Thaddeus Bullard
Encyclopedia
Thaddeus Michael Bullard (born April 29, 1977) is an American professional wrestler
and former college and professional football
player. Bullard played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally in the Arena Football League. Bullard is a professional wrestler, and is signed to WWE under the ring name Titus O'Neill. He competes in the WWE developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling
. He was part of the second season of NXT
, and is currently competing in the show's fifth season, NXT Redemption.
in 1977. He grew up in Live Oak, Florida
, where he attended Suwannee High School
. A standout in high school football
, he was recognized by USA Today
, SuperPrep, and Parade magazine as a high school All-America
n as a senior in 1995.
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, and played for coach Steve Spurrier
's Florida Gators football
team from 1997 to 2000
. He redshirt
ed during the Gators' 1996 national championship season
. Bullard lettered the next four seasons, playing in forty-four regular season games with three starts. He was elected student body vice president in April 2000, and graduated in August 2000. While he was an undergraduate, he was also initiated as a brother of the Omega Psi Phi
Fraternity
.
After college, Bullard played in the Arena Football League from 2003 to 2007 with the Utah Blaze
, Tampa Bay Storm
, Las Vegas Gladiators and the Carolina Cobras
.
(FCW). He made his television debut on the January 16, 2010 edition of FCW's show on Bright House Sports Network as Titus O'Neil in a tag team match with Skip Sheffield, losing to the team of Vance Archer
and Alex Riley
. On December 3, O'Neill teamed with Colonel Damien Sandow
to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship
, by defeating Xavier Woods and Mason Ryan
in a match for the vacant championship. The pair lost the championship to Richie Steamboat and Seth Rollins
on March 25, 2011.
that aired June 1, 2010, it was announced Titus O'Neil would compete in the second season of the show, with Zack Ryder
as his WWE pro and mentor. He debuted on the June 8 episode, teaming with Ryder in a loss to Eli Cottonwood and John Morrison. During and after the bout the two aruged. The following week in the two made up with. Two weeks later, O'Neil was the first person eliminated from the second season of NXT, and gave a farewell speech before leaving the arena. O'Neil returned for the season finale on August 31, joining the other eliminated rookies in attacking the winner, Kaval
.
In March 2011, O'Neil was selected as one of the six former NXT contestants to return to the show in its fifth season, NXT Redemption. During this season, O'Neil is being mentored by Hornswoggle. In the season premiere, O'Neil defeated Lucky Cannon in the main event. The two also feuded with Darren Young and his former pro, Hornswoggle's old nemesis, Chavo Guerrerro
. Following Lucky Cannon's elimination on the May 14, 2011 edition of NXT Redemption, O'Neil lead the fans in a rendition of "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
", as a tribute to the recently retired Edge. On the June 21 edition of NXT Redemption, O'Neil's pro from season 2, Zack Ryder
returned for one night only, questioning how O'Neil could be doing as well as he was with Hornswoggle as a pro. O'Neil would face Ryder the same night, only to be defeated by his season 2 pro.
On the July 12, 2011 edition of NXT, he faced off against Darren Young and Derrick Bateman
in a triple threat elimination match, which saw him lose to Bateman. O'Neil was seen backstage on the July 25, 2011 edition of Raw, celebrating Rey Mysterio's WWE Championship victory alongside two other NXT
Redemption rookies and the whole Raw roster by spraying champagne onto Mysterio. 8 days later, O'Neil teamed up with NXT host Matt Striker in a winning effort against Darren Young and Derrick Bateman after Young was pinned by O'Neil.
On the September 8 episode of WWE Superstars
, O'Neil teamed with Percy Watson
in a losing effort against Curt Hawkins
and Tyler Reks. O'Neil and Watson earned their first victory as a team on the September 13 episode of NXT, defeating Derrick Bateman and Tyson Kidd.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
and former college and professional football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. Bullard played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter, he played professionally in the Arena Football League. Bullard is a professional wrestler, and is signed to WWE under the ring name Titus O'Neill. He competes in the WWE developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling
Championship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
. He was part of the second season of NXT
WWE NXT
WWE NXT is a sports entertainment television program produced by WWE that debuted on February 23, 2010. Described as a hybrid between reality television and WWE's scripted live event shows, the premise of the show follows select talent contracted to WWE's developmental territory Florida...
, and is currently competing in the show's fifth season, NXT Redemption.
Early life
Thaddeus Bullard was born in Boynton Beach, FloridaBoynton Beach, Florida
Boynton Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 60,389 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the city had a population of 66,714 according to the University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research...
in 1977. He grew up in Live Oak, Florida
Live Oak, Florida
Live Oak is a city in Suwannee County, Florida. The city is the county seat of Suwannee County and is located east of Tallahassee, Florida. The population was 6,480 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,828 ....
, where he attended Suwannee High School
Suwannee High School
Suwannee High School is the larger of two high schools in Suwannee County. It is located in Live Oak, Florida. It currently serves 1,230 students in grades 9 through 12. It has a successful foreign exchange program and a diverse population...
. A standout in high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, he was recognized by USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, SuperPrep, and Parade magazine as a high school All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n as a senior in 1995.
Football career
Bullard accepted an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, and played for coach Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
team from 1997 to 2000
2000 Florida Gators football team
September 30, 2000The Florida Gators came into Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi ranked third in the nation. The unranked Mississippi State Bulldogs ran for 351 yards, 172 yards and a touchdown for Dicenzo Miller, and 156 yards and a touchdown for Dontae Walker. Bulldogs quarterback...
. He redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
ed during the Gators' 1996 national championship season
1996 Florida Gators football team
The 1996 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. This was the team's seventh season under head coach Steve Spurrier...
. Bullard lettered the next four seasons, playing in forty-four regular season games with three starts. He was elected student body vice president in April 2000, and graduated in August 2000. While he was an undergraduate, he was also initiated as a brother of the Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...
Fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
.
After college, Bullard played in the Arena Football League from 2003 to 2007 with the Utah Blaze
Utah Blaze
The Utah Blaze is a professional arena football team based in Salt Lake City, Utah and competes in the West division of the Arena Football League. Home games are played at the EnergySolutions Arena.-The original Utah Blaze :...
, Tampa Bay Storm
Tampa Bay Storm
The Tampa Bay Storm are an Arena Football League team based in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida. They play their home games in the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa....
, Las Vegas Gladiators and the Carolina Cobras
Carolina Cobras
Not to be confused with the Los Angeles Cobras, who played in the 1988 AFL season.The Carolina Cobras were an expansion franchise in the Arena Football League...
.
Professional wrestling career
Bullard signed a developmental deal with World Wrestling Entertainment in 2009 and began training with their development territory, Florida Championship WrestlingFlorida Championship Wrestling
Championship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
(FCW). He made his television debut on the January 16, 2010 edition of FCW's show on Bright House Sports Network as Titus O'Neil in a tag team match with Skip Sheffield, losing to the team of Vance Archer
Lance Hoyt
Lance Hoyt is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling as Lance Archer. He is best known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a two time NWA World Tag Team Champion with Kid Kash while the title was under the TNA banner...
and Alex Riley
Alex Riley
Alex Riley is a TV and radio presenter.Born and brought up in Sheffield, Riley started performing with the city's Crucible Youth Theatre during which time he originated, and appeared in, dozens of sketches and devised pieces, as well as appearing in a number of plays and farces at the Library...
. On December 3, O'Neill teamed with Colonel Damien Sandow
Aaron Stevens (wrestler)
Aaron Haddad is an American professional wrestler. He is contracted to WWE, and appears in Florida Championship Wrestling , a WWE developmental territory, as Damien Sandow. He is the current FCW 15 Champion...
to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship
FCW Florida Tag Team Championship
The Florida Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling , the developmental territory of WWE. It is contested for in their tag team division...
, by defeating Xavier Woods and Mason Ryan
Barri Griffiths
Barri Griffiths is a Welsh professional wrestler and former Gladiators competitor, also known as Goliath and by his ring name Mason Ryan. He is signed to WWE, where he wrestles on the Raw brand.He was also a member of The Nexus...
in a match for the vacant championship. The pair lost the championship to Richie Steamboat and Seth Rollins
Tyler Black
Colby Lopez is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tyler Black. He is signed to a contract with WWE, where he competes in their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Seth Rollins. He is a former FCW 15 Champion and FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with...
on March 25, 2011.
NXT and Teaming with Percy Watson (2010–present)
On the season 1 finale of WWE NXTWWE NXT
WWE NXT is a sports entertainment television program produced by WWE that debuted on February 23, 2010. Described as a hybrid between reality television and WWE's scripted live event shows, the premise of the show follows select talent contracted to WWE's developmental territory Florida...
that aired June 1, 2010, it was announced Titus O'Neil would compete in the second season of the show, with Zack Ryder
Zack Ryder
Matthew Joseph Cardona, Jr. better known by his ring name Zack Ryder, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE and works on the Raw brand as a wrestler and the SmackDown brand as an assistant to SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long.Cardona wrestled mostly with his tag...
as his WWE pro and mentor. He debuted on the June 8 episode, teaming with Ryder in a loss to Eli Cottonwood and John Morrison. During and after the bout the two aruged. The following week in the two made up with. Two weeks later, O'Neil was the first person eliminated from the second season of NXT, and gave a farewell speech before leaving the arena. O'Neil returned for the season finale on August 31, joining the other eliminated rookies in attacking the winner, Kaval
Low Ki
Brandon Silvestry is an American professional wrestler. He is best known under his ring names Low Ki, Senshi in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and Kaval in World Wrestling Entertainment. He is a former one-time PWG World Champion and a former ROH Champion...
.
In March 2011, O'Neil was selected as one of the six former NXT contestants to return to the show in its fifth season, NXT Redemption. During this season, O'Neil is being mentored by Hornswoggle. In the season premiere, O'Neil defeated Lucky Cannon in the main event. The two also feuded with Darren Young and his former pro, Hornswoggle's old nemesis, Chavo Guerrerro
Chavo Guerrero, Jr.
Salvador "Chavo" Guerrero IV also known as Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero, Jr., is a third generation Mexican-American professional wrestler and member of the famed Guerrero wrestling family who was well known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling...
. Following Lucky Cannon's elimination on the May 14, 2011 edition of NXT Redemption, O'Neil lead the fans in a rendition of "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" is a song written and recorded by Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo and Dale Frashuer, attributed to a then-fictitious band they named "Steam". It was released under the Mercury subsidiary label Fontana and became a number one pop single on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1969,...
", as a tribute to the recently retired Edge. On the June 21 edition of NXT Redemption, O'Neil's pro from season 2, Zack Ryder
Zack Ryder
Matthew Joseph Cardona, Jr. better known by his ring name Zack Ryder, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE and works on the Raw brand as a wrestler and the SmackDown brand as an assistant to SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long.Cardona wrestled mostly with his tag...
returned for one night only, questioning how O'Neil could be doing as well as he was with Hornswoggle as a pro. O'Neil would face Ryder the same night, only to be defeated by his season 2 pro.
On the July 12, 2011 edition of NXT, he faced off against Darren Young and Derrick Bateman
Michael Hutter
Michael Hutter is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling, under the ring name Derrick Bateman...
in a triple threat elimination match, which saw him lose to Bateman. O'Neil was seen backstage on the July 25, 2011 edition of Raw, celebrating Rey Mysterio's WWE Championship victory alongside two other NXT
WWE NXT
WWE NXT is a sports entertainment television program produced by WWE that debuted on February 23, 2010. Described as a hybrid between reality television and WWE's scripted live event shows, the premise of the show follows select talent contracted to WWE's developmental territory Florida...
Redemption rookies and the whole Raw roster by spraying champagne onto Mysterio. 8 days later, O'Neil teamed up with NXT host Matt Striker in a winning effort against Darren Young and Derrick Bateman after Young was pinned by O'Neil.
On the September 8 episode of WWE Superstars
WWE Superstars
WWE Superstars is a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that originally aired on WGN America in the United States. It debuted on April 16, 2009 and ended its domestic broadcasting on April 7, 2011...
, O'Neil teamed with Percy Watson
Percy Watson
Percy C. Thomas Watson was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Rotherham Town and Small Heath. Born in Barnsley, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Watson played in the Second Division for both Rotherham Town and Small Heath during the 1893–94...
in a losing effort against Curt Hawkins
Curt Hawkins
Brian Joseph Myers is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Curt Hawkins. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand...
and Tyler Reks. O'Neil and Watson earned their first victory as a team on the September 13 episode of NXT, defeating Derrick Bateman and Tyson Kidd.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Clash of the Titus (Lifting sitout spinebuster)
- Signature moves
-
- Dump tackleDump tackleThe dump tackle is a tackling technique favoured mainly by rugby league players. The tackler wraps his arms around the ball carrier's thighs and lifts him a short distance in the air before forcibly driving him to the ground. The tackler must go to ground with the ball carrier for the tackle to be...
- European uppercut
- Fallaway slam
- Running shoulder block
- Scoop powerslamPowerslamA powerslam is a professional wrestling body slam move in which the wrestler performing the slam falls face-down on top of his/her opponent. The use of the term "powerslam" usually refers to the front powerslam and the scoop powerslam.-Emerald Flowsion:...
- Shoulder breaker
- Turnbuckle thrust
- Dump tackle
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Move Get it In" by Mark Scott (September 21, 2011–present)
- "Headin' Right Back" by Jim Johnston (September 13, 2011-present) (Used while teaming with Percy Watson)
Championships and accomplishments
- Florida Championship WrestlingFlorida Championship WrestlingChampionship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
- Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Damien SandowAaron Stevens (wrestler)Aaron Haddad is an American professional wrestler. He is contracted to WWE, and appears in Florida Championship Wrestling , a WWE developmental territory, as Damien Sandow. He is the current FCW 15 Champion...
- Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Damien Sandow
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him #249 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011
See also
- Florida Gators football, 1990–1999
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of Omega Psi Phi brothers
- List of University of Florida alumni