I enjoyed this book. I hope Mr. O'Neil earned his title of Dad because I am now a follower and hope for the same result.

Many of you will read this book because you are a fan of Titus O'Neil the WWE superstar. You will not be disappointed in what you read. It is a glimpse into the man behind the persona. But I have know Thaddeus Bullard since his freshman year at UF. Thad is the man behind the persona. While I knew some of his story, there was so much more in this book about the man that made me even more impressed by his accomplishments. Not the work on the shows, or even on the field. The work off the field, in the community, and in his home are the real accomplishments. Thad has risen to staggering heights after starting in some of the toughest circumstances imaginable. He is open and honest with his struggles and his successes in the book. You will find this book an encouragement to do your best as a father whether by birth, adoption, or just as a father figure. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

Thaddeus Bullard, best known as WWE superstar Titus O'Neil, imparts valuable wisdom about fatherhood and his thoughts on what it is to be a man in an imperfect world. His upbringing was challenging and could have led him down a darker path, but with the guidance of strong father figures in his community, he overcame his obstacles and thrived. While his WWE career might not look as successful has his peers, his values and commitment to 'paying it forward' and helping other disadvantaged youth in this community and beyond shines brighter than any championship belt could.

His cadence and writing style is not overly preachy and he is honest about his doubts and trepidation of being a father of two boys and an adopted father of a girl, while juggling his career as a sports entertainer / professional wrestler.

Thank you to NetGalley and ECW for the ARC. My review was published on 30 June 2024 at www.equinoxx.info.

If you were to do what I've been taught not to do and judge Titus O'Neil's upcoming book - Wrestling With Fatherhood: My Championship Journey to My Greatest Title: Dad - by its cover, you could very well end up let down.

There is a WWE logo in the top left corner of the book's face, so I immediately assumed it would be an autobiography about the World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler and current global ambassador - Titus O'Neil.

It isn't that.

What Wrestling With Fatherhood is is a reflection on his role as a father by Thaddeus Bullard Sr: the real man behind the Titus O'Neil moniker..

Going in, I was aware of Bullard's work as a philanthropist, his community work and - in my opinion - one of the coolest things he has achieved: having a school named after him. The book details Bullard's work but, as it says on the cover, the main spotlight shines on Bullard overcame being born to a single mother to achieving a family of his own.

Bullard uses the 'it takes a village to raise a child' proverb a lot in this book. He uses it with experience, though. That's because some of his strong mentors as a child were people who were not considered family initially. Those people accepted their job as role models to Bullard.

Going by Bullard's words, it's evident that Charles Blalock is the strongest inspiration to Bullard. His guidance has led the book's writer to become the man he is today.

After closing the book, as weird as this may come across, I felt that I knew less about Titus O'Neil but more about Thaddeus Bullard Sr.

If anyone is looking to pick this book up to learn about Titus O'Neil's sporting and active pro wrestling career, they'll end up finding little. There isn't enough substance to recommend it for that.

This book should be handed to the organisations World Wrestling Entertainment works alongside. With Bullard acting as one of the ambassadors for the company, the book would help those groups learn more about the person than a press pack would.

But, that's not all.

In my opinion, the ideal audience would be young persons - whether they are fathers or not - who may need to be inspired to see that it is possible to be reach a high station in life through the helping actions and words of a village.