photograph by Dave Decker showing global ambassador and former WWE wrestler Titus O'Neil posing with two young fans at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on August 8, 2026. Captured center frame in a medium shot, O'Neil wears a beige t-shirt and glasses while enthusiastically wrapping his arms around the shoulders of two young boys standing in front of him. The boy on the left wears a white graphic t-shirt and laughs, while the boy on the right wears a black graphic t-shirt and smiles toward the camera. In the background, a wall monitor displays logos for "Back to School Bash" and "Hungry Howie's," alongside a Tampa Bay Buccaneers flag hanging in the indoor venue space under bright indoor lighting.
Titus O’Neil (center) at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Aug. 8, 2026. Credit: Dave Decker / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

Thaddeus Bullard is an omnipresent figure in the Bay area, and much of his work centers around children. And as Florida public schools stare down a potentially dark future under potential first lady Erika Donalds, Bullard, aka WWE superstar Titus O’Neil, is celebrating the wins.

Last month, the middle magnet school that bears his name was upgraded to a “B” rating for the first time in two-and-a-half-decades.

Last Saturday, the 49-year-old’s Bullard Family Foundation returned to Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium for the ninth edition of his back-to-school bash where 30,000 backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed to children ahead of the first day of school. Medical and dental services were also available to families.

All photos by Dave Decker

This article appears in August 06 – 12, 2026.

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief...

Dave Decker is a songwriter and photographer living in Tampa Bay.