Rhett Titus has been one of Ring of Honor?s longest tenured wrestlers still wrestling for the promotion today and a hungry, yet humble attitude has been a key reason for Titus sticking with Ring of Honor since 2005.
In an interview with Fightful that aired on a recent of Fightful?s ?The List & Ya Boy? podcast, Titus talked about his long tenure with Ring of Honor. Titus has personally witnessed many changes in the Ring of Honor chain of command from Adam Pearce taking over head booking duties from Gabe Sopolsky in 2008 to Sinclair Broadcasting Group becoming the parent company of Ring of Honor and with those changes, Titus said it was tough at first getting used to the major changes, but knew he had to make a strong impression with the new owners, especially with the first Ring of Honor event of the Sinclair era, Supercard of Honor VI.
?It was a little iffy at first because you feel like you have to prove yourself all over again, but most times you don?t because you have all this stuff that you?ve done in the past to rely on. You still want to show off to your new bosses and I remember when I went from Gabe to Adam Pearce, I was like, ?Oh man I was finally finding my groove with Gabe and now all of a sudden, boom! There?s a new booker!? But Adam Pearce took very good care of me. I remember the first time Sinclair was at a show was in May 2011 during Supercard of Honor where [All Night Express] fought the Briscoes in a Chicago Street Fight. I remember we were out dressed as we would for a street fight and I was thinking, ?Man I don?t want them to think that I?m some kind of hardcore brawler and they want to get rid of me right away.? You never get a second chance to make a first impression, but I?m very fortunate that I have good, working relationship with all of my owners and all of my bosses,? Titus said.
Dealing with new ownership can be tough at first, but it?s can be equally as tough being flexible and adapting to constant change. That type of adaptability, in addition to a humble attitude, is a key reason Titus has been able to remain with the company for so long when so many wrestlers either fan out or quickly become frustrated with their current position on the card.
?It?s just about staying hungry and staying humble,? Titus explained. ?Some guys will come in for a year and think, ?Why am I not in these marquee matches?? It doesn?t work that way. There?s a spot for everyone and if you know your spot, you?ll have a job for life. Sometimes, your spot can increase and grow and go up and down all over your career but at least you?d have a job. Some guys have gone down the card and thought, ?Forget this, I?m out of here.? I love wrestling and I want to make a living off wrestling. I don?t mind being the opening match. I can?t tell you how many times I?ve been in the opening match at Final Battle, maybe four or five, so who am I to complain??
The segment of the full interview can be seen in the episode of "The List & Ya Boy" can be seen in the video above. "The List & Ya Boy" is hosted by Fightful owner Jimmy Van and managing editor Sean Ross Sapp every Wednesday at 3 p.m. EST and features interviews from various stars in the wrestling industry including Shawn Daivari, Deonna Purrazzo, Diamond Dallas Page and more.