Otis winning the Money in the Bank ladder match was one of the biggest surprises in recent WWE memory. No one could have predicted Otis could rise into a top singles star when debuting as part of the Heavy Machinery tag team with his partner Tucker. The comedic tag team seemed to have a low ceiling until Otis won over Vince McMahon.
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WWE’s storyline of Mandy Rose falling in love with Otis gave him a greater opportunity to show off his character skills. Otis impressed Vince enough to win the MITB briefcase which indicates he has a great chance of winning the Universal Championship. Find out more about his life outside of the ring. The following details will inform the average wrestling fan more about Otis’ life.
10 Gimmick Sparked From Real Life Bond With Mandy Rose
Otis and Mandy Rose’s storyline is an exaggeration of their real interactions outside of the ring. The jokes from Otis about falling in love with Mandy extended from the Performance Center to social media a few years ago.
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Rose revealed she pitched the idea to Vince McMahon, and he loved the first few interactions enough to make it part of the WrestleMania 36 plans. The angle ended with Otis winning the heart of Mandy and having her turn face for the first time in WWE.
9 Tucker Is His Best Wrestling Friend
The friendship between Otis and Tucker formed when they were placed together as a tag team. Otis didn’t really know much about Tucker outside of being peers that both trained and attended classes at the Performance Center.
The run together as Heavy Machinery saw them finally starting to learn more about each other. Otis has nothing but the ultimate praise for Tucker as a tag team partner, wrestler, and friend. Tucker seems happy for Otis’ success even though it puts his future in doubt.
8 Used To Work As A Doorman At A nightclub
Otis had a few jobs before getting his start in WWE. One of the more fascinating gigs saw Otis working as the doorman at a popular nightclub. The strength of Otis likely helped since nightclub doormen and bouncers often get into tough situations with people demanding to get in.
Wrestling wasn’t always the easiest job for Otis to make a living, so the time as a doorman helped him pay the bills while setting up plans to chase his dream. Otis’ positive energy made it easier for him to make the most out of everyday jobs.
7 Had A Successful Collegiate Wrestling Run
One of the biggest surprises to new fans of Otis is the realization of finding out he was a highly successful amateur wrestler in high school and college. Otis was impressive enough to get a college scholarship for his wrestling skills.
The Junior Pan-American Games saw Otis winning the national title in Greco-Roman wrestling. Otis was considered for the top spot on the 2012 Summer Olympics American Greco-Roman wrestling team, but he just missed the cut.
6 Scotty 2 Hotty Inspired Him
The caterpillar is the most amusing move from Otis, and it was inspired by Scotty 2 Hotty’s worm. Attitude Era fans often gave Scotty one of the biggest pops of most shows for the fun of seeing Scotty doing the worm dance before hitting his move.
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Otis revealed that he asked Scotty for his blessing before adapting the finishing move to the caterpillar with the similar intent. The move added a lot to his character and played a role in getting over enough to have a relevant singles push.
5 Suffers From Dyslexia
Otis has shared the personal story of realizing he had dyslexia at a young age and trying to move forward with the learning disorder. Dyslexia is common enough for parents to help their children through it.
The journey wasn’t always easy for Otis, but he is proud to show that it doesn’t have to stop one from achieving their dream. Any young fan with dyslexia will likely be inspired by Otis’ story of winning the Money in the Bank ladder match and finding the woman of his dreams.
4 Dealt With Bullying At A Young Age
The battle with dyslexia was tougher for Otis in his younger years due to the unfortunate element of childhood bullying. Otis dealt with bullying due to his learning disorder and look that made school tough for a few years.
The journey of Otis saw him eventually getting comfortable with himself and trusting his own instincts. Otis overcame the tough moments to find himself. Part of the reason Otis is a nice guy with such positive energy is because he knows how it feels to be treated poorly by others.
3 Learned Dance Moves When Girls Wouldn't Dance With Him
Otis’ dancing skills may be the most underrated part of his wrestling character. It is hard to envision Otis getting over at the same level without his ability to get cheers for his entertaining dance moves.
The backstory of Otis’ passion for dancing saw him learning how to dance on his own when attending school dances. Girls turning him down to dance led to Otis figuring out how to enjoy his time on the dance floor without a partner.
2 Matt Bloom Is A Mentor
Matt Bloom has received rave reviews for his role as the lead trainer at the Performance Center. The years of experience working under various gimmicks in WWE and beyond made it a great transition to help others find their voice.
Otis has listed Bloom as a mentor and someone that helped him get to his current place as a star. Bloom saw the strengths of Otis as a character and wanted him to figure out the ideal character to show on the main roster.
1 Great Grandmother Was A Carnival Wrestler
Otis is not the first person from his family to have a presence in the wrestling world. The great grandmother of Otis competed in a different genre as part of the carnival that featured people with amazing skills.
Otis’ grandmother, Kattle Kate, challenged people at the carnival to body slam her to win a huge prize. The 300-pound Kate would pick plants in the crowd who failed to deliver the body slam. Otis is a bit less intimidating than the legend of Kattle Kate.
NEXT: Money In The Bank: 5 Reasons Otis Winning Is Great (& 5 Reasons It's A Mistake)
