WWE wrestler Titus O'Neil (a/k/a Thaddeus Bullard) recalled making the transition from the Arena Football League to WWE. "My neighbor was Dave Batista," O’Neil said. "He was one of the top guys [in WWE] at the time and a real good friend of mine. He had always been talking to me about it and said I’d be good at it.

"It was not an easy transition to make. A lot of people believe it’s fake – it’s not fake, it’s predetermined. It’s very taxing on the body and it’s a lot more than just going out there, beating people up and body slamming them. It’s a very complicated sport to learn...

“In football, you play one game a week. In WWE, we entertain five, six, sometimes even seven nights a week, so it’s a tough schedule. There is no offseason and we’re on the road between 280 and 300-plus days a year. That kind of transition isn’t for everyone." You can view the full piece at Arenafootball.com/news/arena-football’s-prime-time-player.

Powell's POV: Titus also recalls that Ricky Ortiz also made the transition from the AFL to WWE. O'Neill played for Florida in college, but a knee injury cost him a shot at the NFL while he was trying out for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played in the AFL from 2003 to 2007 and played for the Carolina Cobras, Las Vegas Gladiators, Tampa Bay Storm, and the Utah Blaze.

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