Titus O'Neil's Potential For A Singles Run

[Mitch Henessey]

Tonight on Smackdown, Titus O'Neil turned on Darren Young after a loss to Ryback and Curtis Axel. O'Neil attacked Young, because he was tired of being a loser, and now he's on the path for a singles run.

O'Neil has the type of look Vince drools over, and when you compare him to Young, O'Neil is the better talker. On top of that, O'Neil has a more natural flow as a cocky jerk, but his charisma is limited to barking at the crowd.

O'Neil is 36, so the open window of opportunity is a big question mark. On top of that, I can't recall any impressive one on one matches with O'Neil, or any stand out matches. The real test starts after Titus wins his obligatory break up match (or matches) with Young.

I don't expect a title shot this year. The WWE WHC picture is too crowded with Lesnar, Orton, Batista, Cena, Bryan, Roman Reigns as a dark horse candidate, and I have a feeling Sheamus will work his way into the mix soon enough. Titus should land a spot in the MITB match, but that's it.

Any thoughts or predictions on Titus O'Neil's singles run as a heel?

 

[Mrwrestlemania3486]

I always wanted him to break out of the group. But I think it's just so young can turn into a full blown baby face. Titus won't get him over.

 

[asslber]

This reminds me of when they split up Cryme Tyme. I hope this doesn't lead to the same thing that that did.

 

[OutsiderDX]

I think any black wrestler has a chance to be pushed slightly... but the WWE has always had a colored glass ceiling. That is fact.

Is Titus even on the writer's mind? I will say "no" considering he had the most common tag team wrestler heel turn. The "my-partner-is-holding-me-back-so-i-will-attack-him-after-a-loss-heel-turn"

If Daniel Bryan can't get to the top without the writers, what chance does Titus?

Where is Titus going? Don't ask me.. let's ask the following guys

Tony Atlas
Junkyard Dog
ST Jones
Ahmed Johnson
"Farooq"
Booker T - reluctantly because HHH buried him at WM.
Shad Gaspard
Ezekiel Jackson

 

[jacdnwarrior]

This reminds me of when they split up Cryme Tyme. I hope this doesn't lead to the same thing that that did.

Right on the money. This is the second time they've done this and it's with a tag team with two black guys. What's the deal here ? They had Cryme Tyme, Shad the big guy -not a good worker but they put him on tv anyway and JTG the smaller one and the better performer in the ring. In spite of Shad's less than stellar in ring work, the team was popular, but they never won the tag titles. They were split up, had one match against each other then Shad was released. JTG is with the company but is hardly seen on Tv.

Now we have Prime Time Players, somewhat popular. A lot of people are big on Titus O'Neil. I have no idea why. He is not very good in the ring, he does a bunch of shoulder blocks, puts a whistle in his mouth when he's kicking some one in the corner and barks. I mean come on he is nothing really to be excited about. His in ring work is subpar. Young is better in the ring, yet I find him to be a boring character. And that TMZ thing where he came out is the most staged bs I've ever seen. I think we'll see them around for a while then Titus will be released first while Young languishes in single matches off Raw and SD. This just seems to be WWE management's MO.

And the timing is so damn bad. The WWE has need for tag teams and for some reason they are eliminating these guys. It's just a bad move.

 

[The Eighties]

This isn't an ideal time to start a new character path in my view as it's Mania season and I just can't see anything Titus does getting much attention or focus. With Reigns, Rollins, Ambrose, Big E, Bray Wyatt and maybe even Cesaro in line for pushes I can't see much happening for Titus, he may get a mid card title run but that is it.

 

[Kidpolean]

I think any black wrestler has a chance to be pushed slightly... but the WWE has always had a colored glass ceiling. That is fact.

Is Titus even on the writer's mind? I will say "no" considering he had the most common tag team wrestler heel turn. The "my-partner-is-holding-me-back-so-i-will-attack-him-after-a-loss-heel-turn"

If Daniel Bryan can't get to the top without the writers, what chance does Titus?

Where is Titus going? Don't ask me.. let's ask the following guys

Tony Atlas
Junkyard Dog
ST Jones
Ahmed Johnson
"Farooq"
Booker T - reluctantly because HHH buried him at WM.
Shad Gaspard
Ezekiel Jackson

This is bs. I'm black and all those guys careers went exactly where they should have gone. Titus is terrible. He sucks on the mic and he sucks in the ring just like almost that entire list you made.

HHH didn't bury Booker T. Booker T was never a main event talent. He main evented in the late years of wcw which is equal to holding the current tna title. The fact that Jeff Jarrett was the top guy when Booker took the title should tell you how little talent they had to work with. WCW was led by a bunch of midcarders and that is one reason why they failed. Booker should have lost to HHH because HHH was the better wrestler and would have carried the belt better.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

This smells like a knee jerk reaction to Punk... and probably means The Brotherhood are staying together.

They now have a new face they can insert into Mania in Darren Young, which will generate some positive headlines over the sexuality stuff and for the mainstream media at least deflect from Punk's likely absence.

In Titus they have a new "big strong heel" that they can potentially use to replace Ryback once he's "fed to Warrior" as he'll be pretty useless... It's not looking good for Ryback... Rusev and now O'Neil mean that he is probably gone soon as well...

In terms of the tag division though, losing the PTP means that it's gonna make it pretty tough to lose the Rhodes boys as well. Sure the Ascension are about to come up to the main roster so they can replace - but losing 2 of the more experienced seasoned teams in quick successions would not be a good move... good as the Uso's are they're not ready to carry the whole division. Again not splitting Cody and Dust yet could be a consequence of Punk not being at Mania as they will need their face pop on the card.

 

[kadroan]

The heel turn came out of nowhere but it was needed. That team wasn't going anywhere.

Right now, as posters mentioned earlier it's Wrestlemania season, can't expect nothing major. I'd love to see him feud with Young to see if he can get over as a heel, then somebody like The Miz and Kofi, before feuding with Big E over the IC title.

I'd love to see him one day align with Batista (if he turns heel) since they got history.

 

[MCMG]

I can't help think this is the completly the wrong time. Wrestlemania is looming and the focus simply won't be on this feud. They will probably get their match on main-event or hidden away on Smackdown.

I'm not saying this should be an era-defining feud but I think there is potential to make this interesting. They wait a few months and we could see a month long feud with several backstage segments; promos and matches. Then when O'Neil eventually overcomes the challenge we at least know he is well prepared.

As for O'Neil in the future: I'm optimistic. He has a good look, charisma and some talent in the ring. He would be a great mid-card champion. I'd like to see him feud for either the US or IC title in the near future. He could be a great mid-carder and perhaps a reliable guy near the top. Someone that could put on a solid match for a main-eventer.

 

[Mongoose McQueen]

It's a shameful thing, Lobster head!
A careless man who could wind up DEAD!
DDDDDD
Ya wear your sin like it's some kind of prize
too many limes, too many limes...OHHHHH OHHHHH
These words are true and i'll make you believe OHHHH OHHHH
Yeah you fight for air and struggle just to breath OOOHHHH OHHHH
And ya wear your cowardice well
And I will see ya ride it straight to hell

It's written in your face, the shadow of my eyes....
When the devil comes to call, it's breaks your hurtin' ties
The land will break and the seas will rise
The wind will rage as it burns the sky
And your believes will be broken fall
On your final when I end it all OOHHH OHHHH
These words are true

 

[GeneralKarim]

At 36yo, although he's not an old man, I dont see the point of turning him.I think this was just a decision made in a very rushed mode.

He's only good at putting guys over at this point, the guys in the mid-card that is.But he cant really put people over cause he hasn't done much in his career.

They'll probably build him up a bit, have him squash some dudes, maybe first do his feud with DArren like they did when they broke up Cryme Time.

I also, feel, like others have said, that it is a bit of a waste to do this so close to mania, especially since he is a pretty irrelevant guy, hmm...now that I think about it...maybe that's why he actually turned.......he isnt relevant and he has a good look so why not try and change it up a bit since its not like when they turn DB heel when he is so over or smth.

I also think there arent enough heels in the mid card, there are too many faces that are way more credible than the heels.Now with Christian back there are even more faces in the mid card, cause lets face it, no matter how many promos he does about winning and his "windows closing" he ain't winning jack.

So all in all, maybe not the best timing, but they need some heels and Titus does have a good look for a powerhouse heel and he has some decent mic skills, like wasnt he a motivational speaker before he came to NXT?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't really think Titus will go all that far. As others have mentioned, the timing for this couldn't be worse for Titus as we're right smack in the middle of WrestleMania season. As a result, most of the attention and effort is going to be used in highlighting top guys who're already established. I'd say a good 90%, at least, of WWE's attention will be put on Taker, Bryan, Cena, Lesnar, Orton, Batista, The Shield, The Wyatt Family, Langston, The NAO, The Brotherhood, whatever legends that will be involved at WrestleMania, etc.

Titus O'Neil also got started pretty late in the game compared to most wrestlers. He turns 37 on April 29 and there's a lot of much younger stars on the main roster. For instance, I see Alexander Rusev getting used as a big, powerhouse, monster heel over Titus partially because he's so much younger. I think that Titus will ultimately be used to feud with Darren Young, to elevate him a bit primarily, but I don't think he'll be a force in WWE.

 

[Mustang Sally]

But I think it's just so young can turn into a full blown baby face.

My gut feeling is that this isn't about Darren Young, it's about Titus. I think Titus is the best thing that ever happened to Darren; before PTP, Darren spent a ton of time on the sideline, with Creative having "nothing for him." In fact, I remember being surprised to learn Young was still on the roster when he finally got his push. Let's see what becomes of Darren Young now.

As for Titus, there are a bunch of people on this forum who find Titus to be the greatest new talent around. I don't see it; he works stiffly and awkwardly.....without the natural flow to his repertoire that one might expect from a guy due to get a big-time push.

Maybe I'm wrong; perhaps as a bad guy, Titus can find a ring style that accommodates his lack of grace and fluidity. Here's hoping he does because there usually is a place for big, strong guys who can handle themselves on the mic.

 

[Stingersplash89]

Titus is very underrated on the mic. If he gets a little better in the ring they might have some star power with him in the future

 

[Mr_billy]

Titus is a talented gentleman, he will do well as a cocky heel. He is popular and v dry entertaining, and I'd like to see more Cornbread.

But I do believe this has to do with Darren Young, he is wining awards in the gay community and will be used to help shake some of the negative stereotypes about wrestling, as something for rednecks. I feel vince will try to use him to gain a new audience.

 

[Staaaang]

I think any black wrestler has a chance to be pushed slightly... but the WWE has always had a colored glass ceiling. That is fact.

Is Titus even on the writer's mind? I will say "no" considering he had the most common tag team wrestler heel turn. The "my-partner-is-holding-me-back-so-i-will-attack-him-after-a-loss-heel-turn"

If Daniel Bryan can't get to the top without the writers, what chance does Titus?

Where is Titus going? Don't ask me.. let's ask the following guys

Tony Atlas
Junkyard Dog
ST Jones
Ahmed Johnson
"Farooq"
Booker T - reluctantly because HHH buried him at WM.
Shad Gaspard
Ezekiel Jackson

What a bunch of horse shit. Excuse my French. Moving on to discussion of the segment...



I'm excited for this. Everyone's talking about Titus, but Darren sold that shit so well. Both of them can come out of this with something. The bloody mouth was already garnering sympathy, but the way he sold that first kick to the gut both physically and showing the EMOTION on his face was critical to the segment. He's asking him "Why Titus?" and Titus just punches him repeatedly in the face.

Hell of a segment.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Big bloke, lots of strength, lots of energy and stamnina, a surprising amount of charisma - I don't see what's not to like. Set him loose on his own, sure. Darren, as the less talented and therefore less likeable one, would have been better off as the heel though.

Darren Young is, as our own Coco described him, "fine if you need a warm body" but otherwise unremarkable except for the fact that he looks like a black John Cena. Nice to see an openly gay wrestler though.

 

[closet_fan]

Titus is a talented gentleman, he will do well as a cocky heel. He is popular and v dry entertaining, and I'd like to see more Cornbread.

But I do believe this has to do with Darren Young, he is wining awards in the gay community and will be used to help shake some of the negative stereotypes about wrestling, as something for rednecks. I feel vince will try to use him to gain a new audience.

It's certainly a coincidence that Young just received an award from GLAAD. Vince went out of his way to congratulate him on Twitter, which he rarely uses. Then PTP breaks up.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this break up be all about Young as well so the WWE can try to bring in a bigger gay audience so they have someone to look up to. Yeah the WWE has had gay "characters" in the past like Billy and Chuck, but it's rare that you have a REAL LIFE openly gay wrestler.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

As I said above and in the other thread about the Tag Division... WWE is gonna give Young a big push in the run up to 30 and probably a title shot that night against Ambrose/Battle Royale win because it would be something they can exploit/crow about for publicity and it be a "first at Mania"... The first openly gay man to win a title at Mania is a moment they can put on all the news outlets and chat shows and use it ad nauseum going forward as a "Wrestlemania moment".

It's pretty well been planned since he came out I guess, there's a chance it's hotshotted to do it as singles rather than PTP winning the tag titles but the push for Young was always coming at Mania once he came out...Titus probably continues the feud post Mania rather than being fed to Young there, Ambrose could lose it far more comfortably to Young than many other guys. Depends if they're still gonna unify or not... if so it means Big E. probably loses at EC to Ambrose or they do the old 3 way match ala Angle/Benoit/Jericho with both belts on the line and a "Undisputed" champ at the end of the match.

 

[Best in the World]

This reminds me of when they split up Cryme Tyme. I hope this doesn't lead to the same thing that that did.

First thing I thought of was this, Shad turning heel on JTG, they feuded, he disappeared until eventually JTG disappeared as well (it's amazing he's still signed with the company as well). And honestly, I see this going to same way, Titus, I don't see carrying himself long in the WWE. Young as the face, I see being around longer before he fades away into obscurity.

 

[thebarber]

well he is best mates with Batista and we know Batista was well into his 30s when his push started, maybe their is room for Titus with Batista in his corner politically. Maybe he will be built up to be fed to Batista, which will still not get him back over. With Real Americans, Brotherhood and now PTP breaking up or have broken up, the tag team division Trips was building up is again falling by the wayside, and the belts are on a pair of 50 year olds

 

[LODemolition]

I've always liked Titus and found him entertaining. Hopefully he and Young get a spot on the EC card. I think Titus can be a decent mid-carder and that's all he needs to be. I can definitely see him as a future US or IC champ. I can also see him getting a push, burning out after just a few months, and fading away into obscurity. I hope that's not the case, but the writers have rarely invest in anyone for a prolonged amount of time. Sometimes I feel like they have ADD and just can't pay attention to developing storylines. I also liked Titus better as a face. I understand he had to be the heel when PTP broke up, but to me, Titus was at his best and very likable as a good guy. I'm gonna miss that "millions of dollars" dance. Hopefully he continues to do it on his own.

 

[mral82]

All I can this feels weird they breakup another team but hopefully both have successes on their own again.