WWE has suspended Titus O’Neil for unprofessional conduct following an incident with Vince McMahon. He was sent home from the SmackDown tapings on Tuesday.
The incident occurred at the end of RAW on Monday as the WWE roster stood at the top of the ramp along with Vince McMahon as they all conducted a “YES” chant in tribute to Daniel Bryan, who announced his retirement at the show.
As proceedings ended, Titus grabbed Vince McMahon in the arm and pulled him towards him as Vince walked past. This was described as being in a “playful, physical manner”. However, McMahon took exception to the horseplay given the seriousness of the situation, and promptly suspended Titus for his actions.
The suspension is believed to be for 90 days, which means O’Neil will miss WrestleMania 32 in Dallas, TX.
O’Neil, 39, signed with WWE in 2009 and is best known as one half of the Prime Time Players. He’s been very active in local community outreach where he lives in Tampa. O’Neil had lost to Adam Rose earlier during the Raw broadcast.
This is not the first time a WWE Superstar has been suspended for their actions on TV. Former WWE Superstar, Paul London was suspended in 2007 after he was seen on screen laughing during the death of Mr. McMahon backstage segment.
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UPDATE: Titus’ suspension has been reduced to 60 days.