WWE Superstar Reflects on His Romantic Storyline with Mandy Rose

Otis currently leads the Alpha Academy, but he first gained fame through his partnership with Mandy Rose. This unconventional duo captured the WWE Universe's attention and managed to fend off challenges from Dolph Ziggler and Sonya Deville until their split during the 2020 WWE Draft.
In a recent appearance on "Insight with Chris Van Vliet," Otis reflected on his time with Rose, revealing that she was the one who pitched their storyline to Vince McMahon.He shared that Rose's discussion with McMahon went smoothly and that she believed it was a necessary venture for both of them. Otis described the daily experience of their storyline as a challenge, emphasizing that there were no pre-recorded segments.

"It was always live because somebody would mess up, and she's just like, just got to be ready. I'm sweating terribly because I got to get a hold of a cake. And the box was so uncertain that I was like this thing falls during a live shot, I don't know what to do," he recounted. He also commended Ziggler for their WrestleMania match, which was Otis's first singles bout. "I wish it was better. Just that time, but, you know, times being the times," he said.
Additionally, Otis mentioned how Google searches began to suggest that he and Rose were married in real life after he frequently interacted with her posts on Instagram. He found this amusing and continued to engage with her posts.
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For several months, WWE wrestler Otis has been involved in a slow-burn storyline, hinting at a potential turn against the recently more abusive leader of the Alpha Academy, Chad Gable. This narrative has included Maxxine Dupri, leading many to interpret a developing romance between her and Otis, which bears a striking resemblance to Otis's earlier romantic angle with former NXT Women's Champion Mandy Rose.
On a recent episode of her podcast "Power Alphas," Rose highlighted these parallels, acknowledging the similarities between the two storylines. "At Clash at the Castle, Otis picked up Maxxine like he picked up me," Rose noted. "Obviously that's been done before, but you know it's getting a lot of comparisons."
She further reminisced about her collaboration with Otis, calling their storyline "one of the greatest storylines of all time." However, production limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic led to the conclusion of their storyline in an empty arena. "That big kiss that happened in the performance center, we wished that was in front of thousands of people because that crowd would have erupted," Rose expressed.
Since her release from WWE in 2022, Rose has continued to share her thoughts on the company's programming. Despite the similarities mentioned, she remains a fan of the Alpha Academy storyline. "I understand what they're doing with the Maxxine thing right now," Rose said. "I think it's actually a really entertaining group. I think Chad Gable's really come a long way, and he's actually a really good heel."
However, some wrestling fans feel that WWE rushed the conclusion of the Alpha Academy storyline during Monday's "WWE Raw," which ended with Gable appearing incapacitated by the debuting Wyatt Sicks. Gable was subsequently replaced by Ilja Dragunov in a Money in the Bank qualifying match, seemingly distancing him further from Otis, whom he had vowed to outdo by winning and cashing in the coveted briefcase.