What’s the story?
According to TMZ Sports, WWE Superstar Titus O'Neil allegedly lost his mind at a WWE cameraman and beat him black and blue after a prank – for a YouTube show, WWE Swerved – went wrong. The cameraman, Donald Anderson has now filed a lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court demanding more than $1.2m in damages.
In case you didn’t know…
WWE teamed up with Jeff Tremaine, the director of Hollywood flicks like Jackass and Bad Grandpa, to give the viewers a hilarious series, WWE Swerved. The original show debuted on 22 June 2015 on the WWE Network and has featured the likes of Paige, AJ Styles among others.
It revolves around WWE Superstars getting pranked by other wrestlers and the WWE staff.
The heart of the matter
Donald Anderson claimed that he had been hired to work for the WWE Network, on ‘Swerved’. According to TMZ Sports, Anderson has further claimed in his lawsuit that he was shooting an episode on May 18th, 2015 in which Titus was selected as the target for a prank.
The prank involved the WWE Superstar getting zapped. However, as Titus received the electric shock, he flipped out and kicked the camera off Anderson’s hand. The cameraman suffered serious injuries to his hand, fingers and wrist during the incident.
He also claimed that he was told to leave the premises immediately "in fear of the possibility of further attacks by Titus."
Titus O’Neil has remained unavailable for comments.
What’s next?
The cameraman has filed a lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court and has sued Titus demanding in excess of $1.2m in damages. It is now to be seen how the matter unfolds in the court.
Titus, for his part, is currently signed to the RAW brand where his gimmick, ‘Titus Brand’, is that of a business/manager keen on working with Apollo Crews.
Author’s take
Pranks should be always taken lightly. Titus should have laughed it off instead of taking it out on the poor cameraman.
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