WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil is known for being the leader of Titus Worldwide in the ring, but also for the amazing charity work he does outside of the ring.
At the 2018 Freedom Fund Dinner in Tampa, Florida, O’Neil received the Reverend Hosea Williams Award from the Tampa Chapter of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
O’Neil’s friend and former WWE Champion Dave Bautista was at the dinner and congratulated him on receiving the honor.
The award was named for Hosea Lorenzo Williams, who was an American civil rights leader, activist, ordained minister, businessman, philanthropist, scientist, and politician.
Williams was known for being a trusted member of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s inner circle. Under the banner of their flagship organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, King depended on Williams to organize and stir masses of people into nonviolent direct action in myriad protest campaigns they waged against racial, political, economic, and social injustice. King alternately referred to Williams, his chief field lieutenant, as his “bull in a china closet” and his “Castro.”
Inspired by personal experience with and his vow to continue King’s work for the poor, Williams may be equally well known as the founding president of one of the largest social services organizations for the poor and hungry on holidays in North America, Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless.
According to the organization’s Facebook page, Since its founding in 1971, the Hosea Feed The Hungry and Homeless Food (HFTH), has distributed more than $3 billion in food, clothing, medical, educational, toiletries, furniture and cleaning supplies to 16 Georgia counties, three states and to the Philippines, the Ivory Coast and Uganda. The organization maintains an average administrative overhead of 14 percent — ensuring the poor receive 86 percent of all donations. The group’s website is down, but people can still visit the webpage to make a donation or volunteer.
The Hosea Williams Award is a big honor and O’Neil is a worthy candidate to receive it as he is involved with charity work with several nonprofit groups in the Tampa Bay area. His charitable feats include helping high school children – 245 – to get into college, leading corporate volunteers to read books to children and participating in United Way’s Walking School Bus program in at-risk neighborhoods by escorting children to school on foot. He has also visited children in hospitals.
The Tampa Bay Lightning honored him as the 32nd Lightning Community Hero of the 2016-17 season. He received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Heroes program and will donate the money to the United Way Suncoast, Wheelchairs for Kids, Academy Prep and Unsigned Preps Inc.
Most recently, O’Neil joined the “Black Panther Challenge,” where he teamed up with Alicia McDowell to help black children, especially those from low income families, to see the film “Black Panther.”
Former WWE star Lanny ‘The Genius’ Poffo has reportedly died at the age of 68, according to his close friend “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, although no cause of death has been given at the time of this writing.
Poffo made his in-ring debut with the All-South Wrestling Alliance back in 1974, and also wrestled for a number of promotions such as the National Wrestling Alliance where he won a tag-team title with his father, Angelo.
Poffo debuted for WWE back in 1985 where he would be known as “Leaping Lanny Poffo” and “The Genius.”
Poffo would return to WWE back in 2015 to induct his brother, ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage, into the WWE Hall of Fame in a touching induction ceremony ahead of WrestleMania 31.
“With a very, very heavy heart, I’ve been asked to let everyone know about the passing of our friend and colleague Lanny Poffo, The Genius,” Duggan said on Twitter.
WWE superstar Braun Strowman has had a number of memorable moments during his career at WWE, but none are quite like the 2018 Royal Rumble where Brock Lesnar got upset with Strowman for catching him with a knee.
Lesnar didn’t take to kindly and immediately hit Strowman with a flurry of legitimate punches, including a right hand to his jaw.
“I mean, at the end of the day it’s two scary guys, two dominant males, not wanting to give an inch to either one, and we took it from each other. Things happen. We’re not playing, we’re not ballet, we’re not badminton. We’re physical. He’s [Lesnar] 300lbs, of just unadulterated animalistic beast and I’m a 385lbs monster. Things happen. At the end of the day, we made one hell of a segment, that’s what really happened.”
“I pat myself on the back. I think I’m the only person in history to take an overhand right from Brock Lesnar and not get knocked out. Anytime you get in the ring with “The Beast” and mix it up, the bigger the challenge the better. If you’re not wrestling the best, then who’d you beat?”
Former New Japan Pro Wrestling star Karl Fredericks has officially signed with WWE following the conclusion of his four-year tenure with NJPW. Fredericks announced on social media back in summer 2022 that he would not re-sign with NJPW.
Fredericks was initially linked to WWE last September, when he was reportedly spotted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
According to PW Insider, Fredericks has officially signed with WWE and will be a part of the NXT brand initially.
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