By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Insight With Chris Van Vliet with guest Otis
Host: Chris Van Vliet
Podcast available via Podcasts.Apple.com
On his WWE goals: “Definitely a singles match at WrestleMania. I mean, everyone talks about the title. For me it’s basically, probably a big match with [Chad] Gable hopefully would be cool. I always wanted to work with Windham [Bray Wyatt], definitely. That’s going to be a fantasy of mine when I get to heaven basically, because like I always knew me and him could tear the house down. Two big guys, our styles aren’t exactly similar but he’s way more agile. The guy was phenomenal so yeah RIP. But like that and work with certain guys too, newer guys coming in. But yeah, then obviously having that big, big title would be nice, but me, doing what I do this basically been like a blessing for me. And selfishly I’m doing it for myself because it’s that much of a love for me.”
On the Mandy Rose storyline: “She was definitely the ignition for sure. Because you can it pitch all day long. But again, like with Mandy, she’s like, I’ll talk to Vince [McMahon], okay. Because I was just kidding around, I would see a bikini post on her IG and I would be like you look good, babe. And then it became this thing and on Google, it said is Otis married [to Mandy Rose]? It was just one post. And I’m sitting there going, Oh I can get some more leverage here. So I kept posting it just for laughs and she’s awesome. The girls, they’re a blessing too. So yeah, but she talked to Vince came out and then we started rocking and rolling there. So I mean, but she definitely was like, Hey, we gotta do this. It’s one of those things where 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 because somebody would mess up. I’m sweating terribly because I got to get a hold of a cake. The box was so uncertain that I was like this thing falls during a live shot I don’t know what to do, but I don’t know. It was just like, you couldn’t find a grip on it. And of course, Ziggy [Dolph Ziggler], I love Ziggy man. It’s pretty crazy. Ziggy gets in the picture and it was his first singles match in the warehouse as WrestleMania was my first singles too. So it was like, it was bittersweet because I respected Dolph off a lot and it’s like damn, I wish it was better. Just that time but you know, times being the times.”
On winning Money in the Bank: “I don’t think there was a plan, no. It was kind of a shock because the whole day we couldn’t get up on the roof for the longest time because of COVID stuff. It was like just sitting, sitting, sitting, do one thing and shoot it. So you were basically just sitting there in your gear. They were kind of bullshitting with all the boys and calling stuff that would make it more spectacular. So it’s just like a long day and then finally Jamie [Noble] was like ‘You thinking King Kong up in there’, I’m like, ‘King Kong?’ He goes, ‘Yeah, come with me.’ Jamie Noble is all fired up. He walks up and is just climbing this ladder with his cowboy boots. I’m like, ‘Man, I’m not going up there. I hate heights.’ That’s why I only go on the second rope. He’s like, ‘Get your ass up here, come on!’ It was a long way down. It’s the headquarters. So we got out there and he goes, ‘I’m gonna take a picture of you. Take your shirt off and roar like King Kong, really roar.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, I’ll roar.’ I’ve been sitting for 14 hours. Then they said you’re gonna win it. I’m like, ‘Oh, okay.’ From there, again, it was who’s healthy, who’s not, so that could have been a factor there with testing for COVID and all that. There were a bunch of changes going on.”
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