Titus O’Neil On His Suspension Last Year And Being on TED Talks
Titus O'Neil was on the latest episode of Chasing Glory With Lilian Garcia. On the episode, Titus discussed his suspension last year, being on TED Talks, and more. You can listen to the full episode on PodcastOne at this link. Check out highlights below:
Learning How to Adapt to the Wrestling Business:
"Hardest thing I've ever done. The art of it is the hardest thing, the psychology-things like that, but I've done physical sports all my life. But then also too, the politics of it, I'm not a fan of that part. People ask me all the time, 'Are you in love with the wrestling business?' No I'm not in love with the wrestling business, I'm in love with what the wrestling business does for people. Gives people opportunities to make a living, it gives people opportunities to escape their realities, it gives people opportunities to have heroes and be heroes. I one hundred percent love that aspect of it. Most of the performers on our roster, if you ask them the same question, you're going to get a varying amount of answers because some went through the independents and it's all they ever wanted to do, you got some like myself came off the streets and got into it. I have a very deep passion and love for the profession and for the people that came before me and for the people that are involved in it with me."
His WWE Suspension in 2016:
"I still don't understand it. I literally put me my hand out and said, 'Ladies first.' So I don't know what the wrong time is to say, 'Ladies first' or the right time. It's water under the bridge. It happened and I took ownership of it regardless if I was right, wrong, or indifferent, or if the situation could have been handled different. It happened. I served my suspension and its over with. It goes back to the fact that I know who I am and I know what I did and I know why I did it and God has rewarded me tenfold."
His Opportunity to do a TED Talks:
"I'm actually like the first or second overall person to do it in combat sports ever. The opportunity came up like three years ago, but they shut it down because of the profession that I was in with WWE and the stereotypes. Julie Sina who is an assistant chancellor here at UCLA worked with me at the University of Florida. She was Vice President of Student Affairs at Florida when I was Vice President of Student Government so she worked very closely with the students. She was like, 'No, you guys don't understand this guy, he's an amazing guy with an amazing story. He can do what TED Talks are intended to do which are to educate, entertain, or inspire and I believe that he can do all three.'
"When I talked to them in November, they were still kind of on the fence as to whether or not they were going to let it happen. We talked for like an hour and a half and every curator on there, there was about twelve people on the phone. They were having a general conversation with me, 'Why do you do this? Why is this? Give me a story of this and that.' After that conversation, it was like this is completely opposite of what we expected."
