Make it a win" thing and run with it. Ta-da, you have a new catch phrase. 12:21 AM Jun 9th via Echofon

So if he does that, you know whose idea it was. Make it a win makes zero sense, but then again neither do "Smell what the Rock is cookin" or "Woo woo woo you know it", but they're pretty damn popular catch phrases. I figure if Titus can play it off and make it look like the Make it a win fuckup was intentional, he can maybe show that he's not all that bad on the mic in the first place.

 

[Money Inc.]

This tandem isn't for me.

I mentioned this in the Miz/Riley forum that I think they should of gave Riley to Ryder. I don't think the Miz needs NXT to get any more over. I think the pairing of Ryder and Riley could of been brilliant.

I hope Titus proves me wrong, but I just don't see much for this tandem.

 

[D-Man]

Not only am I not keen on Zack Ryder, but so far, (in the words of J.R.) his rookie is all sizzle and no steak.

Basically, this guy's character confuses me from start to finish. He's a dominant presence, similar to that of an Ezekiel Jackson (a kick-ass, big, black mofo), but he's obviously lacking in the personality department. His ring skills are sub-par and now he seems to have formed a bromance with Ryder. So, in summation, here you have a wrestler with a great look but no personality, and who's a babyface that's been paired with a heel but is trying to get along with him. Can my head spin any further?!?

 

[Kayoh]

Jesus christ, that was an ugly botch on Titus' part. He ducked down twice and on the second one he went up right as Hennig was on top of him, terrible timing, terrible chemistry, whatever you want to call it, Titus proved now that he's horrible both in the ring and on the mic. And what sucks is he probably won't be the first to be eliminated, that'll probably be Husky Harris. But I can't imagine Titus leaving too long after then.

 

[The Doctor]

Time for Kayoh to eat his words. Titus was pretty decent on the mic. He seemed to be getting into it, and I love that he used his botched line and turned it into a catchphrase. He showed some good intensity and if he improves in the ring (because right now he's green as a meadow) he could be a pretty good main event player. He has a character, a great look, and it's actually really fun to watch large people squash small people, provided the large person has intensity or charisma. It worked for Goldberg.

 

[Scotty]

Jesus christ, that was an ugly botch on Titus' part. He ducked down twice and on the second one he went up right as Hennig was on top of him, terrible timing, terrible chemistry, whatever you want to call it, Titus proved now that he's horrible both in the ring and on the mic. And what sucks is he probably won't be the first to be eliminated, that'll probably be Husky Harris. But I can't imagine Titus leaving too long after then.

He isn't bad in the ring, just green. Not to mention the promo he cut for his closing argument showed that he isn't terrible on the mic. He showed some intensity and passion. When you add in that he seems to be willing to learn and take his pro's advice, he might just make farther then expected.

 

[KnowYoRole]

looks like i was wrong about oneil. granted he isn't the best in the ring among the rookies, he cut a pretty good promo at the end of tonights show. i feel he could go far in this competition. wouldn't pick him to win it though, but he's over with the crowd.

 

[Big Sexy]

All the people who shit on me last week for defending Titus can now eat there words. He's green in the ring but his ending promo showed a lot of passion and intensity, and instead of running from last weeks mistake he took it and now has a catchphrase. Definitely impressed with his mic work tonight.

 

[JGlass]

I'm with the more recent posters here. Titus O'Neil is one of my three favorites so far. He's got a terrific look, is very good on the mic, and I sense potential in the ring. As of right now, he's very green, but his size, intensity, and athleticism will soon be accompanied with wrestling smarts, and he'll wind up okay. I'm not saying he'll be an all time great in-ring, but he'll be good enough to get around.

Furthermore, Ryder has been GREAT in NXT for me. He's been charmingly heelish and funny to boot. His stock is rising in my book.

 

[kevMed]

O'neal looked twenty times better than last week and if it wasn't for joe henning he would be my favorite to win. He had so much passion and intensity it looked like an oldschool promo from the eighties. He has a great physique, decent in ring skills, and hes getting better on the mic. You cant bury some1 for hist first live promo. He's gonna be a star one day i promise you.

 

[Dave]

Make it a win!

Those immortal words, caused by a little too much excitement on the part of dear Titus may have set him up for one of the best angles in the NXT. He may not have meat to say it but it is certainly what people like myself remember him for at this early stage. I love the fact that he is adopting it though and that he is not embarrassed about it. He could have very easily decided that he wasn’t good at talking and could have gone into his shell. However, I am glad that he can laugh at himself and have a little bit of fun with his mistakes. He is definitely one of my favourites already and I can completely see him being very competitive in the rest of the season of NXT and beyond.

He has the look and, much like Barrett, he can pull off some pretty good stuff in the ring, regardless of what level he is at. He looked like a good talent in the ring last night and although he lost, he still did enough to make me think that he will still be around after next week. Inside of the ring, he is certainly not one of the best in NXT but he does look the part and as long as he continue to improve and be as entertaining as he was last night, I will back him all the way to the finals.

His gimmick needs a bit of work though. All I am getting from his is that he went to a good school and is in the Florida State Hall Of Fame… So? For me, that is the only part of of dear Tutus that needs a bit of work. After he does that, he can be a serious contender, I feel.

 

[Dagger Dias]

O'Neil is cool. I like his attitude of still going for his goals despite that people told him he would not make it. That's something many of us can relate to. I also like that Ryder got to be a pro on NXT. This is a good pairing because we are seeing a side of Ryder we haven't before and I think he will be able to help O'Neil get over. He should make it to the final four, we'll see. I'll certainly be interested in finding out how O'Neil does during this NXT season and how this pairing goes.

 

[JGlass]

The more I think about this guy, the more I think he'll make it a long way based on his look and his gimmick alone. He is obviously green in the ring, and while I'm sure that will improve, he's still not as good as Hennig or Riley. He's not the worst of the group, but he's in the bottom tier for sure. However, I think he works the crowd the best out of all the rookies, and this alone will catch the WWE's attention.

 

[The Doctor]

It's a darn shame Titus was eliminated. He had loads of potential. He had a great look, a great voice, and passion. He looked to be trying his best to improve on the mic, as his final promo was good and very heartfelt. It seemed like he was also trying to improve in the ring. I really hope this isn't the last we see of him. He was way better than Husky freakin' Harris.

 

[KnowYoRole]

titus o neil should not have gone. he was way better than eli cottonwood and husky harris, and lucky cannon. he had good mic skills, the look, and was improving in the ring, and like doc said, he had a genuine passion for the business. however, i hope and am sure this is not the last we'll see of him in WWE.

 

[klunderbunker]

Well I was upset to see him leave but that's because he was sent home before Harris. I wasn't a huge fan or anything but he had some potential to him. His look was solid and he could certainly talk. Being the smart monster isn't something you see everyday and he could have been solid. Him being cut first is a surprise but I would have seen him go out 3rd or something like that. Not a fan really, but there was no reason I can think of for sending him home first. He's not great, but I would have been interested in seeing him around longe3r.

 

[Jonnie Walker]

I don't know what to think of Titus O'Neil. He seems like he will be this season's Tarver, and god I hope not, unless he proves otherwise. They both have lower midcard jobber pros. I need to see more from Titus, as he looks bland, he seems bland, and I see nothing in him thus far. Hopefully he proves me wrong, but unless this guy is damn good and his vignette was just too short, I can't see him getting past the first 3 eliminations.

This is what I thought before I got to see him actually perform. He was a little shaky at first on the mic with his "Make it a win" statement, but he turned that into a catchphrase, shit, he turned it into a t-shirt. I'm disappointed he got eliminated as he was making steps in the right direction. He never even got to show his in ring skills in a one-on-one match. But tonight definitely wasn't the last time we'll see Titus O'Neil in WWE, and even though the formation of a second Nexus is unlikely, there's no way in hell that after that promo he cut he's just gonna be gone. He'll pop up at some point, and he has loads of potential to go far in the WWE. He has a good look and he's, dare I say it, very good on the mic. If he can showcase his in ring skills some more, then he can go far in the business and I hope he does.

 

[The Doctor]

He has a good look and he's, dare I say it, very good on the mic.

Now hold up a second, let's not get carried away. While he final promo was solid, nothing else he did on the mic even approached the realm of "Very good". What he did have was emotion, but his metaphors fell flat and he always seemed to lose himself halfway through each promo with the exception of tonight's final one. He had tons of potential to be very good, since as we saw when he is on form he can deliver a passionate speech, but right now he is nowhere close to being "very good" at anything. Luckily he seemed to want to improve so I think he'll go back down to FCW and work to improve himself, and come back to the WWE. Depending on whether he can seize his opportunity or not, he could become a future star.

 

[Bernkastel]

Titus O'Neil was easily the most generic, and blandest of the eight rookies. He looks like an Ezekiel Jackson knockoff with half the charisma; his matches are slow, and he's unnatural on the mic. He has nothing that makes him stand out form everyone else.

Cottonwood is a seven foot monster, Harris and McGillicutty are the sons of Hall of Famers, while Alex Riley, Percy Watson, and Lucky Cannon are all fairly charismatic. And Kaval has an in ring style that hasn't really been exploited since Tajiri was still on the roster.

At this point, I'd rank Lucky Cannon as my second choice for elimination, but O'Neal was my first by a mile.