10 Things That Made Us Embarrassed To Be Wrestling Fans In 2016
5. The Prime Time Players Explode
Almost everything about Darren Young and Titus O’Neil was embarrassing in 2016. Titus actually started the year with a minor push, but that ended when he was served a 60-day suspension for heinously touching Vince McMahon during Daniel Bryan’s retirement. Titus reverted to jobber status after that, and after Rusev obliterated him in front of his son, O’Neil moved into a feud with his former tag team partner.
Young’s year has been just as rough. The “Make Darren Young Great Again” campaign provided one of 2016’s most cringeworthy angles, and while the Bob Backlund partnership delivered some fun comedy moments, that’s the extent of it. Darren’s a solid all-round performer, but he was never truly “great” in the first place, and the “life coach” concept was laughable.
Their feud was the absolute pits. Neither man was over with the crowd, and you’d sooner hear crickets chirp than the audience cheer or boo during their numerous encounters. The duo engaged in a series of bland, heatless matches and woeful segments over the following weeks, but at least WWE had the smarts to wrap things up in the wake of Titus’ infamous botched promo.
Titus has since inherited a sizeable losing streak with his “Titus Brand” gimmick, while Young has seemingly been exiled from television.