The Prime Time Players were an American

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

performing in the

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

, composed of

Darren Young Frederick Douglas Rosser III (born November 2, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current Strong Openweight Champion in his first reign. He is best known for his ...

and

Titus O'Neil Thaddeus Michael Bullard Sr. (born April 29, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and former arena football player. He is the Global Ambassador of WWE and also performs for the promotion as a wrestler under the ring name Titus O'Neil. D ...

. The two initially competed on ''

WWE NXT ''WWE NXT'', also known as ''NXT'', is an American professional wrestling television program. It is produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, featuring performers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The show currentl ...

'', debuting as a team in January 2012 and were later promoted to the main roster in April of that year. After disbanding and a brief feud in 2014, The Prime Times Players reunited in February 2015 and subsequently captured the

WWE Tag Team Championship WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...

from The New Day, at Money in the Bank before splitting once again in February 2016 and subsequently starting a feud between the two again.

History

Formation (2012)

Initially, O'Neil (who was then a

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

) and Young were rivals on ''

'' during its fifth season, named ''NXT Redemption''. Early on, O'Neil was paired with then-friend

Percy Watson Nicholas Christopher McNeil (born August 19, 1981), better known by his ring name Percy Watson, is an American professional wrestler, commentator, and former professional football player. He is best known for his time with WWE as a commentato ...

against Young and his NXT pro,

Chavo Guerrero Salvador Guerrero IV (born October 20, 1970) better known by his ring names Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero Jr., is an American professional wrestler. He has previously worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Federati ...

. The feud was put on hold when Guerrero was released and Young was suspended. On the November 16, 2011, episode of ''NXT'', O'Neil was assaulted by a returning Young. Young was then able to get the better of O'Neil twice in tag team matches. The conclusion to O'Neil's feud with Young came when O'Neil defeated Young in a no disqualification match on the January 18 episode of ''NXT''. O'Neil then turned heel after the match, verbally ripping on the audience, his former pro Hornswoggle, and NXT itself. O'Neil urged Watson to also turn his back on the fans on the January 25, 2012, episode of ''NXT Redemption''. When Watson refused, O'Neil shoved him and a match between the two was booked, leading to O'Neil defeating Watson. O'Neil continued to attack Watson after the match, leading to

Alex Riley Kevin Robert Kiley Jr. (born April 28, 1981) is an American professional wrestler and commentator best known for his time with WWE under the ring name Alex Riley. He was a participant in the second season of ''NXT''. Professional wrestling ...

saving Watson. O'Neil then formed an alliance with former enemy Young, and the duo teamed up to defeat Watson and Riley on the February 1 and February 29 episodes of ''NXT Redemption''. O'Neil also faced and defeated Riley on the February 22 episode. On the March 7 episode, Watson received his rematch against O'Neil and defeated O'Neil. O'Neil and Young then moved on to feud with

The Usos The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They ar ...

WWE Tag Team Championship pursuits and split (2012–2014)

On the April 18 episode of ''NXT Redemption'', it was announced that O'Neil and Young had been moved to the main roster. The team made their debut for the SmackDown brand on the April 20 episode of ''

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes sim ...

'' with a victory over The Usos. They started on a winning streak defeating the likes

Ezekiel Jackson Rycklon Stephens (born April 22, 1978) is a Guyanese-American retired professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He is best known for his time with WWE under the ring name Ezekiel Jackson, where he was the final ECW Champion under the WWE brand of ...

and

Yoshi Tatsu Yoshi is a fictional dinosaur who appears in video games published by Nintendo. Yoshi debuted in ''Super Mario World'' (1990) on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Mario and Luigi's sidekick. Yoshi is the title character of the List of Y ...

and

Santino Marella Anthony Carelli (born March 14, 1974) is a Canadian judoka and semi-retired professional wrestler. He is known for his 11-year tenure with WWE where he wrestled under the ring name Santino Marella. He is the founder of and instructor at Battle Ar ...

and

Zack Ryder Matthew Brett Cardona (born May 14, 1985) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Zack Ryd ...

. However, on the May 18 edition of ''SmackDown'', their winning streak ended when they were defeated by the Tag Team Champions

Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kofi Kingston. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-ha ...

and

R-Truth Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand under the ring name R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now ...

. On the June 1 edition of ''SmackDown'', O'Neil and Young named themselves the Prime Time Players. At No Way Out, they won a Fatal-four-Way tag team match to become the number one contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship following assistance from A. W. who had turned on his clients,

Primo and Epico Primo and Epico Colón are a Puerto Rican professional wrestling tag team. The team, composed of real-life cousins, are former WWE Tag Team Champions, with the title won during their first run as Primo and Epico from 2011 to 2013. They also for ...

in favor of the Prime Time Players, prompting a feud between the two tag teams. On the July 16 episode of ''Raw'', the Prime Time Players unsuccessfully challenged Kofi Kingston and R-Truth for the WWE Tag Team Championship. O'Neil and Young bounced back with two singles victories over Kingston and R-Truth. On the August 10 episode of ''SmackDown'', they defeated Primo and Epico in a number one contenders match via disqualification when A. W. provoked Kofi and R-Truth (who were doing guest commentary) into interfering in the match. That same day, A. W. was released from his contract. On the August 13 edition of ''Raw'', it was announced that the Prime Time Players would receive their championship match at

SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...

. That same night, after R-Truth defeated

Heath Slater Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he performs mononymously as Heath, and is also active on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in ...

, O'Neil and Young ambushed R-Truth and left him laying in the ring (Kingston was away on an international tour). At ''SummerSlam'', O'Neil & Young were defeated by Kingston and R-Truth. On the September 7 edition of ''SmackDown'', O'Neil and Young defeated

and

in a triple threat tag match to once again become the number one contenders to the Tag Team Championship. The following week of ''Raw'', they were defeated by Daniel Bryan

and or AND may refer to: Logic, grammar, and computing * Conjunction (grammar), connecting two words, phrases, or clauses * Logical conjunction in mathematical logic, notated as "∧", "⋅", "&", or simple juxtaposition * Bitwise AND, a boolea ...

Kane, who became the new number one contenders. At

Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...

, the Prime Time Players took part in a losing effort in a ten-man elimination tag team match. In an interview released on August 15, 2013, Young revealed his homosexual orientation in

real-life Real life is a phrase used originally in literature to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds, and in acting to distinguish between actors and the characters they portray. It has become a popular term on the ...

. On the August 19 episode of ''Raw'', the Prime Time Players started to wrestle as

faces The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...

, due to management's and the fans' support for Darren Young coming out. At the pre-show of

Night of Champions Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends o ...

, the Prime Time Players won a "Tag Team Turmoil" match and thus a title shot by last eliminating the Real Americans ( Antonio Cesaro and

Jack Swagger Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Jake Hager, where he is a member of the Jericho Appreciation Society ...

). Later that night, they lost to defending champions

Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...

and

Roman Reigns Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoa'i (born May 25, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and former football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Roman Reigns. He is the leader of The B ...

the Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt pol ...

. After their face turn they did several comedy segments backstage including selling merchandise and a hotdog eating contest. On the January 31, 2014, episode of ''

'' after Young was pinned in a tag team match against

Ryback Ryback Allen Reeves (né Ryan; born November 10, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE where he performed under the ring name Ryback. One of the eight finalists on WWE's '' Tough Enough 4'', Reeves ...

and

Curtis Axel Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and wrestled at their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and was ...

, O'Neil viciously attacked him after the match, turning heel and officially disbanding the team. They would have a match at

Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was founded by Chris Jericho , created and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel ...

, with O'Neil getting the victory. A rematch took place on the February 26 episode of ''

Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

'', which was won by Young. In April, Young underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee that would take him out of action for several months. Meanwhile, O'Neil formed a dysfunctional tag team with

, known as Slater-Gator (a reference to O'Neil being a Florida Gator), to little success.

Reunion and WWE Tag Team Champions (2015–2016)

On February 16 episode of Raw, O'Neil made a save for Young who, along with independent wrestler

Kevin Kross Kevin Kesar (born July 19, 1985) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Karrion Kross alongside his real life wife Scarlett Bordeaux. Prior to his time at WWE, ...

(who would later return to WWE under the ring name "Karrion Kross" in 2020), was being attacked by The Ascension. This signified a reunion of the team and face turn for O'Neil. On the February 23 episode of Raw, they officially reunited and gave The Ascension their first loss in the WWE. They once again defeated The Ascension on March 14 episode of ''Main Event''. They then participated in the

André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by excess ...

Memorial Trophy Battle Royal at

WrestleMania 31 WrestleMania 31 was the 31st annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on March 29, 2015, at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area town of Santa Clara, California. Nine ...

, which was won by

Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...

. After WrestleMania, they began performing comedic skits that poked fun at other tag teams including The New Day, The Ascension,

Los Matadores Primo Colón, Primo and Epico Colón are a Puerto Rican professional wrestling tag team. The team, composed of Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Legit, real-life cousins, are former WWE Raw Tag Team Championship, WWE Tag Team Champions, wi ...

and

Tyson Kidd and Cesaro Tyson Kidd and Cesaro were a professional wrestling tag team in WWE. They are former WWE Tag Team Champions. They formed a tag team in December 2014, and were accompanied to the ring by Natalya, Kidd's real-life wife. While the team had no of ...

. They became one of the five teams to challenge the New Day for the Tag Titles at

, and eliminated The Ascension and Tyson Kidd and Cesaro, but lost after all of The New Day pinned Titus O'Neil. The following week on ''SmackDown'', they won a triple threat tag team match against the

Lucha Dragons The Lucha Dragons were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Kalisto and Sin Cara. They previously wrestled in WWE's developmental territory NXT, where they were one-time NXT Tag Team Champions. Their name is a reference to their ''lucha ...

and The Ascension, to become the number one contenders for the tag team championship against The New Day at Money in the Bank. At Money in the Bank, the Prime Time Players defeated The New Day to capture the

, their first ever titles in WWE. At Battleground, the Prime Time Players successfully retained their titles against The New Day. At

, The New Day defeated The Prime Time Players in a Fatal-4-Way

match to become the new WWE Tag Team Champions. On the September 7 episode of ''Raw'', it was announced that The New Day would defend the titles against The Prime Time Players in a rematch the following week, and the winners would defend the titles against The

Dudley Boyz The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley family ...

. On the September 14 episode of ''Raw'', The New Day defeated The Prime Time Players, thus setting up The New Day vs. The Dudley Boyz for Night of Champions. Towards the end of 2015, O'Neil and Young began focusing on singles careers. On the November 9 episode of ''Raw'', O'Neil competed in the first round of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament against

Kevin Owens Kevin Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Kevin Owens. Steen began his career in 2000, at the age of 16. Prior to joining WWE in lat ...

, in a losing effort. At the

pre-show, O'Neil teamed with a returning

Goldust Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes. He is best known for his multiple tenures with WWE ...

and Neville against The Cosmic Wasteland,

The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fa ...

and

Bo Dallas Taylor Michael Rotunda (born May 25, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Bo Dallas. Rotunda is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Bla ...

, in a five-on-five traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match, in a winning effort. O'Neil and Young appeared as a team on January 15, 2016, at a house show on WWE's

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

tour. Young teamed with Damien Sandow on the Royal Rumble 2016 Kickoff Show in a Fatal 4-Way tag team match, while O'Neil competed in the

Royal Rumble match The Royal Rumble match is a professional wrestling match based on the classic Battle Royal match in which a number of wrestlers (traditionally 30) aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the ...

itself. On the February 2, 2016, taping of ''

'', the duo returned to team with

, to defeat The Ascension, Stardust and

Tyler Breeze Matthew Clement (born January 19, 1988) is a Canadian professional wrestler and professional wrestling trainer. He is currently signed to WWE under the ring name Tyler Breeze as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center. From 2010 to 2012, he pe ...

. They have since quietly disbanded when O'Neil received a 60-day suspension after the February 8 episode of Raw after an alleged physical altercation with Vince McMahon. After O'Neil's suspension, both Young and O'Neil returned to singles competition. O'Neil began a feud with Rusev for the

WWE United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, along with the ...

while Young started a storyline with Bob Backlund, challenging

for the

WWE Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roste ...

Second feud (2016)

When the

WWE Draft The WWE Draft, alternatively called the WWE Superstar Shake-up from 2017 to 2019, is a process used by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion WWE to refresh its rosters between the Raw (WWE brand), Raw and SmackDown (WWE bran ...

returned in July 2016, both of them were drafted to the Raw brand. On the August 1 episode of ''Raw'', O'Neil started a slow heel turn when he questioned Young's motives on being "great again". Later that night, he defeated Young when he pinned him while grabbing Young's tights. Afterwards, he got into a backstage altercation Bob Backlund before Young came to the defense of Backlund by attacking O'Neil. The week after on ''Raw'', Young defeated O'Neil via pinfall by grabbing O'Neil's tights, mimicking the way O'Neil defeated him. On the August 15 episode of ''Raw'', Young and O'Neil reconciled and were placed in an

ad hoc Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning literally 'to this'. In English, it typically signifies a solution for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a generalized solution adaptable to collateral instances. (Compare with '' a priori''.) C ...

tag team match against The Shining Stars. During the match, O'Neil attacked Young, officially turning heel in the process for the first time since 2015. On October 29, 2017, Darren Young was released from his WWE contract thus ending any possibilities of a reunion.

Reception

Former WWE wrestler

Shad Gaspard Shad Javier Gaspard (January 13, 1981 – May 17, 2020) was an American professional wrestler and actor. He was best known for his time with WWE, where he performed under his real name, or mononymously as Shad. Gaspard signed with World Wrestl ...

has accused the team of basing their gimmick off his former team

Cryme Tyme Cryme Tyme was an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of JTG and Shad Gaspard, best known for their tenure in WWE. The team was an over-the-top parody of stereotypical street thugs. The tag team first disbanded in 2010, though ...

, albeit without the "gangster style" and bling-bling fashion.

Championships and accomplishments

* ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

'' ** PWI ranked O'Neil No. 82 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

in 2013 ** PWI ranked Young No. 89 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the

in 2013 ** Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2013) – Young * ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' ** Most Deserved Push (2015) *

( 1 time)

Other awards and honors

* MEGA Dad Awards ** MEGA Celebrity Dad of the Year (2015) – O'Neil

References

External links

*Darren Young
WWE profile

CageMatch profile
*Titus O'Neil
WWE profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prime Time Players, The WWE teams and stables