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Rhett Titus

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Rhett Titus
Titus in 2019
Birth nameEverett Lawrence Titus[1]
Born (1987-09-15) September 15, 1987 (age 37)[1]
Ocean City, Maryland, U.S.[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Rhett Titus
The Romantic Touch[2]
Billed height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[3][4]
Billed weight230 lb (104 kg)[3]
Billed from"The Temple of Lust/Desire" off Long Beach Island, New Jersey[3][4]
"Lovers' Township, New Jersey"
Long Beach Island, New Jersey
Trained byAustin Aries[5]
Bryan Danielson[5]
Debut2006[3]

Everett Lawrence Titus[1] (born September 15, 1987) is an American professional wrestler working for Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former ROH World Television Champion, an overall two-time ROH Tag Team Champion individually, as well as winning the now-defunct Top of the Class Trophy once.

Early life

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Raised in Lacey Township, New Jersey, Titus played prep football at Lacey Township High School, graduating in 2005.[6]

Professional wrestling career

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Training

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Titus began training at the ROH Wrestling Academy with Austin Aries at the age of 17, and was later trained by Bryan Danielson at the academy.[5] He was one of only two people in his class, the other being Mitch Franklin.[5] Titus later said that he "hated training with Bryan" at the time, but was grateful for it later as it made him "a more dedicated wrestler".[5]

Full Impact Pro (2006–2010)

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Titus debuted for Full Impact Pro (FIP) in November 2006. In his first match on November 10 at All or Nothing, Titus and Alex Payne lost a tag team match to the YRR (Steve Madison and Chasyn Rance).[7] His second match, the following day at Evening the Odds 2006, saw him and Payne win a tag team match against The Heartbreak Express by disqualification.[8] In his next appearances, in late 2008, Titus began a feud with Grizzly Redwood, which culminated in a six-man tag team match between the team of Redwood and the Loggers, and Titus and The Heartbreak Assassins at Unstoppable 2008.[9][10]

Titus won the FIP Florida Heritage Championship on March 28, 2009, by defeating Chris Jones.[11][12] He successfully defended the championship against Jones on May 2, and Brad Attitude on August 1 at Heatstroke '09.[11][13][14] He lost the championship to Attitude on October 3 at Fallout 2009, after holding the championship for just over six months.[11][15] Titus' last appearance in FIP was at Southern Stampede on April 17, 2010, when he competed in a battle royal, before defeating Bruce Santee in a singles match later that night.[16]

Independent circuit (2006–present)

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In February 2008, Titus took part in Chikara's King of Trios tournament alongside Shane Hagadorne and Alex Payne, losing to Las Chivas Rayadas (Chiva II, Chiva III, and Chiva IV) in the first round.[17]

On July 8, 2013, Titus appeared as an extra in a backstage segment on WWE Raw, dressed in a suit in the background during a segment involving Brad Maddox and Vickie Guerrero.[18] Titus then appeared 2 years later on SmackDown getting quickly defeated in a Tag Team match by The Ascension.

Titus also began appearing for Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW) in 2014. On March 28, he and Joey Janela entered a tournament for the vacant JCW Tag Team Championship. They defeated Jarrett Foster and Steve Sterling in the preliminaries, Ken Doane and Mike Mondo in the semifinals, and Chris Dickinson and Aaron Epic in the finals to win the titles.[1]

Ring of Honor

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Debut and storyline with Delirious (2006–2008)

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Titus debuted for Ring of Honor (ROH) in 2006, and competed in dark matches for the company for several months, wrestling against people including Chad Collyer, Ernie Osiris, and Bobby Dempsey.[1] His first match on the main card for ROH was at Glory By Honor V Night 1 on September 15, when he teamed with Pelle Primeau in a loss to The Ring Crew Express.[1][19] Most of Titus' matches in ROH up until 2008 were dark matches, with the only exception being at Caged Rage on August 24, 2007, when he lost to Jimmy Jacobs.[20] Titus went on to win the ROH Top of the Class Trophy from Ernie Osiris in a dark match at the Respect is Earned II pay-per-view on June 7, 2008.[21] Titus was the last holder of the Trophy, as ROH stopped recognizing it as an official championship in October 2008.

In mid-2008, Titus began a feud with Delirious over female wrestler Daizee Haze. Both men attempted to get a date with Haze, and Titus began training with Delirious and Haze.[22] Shortly afterwards, Titus claimed to have had sex with Haze and to have recorded it on his mobile phone.[5][22] This led to a series of matches with Delirious, with Delirious coming out as the winner.[1][23] He later had Haze's face airbrushed onto his wrestling tights.[5] At Age of Insanity on August 15, Delirious joined The Age of the Fall faction, and defeated Titus after the referee stopped the match.[22][24] His feud with Delirious came to an end at the Rising Above pay-per-view, when Delirious defeated him in a grudge match.[25] Titus later said that this feud was the favorite of his career.[5] His storyline with Haze came to an end at Southern Hostility on December 6, when Haze confronted Titus about his claims, and she and the Necro Butcher forced Titus to admit that he had been lying, and that he was, in storyline, a virgin.[26][27]

The All-Night Express and S.C.U.M. (2009–2013)

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See also: The All Night Express

In early 2009, Titus began teaming with Kenny King as the All-Night Express. In March 2009, Titus and King formed an alliance with Austin Aries, interfering in his matches and attacking wrestlers on his behalf.[28][29][30] On December 18 at Final Battle 2010 the All Night Express defeated Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly, announcing their intention of becoming ROH World Tag Team Champions in 2011.[31] On February 26, 2011, at 9th Anniversary Show, Titus and King failed in their first attempt to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship, when they were defeated by The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli).[32]

The All-Night Express: Kenny King (left) and Titus (right) in 2011

During the program with the Kings of Wrestling, Titus and King showed signs of a face turn and finalized their turn on March 19 at Manhattan Mayhem IV, after defeating the Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark).[33][34] On April 6, Ring of Honor announced that Titus had signed a new contract with the promotion.[35] On September 17 at Death Before Dishonor IX, the All Night Express defeated the Briscoe Brothers in a ladder match to become the number one contenders to the ROH World Tag Team Championship.[36] On June 24 at Best in the World 2012: Hostage Crisis, Titus and King defeated Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the first time.[37]

On July 10, 2012, Titus was officially stripped of the ROH World Tag Team Championship from The All Night Express due to the departure of Kenny King, ending their reign at 16 days.[38] Titus then attempted to regain the title by entering a tournament with rival Charlie Haas. The team made it all the way to the finals, before losing to S.C.U.M. (Jimmy Jacobs and Steve Corino) on September 15 at Death Before Dishonor X: State of Emergency.[39] On September 22, Titus unsuccessfully challenged Kevin Steen for the ROH World Championship.[40]

On March 2, 2013, at the 11th Anniversary Show, Titus, Cliff Compton, Jimmy Rave and Matt Hardy, revealed themselves as the newest members of S.C.U.M. by attacking numerous members of the ROH roster following the main event, joining Kevin Steen, Jimmy Jacobs, Rhino and Steve Corino as members of the group.[41] On June 23, S.C.U.M. was forced to disband, after being defeated by Team ROH in a Steel Cage Warfare match.[42]

The Romantic Touch and The Cabinet/The Rebellion (2013–2017)

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Titus as The Romantic Touch in January 2014

Titus returned to ROH on October 26, 2013, working under a mask and the ring name "The Romantic Touch", defeating Will Ferarra in a dark match prior to Glory By Honor XII.[43] On September 18, 2015, Titus dropped the Romantic Touch persona, reuniting with the returning Kenny King as The All Night Express to defeat the Briscoe Brothers in a tag team match at All Star Extravaganza VII.[44]

Titus teamed with Caprice Coleman and Kenny King to form the Cabinet. The Cabinet defeated Jason Kincaid, Leon St. Giovanni and Shaheem Ali in the first round of the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship. The Cabinet was defeated by A. C. H., Jay White and Kushida. The Cabinet was originally portrayed as something not be taken seriously, but in late 2016, the trio turned serious and renamed themselves "The Rebellion",[45] eventually also adding Shane Taylor as a member.[46] The Rebellion remained together until June 2017, when they were defeated by Search and Destroy in a match, where the losing team had to disband.[47]

The Dawgs, gimmick change and The Foundation (2017–2022)

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Following the dissolution of the Rebellion, Titus formed a new tag team named "The Dawgs" with Will Ferrara in late 2017.[48]

By early 2019, Titus and Ferrara quietly split up their team. Titus then started a new gimmick reminiscent of Rick Rude and Lex Luger, showing off his body by constantly flexing.[49]

On the November 28, 2020 episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling, Titus appeared with newly formed faction The Foundation (Jonathan Gresham, Jay Lethal & Tracy Williams) while donning a red octopus mask.

Championships and accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Rhett Titus". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  2. ^ Hales, Dylan (January 19, 2014). "ROH TV report – Ciampa vs.Young". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d "'Addicted to Love' Rhett Titus". Ring of Honor. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h ""Addicted to Love" Rhett Titus". Pro Wrestling Respect. Archived from the original on January 21, 2010. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Wojick, Alan (September 11, 2008). "Titus addicted to wrestling". The Miami Herald.
  6. ^ Rhett Titus, MaxPreps. Accessed December 21, 2022. "Lacey Township High School Lanoka Harbor, NJ... Graduated in 2005"
  7. ^ "11.10.06 – All Or Nothing; Citrus County Auditorium in Inverness, FL". Full Impact Pro. November 10, 2006. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  8. ^ "11.11.06 – Evening The Odds 2006; Sumter County Fairgrounds in Bushnell, FL". Full Impact Pro. November 11, 2006. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  9. ^ "12.19.08 – Melbourne Meltdown II; Grant Street Community Center in Melbourne, FL". Full Impact Pro. December 19, 2008. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  10. ^ "12.20.08 – Unstoppable 2008; National Guard Armory in Crystal River, FL". Full Impact Pro. December 20, 2008. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  11. ^ a b c "FIP Florida Heritage Championship History". Full Impact Pro. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  12. ^ "3.28.09; National Guard Armory in Crystal River, FL". Full Impact Pro. March 28, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  13. ^ "5.2.09; National Guard Armory in Crystal River, FL". Full Impact Pro. May 2, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  14. ^ "8.1.09 – Heatstroke '09; National Guard Armory in Crystal River, FL". Full Impact Pro. August 1, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  15. ^ "10.3.09 – Fallout 2009; National Guard Armory in Crystal River, FL". Full Impact Pro. October 3, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  16. ^ "4.17.10 – Southern Stampede". Full Impact Pro. April 17, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
  17. ^ Vetter, Chris (March 4, 2008). "Torch Indy Weekend Report: Mexican team wins in Chikara, Christian over Styles, Kingston over Scorpio". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  18. ^ Caldwell, James (July 9, 2013). "News: ROH wrestler no longer under contract appears on Raw". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  19. ^ "Glory By Honor V Night 1- East Windsor, CT 9/15/06". Ring of Honor. September 15, 2006. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  20. ^ "Caged Rage- Hartford, CT 8/24/07". Ring of Honor. August 24, 2007. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  21. ^ "Respect is Earned II; June 7, 2008 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania". Online World of Wrestling. June 7, 2008. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  22. ^ a b c "Panicked". Ring of Honor. December 22, 2008. Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  23. ^ "Fueling The Fire- Manassas, VA 8/1/08". Ring of Honor. August 1, 2008. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  24. ^ "Age of Insanity- Cleveland, OH 8/15/08". Ring of Honor. August 15, 2008. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  25. ^ "Rising Above 2008– Chicago Ridge, IL 11/22/08". Ring of Honor. November 22, 2008. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  26. ^ "Southern Hostility- Nashville, TN 12/6/08". Ring of Honor. December 6, 2008. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  27. ^ "Newswire For The Week of December 7th". Ring of Honor. December 9, 2008.
  28. ^ "Newswire For The Week of March 22nd". Ring of Honor. March 24, 2009. Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  29. ^ Clevett, Jason (July 23, 2009). "Time flies for ROH champ Austin Aries". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  30. ^ Oliver, Greg (July 26, 2009). "Storm gets emotional after ROH loss to Hero". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  31. ^ Caldwell, James (December 18, 2010). "Caldwell's Ring of Honor PPV report 12/18: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of "Final Battle 2010" – Strong vs. Richards, Generico vs. Steen". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
  32. ^ Caldwell, James (February 26, 2011). "Caldwell's Ring of Honor PPV report 2/26: Complete "virtual time" coverage of "9th Anniversary Show" – Strong vs. Homicide ROH Title match, Briscoes vs. Haas & Benjamin main event". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  33. ^ Meltzer, Dave (March 19, 2011). "Surprise title change tonight". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  34. ^ Martin, Adam (March 20, 2011). "3/19 ROH Results: New York City, New York". WrestleView. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  35. ^ Caldwell, James (April 7, 2011). "ROH News: Ring of Honor announces four talent signed to contracts – tag wrestler, singles wrestler, announcer, referee". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
  36. ^ Radican, Sean (September 17, 2011). "Radican's ROH Death Before Dishonor Internet PPV report 9/17: Ongoing "virtual-time" coverage of ROH in New York City". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  37. ^ a b Meltzer, Dave (June 24, 2012). "ROH Best in the World iPPV coverage from New York". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  38. ^ "ROH World Tag Team Titles Vacated!". Ring of Honor. July 10, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  39. ^ Gee Schoon Tong, Chris (September 16, 2012). "9/15 ROH iPPV results Chicago: Steen defends ROH Title in main event, new ROH tag champs determined, Matt Hardy confronts TV champ". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  40. ^ Caldwell, James (September 23, 2012). "Spoilers – ROH TV taping news & results from Saturday in Baltimore". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  41. ^ Carapola, Stuart (March 2, 2013). "Complete ROH 11th Anniversary Show iPPV coverage: two title changes hands, SCUM doubles in size, and a ton of great wrestling as ROH presents their best overall event in years". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  42. ^ Caldwell, James (June 23, 2013). "ROH Spoilers – 6/23 ROH TV tapings in Baltimore, Md.: Results from ROH Title match & Steel Cage Warfare". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  43. ^ Caldwell, James (October 27, 2013). "Show results – 10/26 ROH in Chicago, Ill.: "Glory by Honor" features eight-man tag main event, Outlaw, Inc., Tara-Maria, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  44. ^ Caldwell, James (September 18, 2015). "Caldwell's ROH ASE PPV report 9/18: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of All-Star Extravaganza - Jay Lethal defends two titles, ANX, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  45. ^ "Rise of the Rebellion is no laughing matter". Ring of Honor. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  46. ^ "Bully Ray and The Briscoes defend their 6-Man Tag Titles against The Rebellion". Ring of Honor. April 7, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  47. ^ Meltzer, Dave; Currier, Joseph (June 23, 2017). "ROH Best in the World live results: Christopher Daniels vs. Cody". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  48. ^ "Coast 2 Coast face off with The Dawgs at Global Wars: Buffalo". Ring of Honor. October 3, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  49. ^ "10 Best Wrestlers Not in WWE". March 26, 2019.
  50. ^ a b "Rhett Titus". Full Impact Pro. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  51. ^ Johnson, Mike (October 18, 2013). "Hell Freezes Over: complete ICW coverage from NYC". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  52. ^ "Joey Janela". onlineworldofwrestling.com. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  53. ^ "MCW Heavyweight Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".
  54. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2012". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  55. ^ "ROH World Television Championship History".
  56. ^ TESSIER, COLIN (February 8, 2021). "Complete List of 2020 ROH Award Winners". Www.wrestlezone.com. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  57. ^ Casciaro, Joseph (December 3, 2022). "NWA USA: The 2022 Revolution Rumble". Slam! Wrestling. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
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