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Titus O’Neil Discusses Private Conversation With Hulk Hogan After Expressing Disappointment With Hogan’s Apology to WWE Locker Room

August 15, 2019 | Posted by Jeffrey Harris
Hulk Hogan WWE Crown Jewel 1 Image Credit: WWE

WrestlingInc.com recently interviewed WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil during its WINCLY podcast. During the interview, he discussed speaking privately with WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan.

As previously reported, O’Neil addressed rumors regarding an apology Hogan made to the locker room last year at Extreme Rules after WWE had reinstated him. WWE had temporarily cut ties with Hogan after some racist remarks he made had publicly surfaced. At the time of Hogan’s speech to the locker room, O’Neil took issue with Hogan’s apology. It appears those issues have been resolved going by this recent interview. Below are some highlights from WrestlingInc.com.

Titus O’Neil on having a private conversation with Hulk Hogan before working with him at a Be A Star rally: “It was fine and I finally had a chance to have a separate conversation with Hulk. Obviously, I had put out a statement about the apology and how I received it and how others might have received it too. But I had a private conversation with him long before the Be A Star Rally and heard from his perspective. At that moment I realized the situation he was in where he clammed up and started rambling. He could have been more concise and contrite with his message. But at the end of the day, I’m not one to put anybody in a doghouse forever. I’m not saying he was in the doghouse with me, but I like for men to be men and women to be women and both be transparent, truthful and honest with me. At the end of the day, we’re part of this WWE family and our job is to put smiles on people’s faces. Arguably he’s put more smiles on anybody’s face, young and old, than any other WWE Superstar in the history of the company.”

O’Neil on Hulk Hogan using his mistakes as a teaching tool: “He’s used this as a teaching tool and at the end of the day that’s what we all need to do from any mistake we’ve made – use it as a teaching tool.”

O’Neil on sharing some of the company’s growth and WWE valuing his opinion: “I’d like to think that I have shared some of the company’s growth in what we do. I think they value my opinion in a high regard because I’m actually out there and doing the work. I’m not saying, ‘We should do this. We should do that.’ I’m out doing the work and doing it at a high level. The company has made dramatic changes with our approach. We’ve been much more aggressive especially in the last 10 years in getting ingrained in the communities we go into. It’s not just at WrestleMania and SummerSlam, it’s at live events, non-TV events, and pay-per-views. Our partnerships have grown because of that so people see the power in not only bringing awareness to their causes, but also to how we generally use our platform to make this world a better place.”

O’Neil on writing his first book: “Just because I’ve had so many people say you should write a book. With today’s climate and how people are consistently putting our kids in a box and saying what they can and can’t do, I just wanted to put out a message of my story and my motivation as to why I do what I do. It’s not just for young people but for all people.”