Otis has been enjoying a career renaissance of sorts on WWE RAW in recent months. Alongside Chad Gable, the powerhouse has been featured as a member of Alpha Academy, a duo that has enjoyed plenty of success. In January, the two men won the WWE RAW Tag Team Championship; this victory marked Otis’ first title win on the main roster. The former Mr. Money in the Bank struggled to stand out for a while after the downfall of his popular romance storyline with Mandy Rose, but this run on the red brand has launched him back up the ranks.
In an interview with Alistair McGeorge of Metro, Scotty 2 Hotty, a former NXT coach and producer who worked closely with Otis during his time on the developmental brand, believes that the powerhouse has always had the tools he needs to excel. He even compared the big man to a “300-pound Kurt Angle” by complimenting his comedic ability and his skill as a wrestler.
“He’s like a 300 pound Kurt Angle,” said Scotty. “He can do all of it! He’s a bit of a joker and a clown, but he’s a legit wrestler.”
The former WWE Tag Team Champion called the man behind the Otis character “hilarious” and expressed his belief that the latter should showcase this side of himself on WWE programming more often. Scotty also looked back to Otis’ babyface run and stated that he enjoyed what the fan-favorite was doing back then.
“Otis is such a character without even trying,” said Scotty. “They changed his whole character up, and now he’s like everybody else to me. I loved what he was doing – not just because he was doing the Worm, but he was like a real-life Chris Farley.”
To elaborate, Scotty argued that turning Otis heel took away his individuality, as his sense of humor helped him stand out on the crowded WWE roster. He circled back to Otis’ babyface character and noted that it was a true depiction of the real person.
“You can just look at him and go, “That guy’s hilarious”, he doesn’t even have to open his mouth, just his mannerisms,” said Scotty. “The real guy is just hilarious, so I don’t know why they didn’t capitalize on that, it feels like they made him like everyone else.
“I hate that for him – maybe he likes it, I haven’t talked to him about it. I just loved who he was, because it was him.”
Alpha Academy lost the RAW Tag Team Championship on Monday night, but fans can hope that Otis’ run in the spotlight will continue moving forward.
