Titus O'Neil Earns Warrior Award; Sets To Co-Host Wrestlemania

TAMPA, FL — WWE Global Ambassador Titus O’Neil been named the recipient of the 2020 Warrior Award.

Named after WWE Hall of Famer The Ultimate Warrior, The Warrior Award is presented to an individual who has exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of The Ultimate Warrior.

O’Neil, whose real name is Thadeus Bullard, is one of the most philanthropic superstars in WWE history. A fixture in the Tampa Bay community and passionate about giving back to families in need, O’Neil founded the Bullard Family Foundation, an organization that provides families and children in need with special moments, programs and resources to help build character, develop relationships and strengthen communities around them.

As an ambassador for WWE, O'Neil has helped thousands of people through various nonprofits and WWE partners including the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Special Olympics. His passion for community and uplifting others inspired him to write his first book, “There’s No Such Thing as a Bad Kid: How I Went from Stereotype to Prototype” in 2019.

O’Neil is a Tampa native. He graduated from the University of Florida where he was a standout football player for the Gators.

“Titus is a dedicated father, humanitarian and WWE global ambassador. His unwavering passion to help others in need is simply unmatched,” said Stephanie McMahon, WWE chief brand officer. “Although he does not seek recognition, I am thrilled that his work will be spotlighted to WWE fans around the world.”

The Warrior Award was presented to O'Neil during the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Tuesday.

O'Neil and WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan, a longtime Clearwater resident, will host Wrestlemania 37 taking place Saturday and Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa and streamed live on Peacock at 8 pm in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.

Wrestlemania, the Super Bowl of wrestling, takes place each year in a different American city. This is its first time in Tampa. It was originally scheduled to take place in Tampa in 2020 but was moved to Orlando and held without an audience due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Continuing with his philanthropic work, O'Neil and the Bullard Family Foundation have joined forces with AdventHealth to send students to WrestleMania 37.

AdventHealth and the Bullard Family Foundation have partnered on a number of occasions to provide services and resources to the underserved and underprivileged including free physicals and health screenings.

“The ability to put smiles on faces and help families feel whole is at the core of our service and commitment to give back to our communities,” said Bullard. “I am honored and humbled to partner with AdventHealth to provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students and teachers who otherwise would’ve missed out on witnessing WrestleMania in their hometown.”

Wrestlemania stars Kalisto, Mojo and Peyton Royce also spent some time with Special Olympics athletes Wednesday.

As part of WrestleMania 37's community champions caravan, each of the area’s four professional sports teams — the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Rowdies — received a $3,700 grant that the organizations will put toward the Replay Tampa Bay sporting goods drive, which has supplied new and slightly used sports equipment to kids in the Tampa Bay area since 2011.

WWE selected 11 community champions throughout the Tampa Bay region to receive the grants.

"This is my favorite part of the job," said Royce. "We get to bring a smile to their face and donate $3,700 worth of equipment so that we can restore play. This fuels my soul, I absolutely love it," she said.

“WWE has a great commitment to the community, and I think you’re seeing that today with the variety of celebrations going on in the region,” Tampa Bay Sports Commission Executive Director Rob Higgins said.” They really want to give back and make a difference. And we’re so fortunate to have Titus O’Neil here, whose agenda every single day is to help the community and its kids.”

Bucs COO Brian Ford, Higgins, O'Neil, Lightning CEO Steve Griggs, Rays President Brian Auld and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor posed for photos at the event Tuesday.

“Our footprint in this community would definitely not be as large without having our sports organizations,” O’Neil said. “They continuously answer the call day in and day out, year in and year out, to make sure they put smiles on kids faces, to help families become more self-sufficient and provide opportunities that last a lifetime.”

Capacity at Raymond James Stadium is limited to 25,000 fans each night in keeping with coronavirus protocols.

Top matchups include:

Saturday, April 10

• WWE Championship Match: Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
• SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Bianca Belair
• Bad Bunny and Damian Priest vs. The Miz and John Morrison
• The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) (c) vs. AJ Styles and Omos for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
• Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon in a Steel Cage match
• Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins Lana and Naomi vs. Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose vs. The Riott Squad
• (Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott) vs. Natalya and Tamina vs. Billie Kay and Carmella in a Tag Team Turmoil match

Sunday, April 11

• Roman Reigns (c) (with Paul Heyman) vs. Edge vs. Daniel Bryan in a Triple Threat match for the WWE Universal Championship
• Asuka (c) vs. Rhea Ripley for the WWE Raw Women's Championship
• The Fiend (with Alexa Bliss) vs. Randy Orton
• Big E (c) vs. Apollo Crews in a Nigerian Drum Fight for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
• Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn (with Logan Paul)
• Riddle (c) vs. Sheamus for the WWE United States Championship
• Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler (c) (with Reginald) vs. the winners of the Tag Team Turmoil match for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship

Tickets for WrestleMania presented by SNICKERS are on sale at Ticketmaster.

See related stories:

• Hulk Hogan, Titus O'Neil To Host Wrestlemania In Tampa
• Video: Wrestlemania Announces Plans To Come To Tampa April 10
• Tickets For Wrestlemania 2021 In Tampa Go On Sale Tuesday
• Matches Set For Wrestlemania; ThunderDome Moves To Yuengling