Tonight’s WWE RAW from Tampa, Florida opened up with hometown star and WWE Global Ambassador Titus O’Neil in the ring.
Titus noted how he thought he’d reached the height of his personal achievements when he made it to WWE, became a tag team champion, then received the Warrior Award in the WWE Hall of Fame, but he didn’t know then that one day he’d reach the pinnacle of his success by becoming our WWE Global Ambassador.
Titus went on about how we need goodwill all over the world right now, and how people in WWE do what they can to put smiles on people’s faces around the world, while in and outside of the ring, from helping those less fortunate to helping service men and women around the world. This brought out a “USA!” chant from the crowd.
Titus continued to talk about spreading good around the world, and said that’s why we will never hear WWE talk about politics, or religion, or any other subject matter that’s decisive. Fans had been cheering Titus’ various points of his promo, and this line received a smaller applause. Titus then said regardless of race, economic status or nationality, this is a place where people deserve to have a safe haven, this is a place where WWE wants to simply make sure we all have a good time. Titus then declared that this is exactly what we’re about to do at RAW tonight, and fans cheered again as he welcomed everyone to Monday Night RAW.
WWE has billed Titus as “one of the most philanthropic Superstars in WWE history” in the past. He was the recipient of the Warrior Award in the WWE Hall of Fame 2020 Class, and received the award due to his charitable work, mainly what he’s done in the Tampa area.
O’Neil, who has been a WWE Global Ambassador for a few years now, recently revealed that he was in talks with WWE about a return to in-ring action.
Titus has not wrestled since losing to then-WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley on the November 9, 2020 edition of RAW. He has made numerous media and WWE Community appearances since then, and a few WWE TV appearances, including at WrestleMania 37, where he co-hosted with WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan.
There’s no word yet on what led to Titus opening tonight’s hometown RAW, or what might be planned next, but we will keep you updated.
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more. Below is footage from tonight’s opening RAW segment:
Follow Marc on Twitter at @this_is_marc. Send any news, tips or corrections to us by clicking here.