WWE Rumors: Vince McMahon Reportedly Sees ‘Friday Night SmackDown’ Star As Pet Project

According to a members’ only report from Fightful Select, by way of Sportskeeda, Otis is apparently a Vince McMahon pet project. As noted, the WWE chairman is a huge fan of the Friday Night SmackDown superstar, which is why he’s received a substantial push this year.

It is believed that McMahon was behind Otis’ current romance storyline with Mandy Rose, which saw the unlikely couple share a kiss at WrestleMania 36. As documented by Bleacher Report, Rose has claimed that she pitched the angle to McMahon, but nothing goes ahead in WWE without his input or approval.

The report also states that McMahon is responsible for putting the Money in the Bank briefcase on the SmackDown star as well. Otis was an unexpected winner when he won a ladder match for the prize at this year’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. The majority of the briefcases’ previous winners went on to win a world championship, so Otis could be on his way to the top as a singles star.

It remains to be seen if Otis will be given a title run, however. As evidenced by Damien Sandow and Baron Corbin, some superstars have failed their Money in the Bank cash-in attempts in the past. Otis is depicted as a comedic babyface character, and it’s very rare for funny characters to be entrusted with world titles in WWE.

While Otis appears to feature high in McMahon’s plans, the report states that the chairman is also a fan of his Heavy Machinery tag team partner, Tucker. This news might surprise some fans as Tucker has taken a backseat during Otis’ rise to stardom, and there has been some talk of the duo splitting up in the near future.

However, Tucker has reportedly made a positive impression backstage in his own right. Perhaps this could lead to a successful tag team run for Heavy Machinery in the coming months, though it’s still possible that the team could be split and Tucker will be pushed as a singles star as well. The company has a history of breaking up tag teams and having them feud with each other, after all.

Otis hasn’t appeared on recent episodes of Friday Night SmackDown, but the latest report states that he hasn’t lost his push. Several performers are taking time off at the moment as a result of the pandemic and the increase in COVID-19 cases within WWE, which means the superstar could be returning to action soon.