WWE superstar Sheamus recently opened up about who he believes is the funniest person in the locker room—and the title goes to none other than Otis. Known for his quirky personality both on and off-screen, Otis has left a lasting impression on his peers with his unique sense of humor and charismatic presence.
In a candid discussion on My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Fox, the multi-time World Champion explained why Otis stands out as the ultimate source of laughter in WWE.
“Otis is the—he’s like, he’s a guy who just talks in riddles, and you don’t understand what he’s saying half the time,” Sheamus said.
While keeping specifics under wraps, he added, “I can’t repeat what he says… but he’s literally one of the funniest guys.” Sheamus also emphasized Otis’s positive influence backstage, describing him as the person everyone gravitates toward due to his lighthearted energy and infectious humor.
Behind the scenes, Otis plays an integral role in lifting the spirits of his fellow wrestlers, creating a lively and upbeat atmosphere. This ability to connect through humor not only enhances team morale but also adds to his overall appeal as a WWE superstar. Whether it’s his on-screen antics or off-screen banter, Otis’s comedic flair continues to entertain fans and peers alike.
Check out our exclusive interview with Otis and Chad Gable last summer during WWE SummerSlam 2024 weekend:
Posted January 22nd, 2025 in WWE. Tagged: Otis, Sheamus.
The action didn’t stop after this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown went off the air from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The show saw the blue brand deal with the fallout of Survivor Series: WarGames, new WWE Tag Team Champions crowned, and a new ‘Transfer Window’ be introduced.
In the first dark match of the night, Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker made quick work of Dominik Mysterio. Neither man was featured on SmackDown, though eagle-eyed fans spotted ‘Dirty Dom’ speaking to Nick Aldis during a segment with Chelsea Green, Bianca Belair, and Piper Niven.
In the second dark match, World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER retained his gold against Minnesota’s own Otis. Despite a valiant effort by the Alpha Academy star, GUNTHER retained his title with a powerbomb onto the superheavweight The 2021 King of the Ring appeared on SmackDown where he met with General Manager Nick Aldis.
The fans in Minneapolis certainly had a stacked night of WWE action, both during the SmackDown broadcast and after the show went off the air. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest from WWE SmackDown as the blue brand appears poised for major changes thanks to the upcoming Transfer Window.
Another Halloween has come and gone, and for the Superstars of WWE, they once again have had the chance to dress up for the season. The Superstars are hardly strangers to portraying colorful characters on TV every single week and that has been the case with this year’s Halloween costumes.
On X, WWE showcased some of the Superstars in this year’s costumes. Otis and Akira Tozawa made quite the pair of Dudley Boyz while Maxxine Dupri portrayed the ‘Duchess of Dudleyville’ Stacey Kiebler. R-Truth dressed as his childhood icon John Cena while Chelsea Green and Piper Niven did their take on WWE GMs Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce.
Mia Yim channeled her inner Lita while Zelina Vega represented her LWO ally Rey Mysterio from his WCW days post-unmasking. Byron Saxton gave a royal replication of King Booker and, Indi Hartwell learned how to be Chelsea Green from the self-prescribed Hot Mess herself.
Halloween is always a fun time in wrestling, with WWE leaning into the spooky season with the recent NXT Halloween Havoc Premium Live Event. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest from WWE as the company prepares for major changes, including Raw’s move to Netflix, in the coming months.
In late 2019, Otis and Mandy Rose entered an on-screen romance with the powerhouse aiding Rose in matches, including the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble. After sealing their relationshipwith a kiss at WrestleMania 36, the pair continued to be an on-screen duo until Rose was traded to Raw in September that same year.
While countless men would love to have been in Otis’ shoes for the angle, it was Rose who pitched the angle with the future Alpha Academy member. On the Insight podcast, Otis shared how the angle came to be.
“She was definitely the ignition for sure. Because you can it pitch all day long. Mandy, she’s like, ‘I’ll talk to Vince’… she definitely was like, Hey, we gotta do this.”
The angle proved to be a hit with fans, and Otis recalled Google incorrectly listing the pair as a married couple due to their on-screen romance. While Otis had a lot of fun working with Rose, it was a ‘test’ for him to keep things professional.
“I’m gonna kiss the world champion bikini model. Behave yourself. Every day was a test. We could never do a pre-shot. It was always live.”
Rose’s tenure with Otis may have come to an abrupt end, but the former Raw Tag Team Champion has fond memories of his time as part of WWE’s hottest couple. Rose was controversially released from WWE in December 2022, but with Rose seemingly open to a WWE return, fans can’t count out a reunion for Otis and his ‘peach.’
WWE Clash at the Castle is set for June 15 in Glasgow, Scotland. Sami Zayn will be there with an Intercontinental Title match.
On this week’s WWE RAW, Sami Zayn appeared, soon joined by the Alpha Academy. Maxxine Dupri read a note from Gable, who didn’t show up himself. Zayn then booked an IC Title match against Gable at Clash at the Castle.
Gable then attacked Zayn, leading to chaos. Akira Tozawa and Maxxine were knocked off the apron, and Otis acted like he would stand up to Gable. This gave Sami time to recover and get his revenge.
After the segment, Alpha Academy was shown backstage, with Chad Gable the only happy one. Maxxine Dupri and Tozawa sold their injuries, while Otis looked conflicted. Gable kissed Otis on the cheek, saying they will come together at Clash at the Castle to ensure he wins the IC Title.
With Gable’s WWE contract nearing its end and this storyline heading to the premium live event, it seems the Alpha Academy’s meltdown will happen in Scotland.
Damian Priest (c) vs. Drew McIntyre – Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Bayley (c) vs. Piper Niven – Singles match for the WWE Women’s Championship
Sami Zayn (c) vs. Chad Gable – Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
More WWE men besides Bronson Reed want meat at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia and they aren’t talking cheesesteaks.
There may certainly be a stop at Tony Luke’s for WWE stars when they do hit the City of Brotherly Love for WrestleMania, but Bronson Reed has his own meat agenda in South Philly. The big Aussie implored fellow men on his roster to speak up on getting a Meaty Invitational cooking for WrestleMania in honor of Big E.
“There are some BIG brothers currently not on this year’s #WrestleMania. I think its time for Big E MEATY INVITATIONAL! If you, the WWE universe want it, let your voice be heard!!!”
Sure enough, Reed had several names answering the call. First was Otis, mentioning his past history with Bronson.
“YEAAA as a Matter of FACT.
“Ohhh YEAAA
“I got sum unfinished business with You Big Daddy Claw…
“As to other BIG MEN on the Roster…
“That’s a lot BIG LOADS in 1 Ring….
“OVER SIZE LOADS in the squared circle
“PURE K@RNAGE!”
YEAAA as a Matter of FACT Ohhh YEAAA I got sum unfinished business with You Big Daddy Claw… As to other BIG MEN on the Roster… That's a lot BIG LOADS in 1 Ring…. OVER SIZE LOADS in the squared circle PURE K@RNAGE! #MEATMANIAhttps://t.co/NYXCyV6vUE
There’s plenty more meat to go around on SmackDown and Raw who could potentially throw their hats in the ring. Omos, Braun Strowman, Bron Breakker, Bobby Lashley, Akam, Rezar, Dijak and Odyssey Jones all have the capability of causing a monster stir in the ring.
Tony Khan had plans for a Meat Madness at AEW Revolution earlier in March, but decided to put that meat on ice when not everyone he wanted was available to compete in the match. Instead, there was a big scramble bout in which Wardlow won.
Otis was happy to save Mandy Rose during the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble match but had serious concerns about being under the ring during the bout itself.
The match in question saw Rose enter from the #8 spot. After eliminating Mercedes Matinez, Rose herself was thrown over the top rope. Fortunately for the future NXT Women’s Champion, Otis, her on-screen love interest, was under the ring and she landed on him, meaning her feet didn’t hit the floor.
Otis On The Royal Rumble Spot
Four years on, the spot is fondly remembered by fans as a unique, entertaining moment that has yet to be duplicated. During an interview with Fightful, Otis recalled being under the ring during the match and fearing the worst was going to happen.
“I had never been under the ring before. I remember going like, ‘it sounds like it’s going to break.’ Our ring guy Nick goes, ‘Imagine when I’m down here and you’re up there buddy. Then it’s going to really break.’”
For company, Otis had a monitor so he could track the match and know when exactly he needed to appear. Otis also had a ‘pee bottle’ while under the ring, stating that “you never know.”
What Came Next?
Otis and Rose’s on-screen relationship reached its peak at WrestleMania 36 when the Alpha Academy member defeated Dolph Ziggler. Otis and his ‘peach’ would share a post-match kiss.
Unfortunately, the pairing would be short-lived after that. Rose would be moved to Raw that same year, ending her relationship with Otis in the process. The year would go from bad to worse for the big man, who would lose his Money in the Bank contract to The Miz after being betrayed by then tag-team partner Tucker.
The Superstars of WWE have weighed in as to whether it’ll be the San Francisco 49ers or the Kansas City Chiefs who stand tall at Super Bowl LVIII.
The Big Game is mere hours away with excitement for the Super Bowl at a fever pitch. The match will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, which WWE fans will recognize as the host of SummerSlam 2021.
WWE Stars Give Their Picks for Super Bowl LVIII: 49ers or Chiefs?
Football fans have their picks for who’ll be winning Super Bowl LVIII, as do the WWE Superstars. In a recent video, the Superstars were asked for their predictions for the Big Game.
In the 49ers’ corner, the team has Jey Uso, who made it clear he’s red and gold ’til he’s dead and cold and threw in a YEET for good measure. San Francisco’s own ‘Dirty’ Dominik Mysterio is unsurprisingly backing the 49ers, as is the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble match winner Bayley and Alpha Academy’s Otis.
The Kansas City Chiefs have some considerable star power of their own, in addition to Taylor Swift. R-Truth is backing the Chiefs, while Baron Corbin was practically offended anyone thought he wouldn’t be rooting for the team. Carlito is also backing the 49ers, as is WWE SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis. WWE Raw announcer Samantha Irvin is also backing the 49ers.
Not everyone had a clear-cut favorite, as Byron Saxton said that Taylor Swift was going to win the game herself. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka and Kairi Sane simply laughed off the question. When the pair were asked the question in 2020 (which again featured the 49ers and the Chiefs), the Kabuki Warriors made it clear that they didn’t care.
There’s some WWE involvement happening right now at Super Bowl LVIII…
WWE Superstar Otis recently made a tragic announcement stating that his mother has passed away.
The Alpha Academy member is certainly one of the most loved superstars in the company. His jovial character, and comedic antics, especially the ‘Caterpillar,’ has endeared him to the fans. He is currently a part of the tag team with Chad Gable and Maxxine Dupri, performing on Raw.
Otis remembers his mother
Otis took to his Instagram account and posted a slew of pictures featuring himself and his mother, who recently passed away. It included moments from his childhood as well. The former Mr. Money In The Bank, penned an emotional note in the caption.
Otis stated that he is grateful for his mother’s role in his life. He is thankful to her for introducing him to the world of John Candy movies, for rocking out to the music of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers and Stevie Nicks together. He also recalled moments watching horror classics with his sister, KARI.
Check it out below.
“Rest Now Forever Where Now there is no more Pain Because of you growing up I’ve Memorized every John Candy Movie Introduced and Jam to Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers and Stevie Nicks Know all the Horror Classics watching with KARI (Sissy) I know you were weirded out me pursuing My Dream as a Wrestler but I said to you “Just something I have to Do Gaisan, Sorry I am You SON SON Tell Great Grandma “Kattle Kate Pallas” I’ll give her a run for her money in the ring up in Heaven See You down the Road, with you picking me up jaming to Tracy Chapman Fast Car – Niko.”
One of Otis’s most notable moments in WWE took place when he secured the Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match in 2020. This victory earned him a guaranteed WWE Universal Championship match. However, his run as Mr. Money in the Bank ended at Hell in a Cell as he lost the contract to The Miz.
We at SEScoops send condolences to Otis.
Posted January 29th, 2024 in News, WWE. Tagged: Otis.
WWE Superstar Otis has opened up about his lengthy battle with dyslexia after reading his first book front to back.
Otis appears on Monday Night Raw as part of Alpha Academy with Chad Gable, and the duo are former Raw Tag Team Champions.
Before turning heel, Otis teamed with Tucker in Heavy Machinery and is a former Mr. Money in the Bank, but lost the contract to The Miz before he had the chance to cash in.
Reading Pet Sematary
Taking to Twitter, Otis shared the news that he recently finished reading Stephen King’s 1983 horror classic Pet Sematary.
Otis explained that he has dealt with Dyslexia since elementary school, and WWE had approached him a year ago about getting into a reading class.
The Raw Superstar also praised his teacher Kimmy Swedberg, who chose Pet Sematary as Otis is a fan of horror, and was terrified by the 1989 film adaptation as a child.
Otis called Swedberg the “Best instructor and teacher” and gave a review of the book, and is already planning his next read, King’s 1977 classic The Shining.
According to recent research, it is believed 15% of people deal with some form of dyslexia, equating to over 30 million people in the United States alone.
Otis isn’t alone in his battle with dyslexia, as several wrestlers have come forward with their own struggles.
In an August 2019 interview, CJ (Lana) Perry said she learned of her dyslexia in college, and Diamond Dallas Page told Lilian Garcia on the Chasing Glory podcast that he had to deal with dyslexia at a time when nobody knew what it was.
Former WWE Superstar Tucker has been vocal with his dislike of WWE’s creative booking ever since he was released from the company just over a week ago.
“IMO and obviously I have a bad taste in my mouth; but there is very little opportunity for talent to have any sense of agency over who they are and what happens on tv” Tucker said on Twitter.
“To me it’s this part of the creative process that is hurting the product the most currently;” the former member of the Heavy Machinery tag team mentioned.
Jon Alba, who also worked for WWE previously, asked Tucker if he felt this was just an issue with booking on RAW. Fans have been critical of the red brand but SmackDown and NXT have been largely favoured over the past few months.
Tucker on WWE Creative
“Personally no I didn’t find it to be any different most days” Tucker replied. “I will say there a general sense of less stress on the 2 hour show but creatively I didn’t find a difference.”
Tucker finished by naming the Otis and Mandy Rose storyline specifically. Tucker was of course part of that angle, which was a huge part of WWE programming before WrestleMania 36.
WWE would end up dropping the angle without any real conclusion, beside ‘Tucky’ turning heel and Mandy changing brands.
“Yeah or doing a story like Mandy and Otis for months with zero payoff” Tucker emphatically finished, showing his disgust at how his former tag partner was treated.
Otis and Apollo Crews went through a change in their characters on tonight’s SmackDown as both of them embraced their negative sides.
A match was set between Shinsuke Nakamura and Apollo Crews during SmackDown, with Intercontinental Champion Big E joining commentary for the match.
While the match was underway, Big E derided Apollo Crews and told him that it was time to move on and fight someone like Nakamura instead. This only made things worse as Crews lost to Nakamura and resorted to causing chaos and uncalled-for violence.
After being rolled up for a successful pinfall by Nakamura, Crews attacked him from behind while he was celebrating and threw him out of the ring. Crews launched Nakamura to the barricade and went to mouth off to Big E. Crews then grabbed the steel steps, but Big E got in the way and told him to put it down and walk away.
Crews complied and put them down, with Big E going to check on Nakamura – only for Crews to pick them up again and slam them in Big E’s back, effectively knocking him down. He then threw the steps and Big E inside the ring, but a referee interfered in time, allowing E to roll out of harm’s way.
The referee asked Crews to throw the steps down – which he did – but they landed on Big E. He was then stretchered out of the ThunderDome.
Apollo Crews’ full heel turn was definitely around the corner, and now it has finally arrived. It’d be interesting to see if Crews could join hands with Roman Reigns now that he’s on the “other” side.
Apollo Crews is not the only heel turn of the night though, as Otis surprised everyone by knocking out Rey Mysterio during a tag team match.
During the match between Otis and Chad Gable vs Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio, Alpha Academy, however, wanted to unfold chaos in the ring. For some reason, Gable argued and ordered Otis to deliver a splash from the top turnbuckle on Rey Mysterio, who was already down.
The referee then called for the bell, as Otis apparently didn’t pay any heed to the official’s count of five. Gable instructed Otis to hit another splash on Rey, after which Otis proceeded to pose in the ring. Dominik helped Rey backstage as he was knocked out and wasn’t moving.
The former NXT star recently had an interview with FOX Sports where he talked about a number of things and also responded to these rumors about himself and the other WWE talent.
Otis labelled the reports as ‘kind of funny’ before explaining that they weren’t told anything like that. The former Mr. Money In The Bank then claimed that the stars are always working on improvements regardless:
“I think it’s always been there, it wasn’t like, ‘hey, we were told this and that.’ That Performance Center is a tool for us to get better. If another big man wants to come up to me and wants to work on stuff, or vice versa. We’re always working.
So, that report was kind of funny at the same time. We’re never not working.” said Otis “Especially now that we don’t have live events, so we can’t really get our stuff out. It’s just bottled inside in a little bottle. Right now it’s like; we’re not getting that stuff out there. So, we’ll find more and more ways to get in the ring with each other.”
"It wasn’t like, "Hey, we were told this and that." That @WWEPC is a tool for us to get better…now that we don’t have live events, so we can’t really get our stuff out." – @otiswwe to @ryansatinpic.twitter.com/Vvw1lJT5tz
The WWE star later revealed that his dad told him about the rumors. He said that there wasn’t much of a report to begin with since they are always working out.
For those who don’t know, it was reported earlier this month that Vince McMahon ‘threw a fit’ about the working abilities of several WWE roster members including Otis. He ordered them to be sent back to the Performance Center for training classes. You can check out the full report here.
WWE Superstar Mandy Rose recently appeared on the Gorilla Position podcast. The SmackDown Superstar would discuss a number of topics from her recent career with the company. These would include the red-hot storyline involving her and Otis, Becky Lynch now leaving the company and what it is like pitching directly to Vince McMahon.
It was recently revealed that Mandy Rose pitched the idea of the Otis storyline directly to the WWE Chairman. Since the beginning of that feud Otis has gone on to have a featured WrestleMania match and win Money In The Bank; so it’s fair to say that the pitch worked out well.
Pitching to Vince
“You want to make sure that he likes it, hopefully!” Mandy Rose began talking about pitching storylines to the WWE Chairman. “And if he doesn’t? Whatever you know? At least you tried. It’s not that big of a deal.”
Rose would then say how difficult it can be getting the time to speak to McMahon, due to his busy schedule. “He’s [McMahon] a very important man, he’s so busy it’s hard sometimes trying to get a word in with him. Sometimes? If it’s a good time, and it was a good time, I just went with it. I just gave him quick bullet points of what I think it would be, how it would be cool involving Otis and he loved it.”
Mandy Rose and Otis Storyline Resonating
Mandy Rose finished by pinpointing the time that she felt the storyline was going to be a hit with the crowd. “The time where it resonated with me so well? That this would be a great story? Was the time before Thanksgiving when we did like the ham thing and I gave him a kiss backstage on the cheek and we heard the crowd erupt. I was like ‘wow this is going to be something good’ and I think everyone [backstage] felt that.”
With Mandy and Otis seemingly getting big pushes going forward on WWE television we may see both edge closer to the main event scene before the year is finished.
Otis has found great success since his main roster debut in January last year. The former NXT star has constantly been featured on WWE programming since then and he also recently won the Money In The Bank match.
Due to his physique and charismatic in-ring presence, some people have started comparing the SmackDown star to the late great Dusty Rhodes.
Otis commented on these comparisons during a recent interview with SportsKeeda. He said that there is only one Dusty Rhodes and being compared to him is an honor:
“There’s only one Dusty Rhodes. I haven’t heard too much of that comparison but I guess you could say that because we’re both big, beefy guys. Good looking, thick men.
It’s an honor. He’s one of the best of all time, Dusty Rhodes.” said Otis. “And watching his stuff back too, just to see how he was working his swagger on the camera, how he translated to the fans was awesome, man,”
The 2020 Money In The Bank winner continued by saying that he hasn’t studied Dusty too much but you have to appreciate his work every time you watch his old matches.
There is no news on when Otis might cash in his Money In The Bank but there are speculations that he can use the contract for a title shot at the Tag Team Championships with his partner Tucker instead of a world title opportunity.
WWE Superstar Otis recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. Mr Money In The Bank appeared on the WWE Network show to discuss a number of topics from his career. One point raised was when and how Otis plans on cashing in his MITB briefcase.
With Otis winning the contract just over a week ago, he has the opportunity to challenge for any World Championship in WWE at any time. There has been speculation that the Heavy Machinery member may be considering gifting the briefcase to Mandy Rose or even going for the Tag Team Championships with his partner Tucker.
Mr Money In The Bank Otis
“There won’t be much basking baby” Otis began the interview after being asked if he wants to enjoy the moment of having the briefcase before cashing in. “It’s a matter of my personality: sooner, the better.”
“I don’t know when but soon but sooner rather than later this bad boys getting cashed in” Otis would continue. “I don’t care if my opponent sees me coming, or sees it from the side or sees me coming from behind, which I usually never do. I’m going to keep on coming to get this.”
Elevating Careers
Otis, in his own special way, would then discuss how winning the briefcase could elevate his career massively. “Because this is what makes life better, for your situation your career. I cash this in. I don’t know what title yet, I’ve haven’t decided…my brain just does this (mimes swirling motion). you know?”
Otis would finish by re-iterating that he wants to go for a Championship as quickly as possible. “I’m going to say sooner than later, OOH YEAH, I ain’t waiting. I’ve never been a patient man I just keep going BABY.”
Otis won the most unique men’s Money in the Bank match in history last Sunday. As AJ Styles and King Corbin fought over the briefcase atop the ladder, it fell from both their hands and into Otis’. The win not only means a future title shot for him but a potential move up the card to main event status.
Otis recently took part in an interview with Between the Ropes, and spoke about WWE’s use of cinematic matches since fans have been prevented from attending live events.
“I think everything happens for a reason. That’s a very strong quote that I live by,” Otis said. “That Boneyard match, I mean, I just felt like I was watching a cool thriller action movie, like big thumbs up to everybody that worked on that. The Firefly match, our Money the Bank match.”
Otis continued to talk about how the pandemic helped open the door for WWE to run with these creative match types.
“If this pandemic didn’t, unfortunately, pan out, I don’t know if you would have thought of that Boneyard match or thought of that awesome Firefly Funhouse match. I think we could definitely be in the norm here though.”
Otis on Working With Mandy Rose
Otis faced Dolph Ziggler in single’s competition at WrestleMania 36. Not only did he win the match but he also celebrated after with his new storyline girlfriend Mandy Rose. Otis also commented on what its like working with Rose during the interview.
“Everybody asks how’s Mandy behind the curtain. She’s awesome, man. Some may be surprised being but being that beautiful and being that humble at the same time, it’s awesome, man. The hardest part of the storyline is making sure she doesn’t laugh or I don’t laugh at certain things in the backstage segments but it’s fun.”
Money In The Bank winner Otis was a recent guest on Lilian Garcia’s podcast Chasing Glory. During their conversation, Otis opened up about how he first became a pro wrestling fan, and why he felt he had to hide the fact he was.
Otis recalled discovering pro wrestling when he was around 4 years old. The first show he watched was apparently an episode of WCW Thunder. It was after this first experience that his mother would sign him up for amateur wrestling.
Despite training and competing in amateur wrestling, Otis admitted his love for pro wrestling “kept growing and growing and growing.” He shared how “there’s this unwritten rule of like ‘You can’t watch professional wrestling if you’re an amateur wrestler.’” Otis referred to that approach as a “weird toughness” where people would discourage each other from watching pro wrestling.
This forced Otis to enjoy pro wrestling in relative secrecy. He divulged how “I kinda had a secret with me until some of my buddies would watch it with me and all that, but for some reason, what made me happy was always wrestling.”
Having won the MITB briefcase, Otis now has the ability to cash it in for championship opportunity at any point over the next year. According to him, however, he’s not interested in waiting too long for his shot.
Having won the Money In The Bank briefcase this past Sunday, Otis now has the chance to cash in for a championship shot. He can claim this right at any point over the next year. According to Otis, however, he isn’t interested in waiting to cash in his championship opportunity.
In an interview with Comicbook.com, Otis revealed how he wants to “cash that thing right away,” stressing that there is no time to waste. He also spoke about WWE’s recent cinematic matchups and the planning process for the Money In The Bank match.
Otis On WWE Cinematic Matches
Like the Boneyard Match and the Firefly Fun House, this past Sunday’s Ladder Match was a pre-recorded cinematic match.
Otis acknowledged that the filming of the match led to a long day. He added that working with those Superstars made it feel like a day off as it’s so fun:
“It’s a great day, just the freedom of just going ‘Yeah, I’ll drop the weights on AJ, just drop this load on his chest.’ That’s just so damn funny to me.”
When it came to the creative process of the MITB match, Otis shared his contributions to the proceedings. He shared how they were given relative freedom to explore fun ideas. According to him, they were given “all the toys we could play with.”
“It wasn’t like a direct ‘you guys do it this part of the room.’ I think the directors [were there] to make sure to get your point across as to why we’re doing this in this particular scene, but it was basically just like “Oh, yeah, we should do this with this, and then all right, if I break it, I’m sorry,’ kind of thing.”
At the time of writing, there is no indication as to which championship Otis is interested in challenging will for.
Otis won the men’s Money in the Bank match this Sunday. Although he wasn’t able to climb the ladder, the briefcase escaped the grasp of both AJ Styles and King Corbin before falling into his’ hands. Heading into the match, Otis was not a heavy favorite. He spoke to SI.com recently about his reaction to finding out he was to win the match.
“I found out and was like, ‘What?’” Otis said. “When the briefcase got into my hands, that’s when it felt real. I remember watching the first ‘Money in the Bank’ match at WrestleMania, and it blows my mind that I woke up right next to it this morning.”
Otis On Being In The WWE Main Event Picture
Otis debuted on the WWE main roster in January of 2019 along with his Heavy Machinery partner, Tucker. He entered into a program along with Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, and Dolph Ziggler in the build-up to WrestleMania 36. He then defeated Ziggler on the show and celebrated with Rose after. Otis also spoke to SI.com about moving up to the main event picture in WWE after his win at Money in the Bank.
“I’ve heard I’m just a big man comedy wrestler,” Otis continued. “I’ll admit it, I’m always the loud one in the room. But when it’s time for business, it’s time for business. Can I be in the main event? Let’s do it. If I sink, then that’s on me. I love wrestling, and I’m going to show people that I can do it.”
Real-name Nikola Bogojevi, Otis is a 28-year-old from Duluth, Minnesota. He was voted the 2017 Rookie of the Year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Otis is scheduled to appear in a MizTV segment this Friday night on Smackdown.
Otis can now call himself Mr. Money in the Bank as he won this year’s Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
He beat AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, Baron Corbin, Aleister Black, and Rey Mysterio at the WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday night. Just like the women’s match, the contest took place at corporate headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
The match started on the ground floor with Superstars fighting their way to the roof. The briefcases were suspended above a rooftop ring. The men started in the gym and brawled.
They went past the bathroom with Brother Love coming out. Styles was frightened by a poster of The Undertaker before walking into a room where it had blue lighting and a casket. Otis went into the cafeteria and was looking at a pie. John Laurinaitis came driving through on a scooter but Otis threw a pie into his face.
Bryan and Styles brawled into the office of Vince McMahon, who was sitting at his desk, and he told them to get out. They did but had to fix how the chairs as they moved them coming in. McMahon applied some hand sanitizer and went back to work.
Corbin tossed Rey and Black over the side of the roof. WWE had it set up with a barricade that looked like the edge of the roof. The finish came when Elias hit Corbin in the back with a guitar, which forced Corbin to drop the briefcase, which was caught by Otis.
Now, Otis will have a contract that he can cash-in anytime that he wants within a year from this pay-per-view event.
WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon is a big fan of one character on SmackDown to the point that he’s backing a current storyline involving him.
That star is Otis. The storyline features Otis, Mandy Rose, Dolph Ziggler, and Sonya Deville.
While former WWE creative writer Andrea Listenberger has been credited with the storyline, it was noted by Dave Melzer in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that a lot of the Otis material, perhaps most of it, is from Vince as he likes the character.
It was noted that while the role of Listenerger, who was released by the company last month as part of the talent and staff cuts due to the coronavirus outbreak, was to come up with material for promos used by Rose and Otis.
It turns out that she was not the driving force of the storyline. This includes Ziggler and Deville.
It was noted in the report that she was a good writer. Melzer added that regarding her release from the company, there were people on the SmackDown creative team that could have gone to bat for her when the cuts were made but didn’t.
SmackDown Superstar Otis has revealed he is open to a return to WWE’s black-and-gold brand, NXT. He shared how a return to NXT “cries entertainment” to him, especially when there are new teams such as the Broserweights he and his tag team partner, Tucker Knight, can feud with.
“[…] going back to NXT? I don’t see why not,” Otis said during an interview with SPORTBible. “In my eyes, to get the opportunity in the ring I love it. If we were back in NXT [with the likes of] Matt Riddle with Pete [Dunne], let’s get it on, man.”
He believes a return would be an entertaining avenue for him to explore and that he’d be “more than happy to go NXT, Raw, SmackDown, 205 [Live].” He personally didn’t see a problem with him competing on 205 Live, asking “Is there a weight limit at 205 pounds? 205 pounds. Come on, guys. We need 305 Live here.”
Otis Talks About Heavy Machinery
With Otis currently enjoying so much singles success, it’s unsure whether Heavy Machinery will continue as a team going forward. According to him, however, there are no plans to separate the duo. He described their team as a “long brotherhood” born in NXT. Otis noted how their anniversary is coming up on July 22 and that “There’s no word on that [whether we’ll split] because we’re just doing what we love to do.”
Otis is scheduled to participate in this Sunday’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. He competes for the briefcase against Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio, Aleister Black, King Corbin and AJ Styles.
WWE SmackDown Superstar Otis has explained the origins of his popular move, The Caterpillar. He divulged how he first started using the movie during an interview with Digital Spy. During their conversation, Otis also opened up about a conversation he had with Scotty 2 Hotty, who was known for his move The Worm.
Otis revealed that the first time he ever tried doing the Caterpillar was during a dance party at Elementary School. According to him, no girls would dance with him so he decided to “get the crowd over with my moves.”
“I started shaking my hips and getting going and I waited till everybody was watching – you know, it was a big circle dance, everybody’s looking in there and checking you out. And that’s when I dropped. Bam! It’s a little bit stiffer on the floor than in the ring. And I got love from doing that move, so I just kept doing it. So now every wedding I get sore ribs the day after.”
Otis On Talking With Scotty 2 Hotty
Considering that his move has similarities to the Worm, Otis shared how he revealed he could do the Caterpillar after being coached at the WWE Performance Center by Scotty 2 Hotty.
Otis stated how he told Scotty how much the move meant to him. He added how he acknowledged that Scotty was the “king of The Worm” but was adamant that he continued using the move, eventually popularizing it as the Caterpillar.
Mandy Rose had been involved in a storyline with Otis in the last few months and their angle concluded with the two finally getting together at WrestleMania 36 where Rose helped the former NXT star in winning his match against Dolph Ziggler.
The duo then shared another moment backstage when they were interviewed after the show and during a recent interview, the Golden Goddess revealed that the segment was actually unscripted.
Mandy recently spoke to Sports Illustrated where she talked about a number of things and revealed that her post WrestleMania segment with Otis was completely unscripted:
“That was just us, off-script, being ourselves. I was shocked it got so many views. We’re really thankful that people are enjoying this. This was something we thought was really funny, and we both thought it could be a great story.
Though I never thought it would resonate with people this much. But it’s relatable, and it’s really cool that we’ve been able to involve so many people.”
The segment in question has garnered a lot of attention from fans and as of this writing it has more than 3.5 million views on WWE’s official YouTube channel.
Apart from this, Mandy Rose also talked about the start of this storyline and revealed who pitched the idea for it. You can check out her comments about the same here.