WWE Hinting At Making Huge Storyline Change

WWE may be teasing a blockbuster change to one of its biggest storylines.

On last week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, it was hinted that the current Mr. Money in the Bank, Otis of Heavy Machinery, could be losing his coveted briefcase, with The Miz stepping up as the likeliest candidate to steal the briefcase and the guaranteed title shot that comes along with it. Although The Miz was ultimately unsuccessful in his first attempting at swiping the MITB contract from Otis, WWE fans have astutely pointed out that the contract may be null and void anyway.

As noted by WrestlingNews.co, Otis’ MITB contract that was shown on SmackDown appears to have already expired. The site writes, “The contract states..that it’s from 2015 and he can only cash in between 06/14/15 and 06/15/16. So, unless this was just a mistake on WWE’s part, that would make the contract void and Otis will not be able to cash in.”

Of course, that could simply be a mistake on WWE’s part, but given Otis’ sudden involvement with The Miz and the focus on the briefcase and contract, it sure seems like WWE is setting the stage for a way to have Otis drop the briefcase. The Miz revealed on Saturday’s episode of Talking Smack that Otis’ storyline girlfriend Mandy Rose had been traded to Raw, and WWE.com suggested that The Miz was behind Rose’s switch to Raw.

The site wrote, “Mandy Rose is on the move, as The Golden Goddess has been traded to Raw. The Miz crashed the set of WWE Talking Smack to break the news of Mandy Rose’s trade to Raw. The move was the latest tactic in The Miz & John Morrison’s ongoing quest to part Otis with his Money in the Bank Contract. Based on Mandy’s succinct reaction on social media, this news surprised her just as it did the WWE Universe. What will the move mean for Mandy and what effect will it have on her relationship with Otis?” Rose’s response to the move only further pointed toward Otis potentially losing the briefcase.

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It was reported earlier this year that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon was a big fan of Otis and had personally been booking most of his storylines. That certainly explained why Otis surprisingly won the briefcase at Money in the Bank, shockingly outlasting top names like AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio to win the most unique MITB ladder match in company history. Around that same time, Fightful reported that Otis was a “total Vince McMahon project,” with the WWE boss taking a liking to Otis, who up until that point had primarily been used as a comedic tag team wrestler.

In the months leading up to WrestleMania 36, Otis had become one of WWE’s most popular stars due to his romance storyline with Rose, and the two have officially formed an on-screen couple. However, things have changed a lot since Otis’ MITB win in May. Otis’ character is one that thrives on his connection with WWE fans, and with WWE hosting its live events without a live audience since March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Otis’ popularity and the buzz surrounding his character have undoubtedly died down. To exactly what extent is hard to tell, but even when Otis’ popularity was at its peak, he still didn’t feel like a great fit to hold the Money in the Bank briefcase.

The vast majority of both male and female superstars to win the MITB contract, after all, have gone on to become world champion, while some of the ones who didn’t just felt like midcard acts, including Baron Corbin and Damien Sandow. Otis is clearly one of WWE’s most likable stars, but if you look at the company’s recent WWE and Universal Champions, most of them were well-rounded performers who can put on classic matches, have a superstar aura and/or can cut great promos, such as Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. Otis is a good talker, loaded with charisma and better than you would expect in the ring, but world champion material? That’s debatable.

Over the years, WWE has almost always stuck with its MITB winners, even if it had a case of buyer’s remorse. The most notable exception to that is Mr. Kennedy, who dropped the briefcase to Edge in 2007 due to injury in a move that essentially derailed Kennedy’s career for good but helped propel Edge to even further success. The main difference between Kennedy and Otis is that Kennedy was widely viewed as a main event caliber talent/gimmick while the same can’t really be said about Otis.

Though there is still no definitive word as to whether or not WWE has any plans to have Otis drop the briefcase, the latest teases—and the issue with his contract—certainly lend credence to the now widespread idea that he is on the verge of losing the biggest opportunity of his career, especially with McMahon known to sour on performers he once loved.

Based on recent storyline happenings, one potential outcome is for Otis to give up his MITB briefcase to bring Rose back to SmackDown, whether he does so by giving it to The Miz, John Morrison or Rose herself.

Either way, the clock is ticking on Otis’ time as Mr. Money in the Bank.