We’ve seen the dawning of a new age in pro wrestling, the foundations of a new era, one led by one of the most unlikely of babyfaces to rise to the top of the card and claim the biggest prize in the industry: Heavy Machinery’s Otis. From his humble beginnings as part of the steak and weights touting tag team, Otis has ascended to new heights in recent months since WWE had to reduce their efforts to a skeleton crew from within the Performance Center.
Otis embarked on his first road to WrestleMania, where he would defeat Dolph Ziggler and get the girl. This past weekend, he took another giant step up the career ladder by winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, meaning that there’s some very big plans for Otis in the near future.
Rumours have circulated regarding the high esteem Otis is being held in backstage. Vince McMahon is apparently in love with the blue-collar gimmick, doubling down on his comical nature but also utilising him as a legitimate threat to some of the biggest stars on the blue brand. WWE have polished a true diamond in the rough throughout this pandemic and it’s paying off in big ways with a fanbase that are well and truly behind the Dozer of Heavy Machinery.
Unfortunately, Otis’ star seems to be eclipsing that of his partner’s. Tucker hasn’t been featured on WWE television since being written off as part of the Otis/Ziggler storyline last month. Presumably, Tucker will return to support his little brother as his sidekick going forward, but maybe this is a telling sign for Tuck’s future on the main roster. Not taking anything away from the guy, he’s an incredible athlete who has heaps of talent waiting to peak. Perhaps a Tag title run could be in their future? But for now, WWE need to put all their focus on building Otis up as one of the biggest babyfaces on the roster.
Right now, it’s kind of hard to picture Otis at the top of the food chain. With the Universal Championship currently held by Braun Strowman and potentially being handed back over to ‘The Fiend’ at an upcoming pay-per-view, and the WWE Championship being in the vice-like grip of Drew McIntyre, it’s going to be tough for Otis to pick the right spot to cash-in.
Comedy characters tend to fall flat after a few months, failing to ever really take hold of the brass ring when it truly matters. Take Santino Marella, for example: a superstar that was often featured in some pivotal moments of high-profile matches; his very near-win of the 2011 Royal Rumble, or being in the final two of a WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match. Otis could very well be the next superstar in line to fall at the last hurdle.
Regardless of whether Otis ultimately succeeds as Mr. Money in the Bank, nobody will ever take this big moment away from him. He’s truly become the hero we need during this time of uncertainty and global crisis, someone that can rally the world behind him in this silly world that we all deeply love.
WWE have managed to build something special with Otis, something that has not only been organic but also had the trigger pulled at the right time. At first, Otis might not have seemed like the sort of character that the creative writers would have pushed to the moon, but taking note of the growing adoration from the WWE Universe and his immense merch sales, there’s no reason for them not to try and exploit him for all he’s worth as a top tier talent.
Otis has the rare quality of being able to appeal to all demographics; not only being a lovable hero to the kids but also an underdog for hardcore wrestling fans to root for in their ongoing battle against WWE’s status quo. He’s making for great TV and turning trashy storylines into gold — he’s literally a money-making machine. As long as WWE continue to build on his momentum, there’s nothing stopping him from eventually being a credible enough threat to stand amongst the likes of Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman.
We’ll see how this run with the Money in the Bank briefcase unfolds over the next few months. All could start come tumbling down for Otis depending on how far Vince sticks with the joke, but in today’s climate, there’s nothing that’s going to pull things back in WWE’s favour than some fresh blood in the main event scene. Otis might not have been on top of everyone’s lists of superstars to watch in 2020, but he’s definitely going to make sure you remember his name by the end of it.
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