Otis On What He Has Changed Since Performing With No Crowds
WWE Money in the Bank winner Otis spoke with Brian Fritz of Between the Ropes, where he talked about the dramatic changes to WWE because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the interview, Fritz asked Otis if he believes we'll see matches such as the Boneyard match, the Firefly funhouse match and of course the Money in the Bank match when things get back to normal.
"Yeah. I think everything happens for a reason," said Otis. "That's a very strong quote that I live by. That Boneyard match, I mean, I just felt like I was watching a cool thriller action movie, like big thumbs up to everybody that worked on that. The Firefly match, our Money the Bank match. So if this pandemic which is unfortunate, super sad, we're losing lives and we've got to be careful if you go out in public and you have to wear those masks you can barely breathe in. We've got to be careful but if that didn't happen, would these ideas spark with our creative team, our writers and producers? If this pandemic didn't, unfortunately, pan out, I don't know if you would have thought of that Boneyard match or thought of that awesome Firefly Funhouse match. I think we could definitely be in the norm here though."
The Undertaker defeated AJ Styles in a Boneyard match at WrestleMania 36, that drew positive reviews from fans. The Firefly Funhouse match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt, also at WrestleMania, drew praise for its creativity.
"Yes, we'll have our matches in front of the crowd but I think that, for sure, we'll continue these awesome idea matches that are not exactly with the people but just some to keep the fans going and interested. so yeah, It's really cool and again, I can't tell how awesome the guys with the cameras are and they catch some good stuff, man," Otis remarked. "Like, he's just like, "whoa, there's my belly. There's my face. Oh, yeah."
Otis explained what he has learned from performing on shows without fans.
"I look at the camera longer," Otis explained. "There's a saying, you know, that the camera is gonna find you but I've never really worked really hard to be on the camera. I've always been looking at the fans. I look over there to the left, I look to the right. They're giving me the energy and I love that. That stuff's like jazz to me, man. Like, to do something and get a great reaction off of it, it's priceless. You can't put a price on it.
"It's a great feeling but now, what I've learned is like keep your focus on the camera and just make sure that what you're selling to the people is something where, you know, they're gonna feel that across that camera."
WWE has been forced to hold shows for the past two months without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Otis explained how he feels nothing is better than being in the building live.
"An audience, they could feel it because like I said, nothing's better live. I mean, hockey is cool to watch on TV but I love watching it live, man. I love that stuff like football games. Same thing with people live you feel it naturally but to feel to the screen is the hardest part and that's something where I'm always going to be learning.
"It's definitely something new for me but every day you learn something new and this has been awesome, man. As much as we miss the fans, these are reps we can do with talking to people through the camera and making sure they're entertained at home."
Otis talks about evolving from NXT to becoming one of WWE's biggest breakout stars on SmackDown in Fritz's full interview, which can be read at this link.