Following another berating at the hands of Chad Gable, Otis sought to make up for an errant clothesline that cost his coach the intercontinental title at King and Queen of the Ring as he squared off with "Big" Bronson Reed.
Late in the match, Otis had Reed down and set up for the caterpillar but Gable cut him off, demanding he not do the crowd-pleasing move. The distraction allowed the Australian to rock Otis with a kick and score the win with the Tsunami.
After the match, Gable called all of Alpha Academy to the ring for a meeting.
Before Gable could deal discipline to Otis in the form of a belt lashing, Dupri stopped him to a big ovation. Gable banished her from the squared circle, then made demands of Tozawa before Sami Zayn interrupted to a big pop.
Zayn and Gable engaged in a back-and-forth verbal encounter before the IC champion asked Otis what he would do: listen to Gable and stay under his oppressive rule or listen to the fans and be set free.
The big man chose his side, at least for one night, watching as Gable attacked Zayn and left him lying to close out another great segment in what has become one of the best stories in WWE.
In the words of the late Pat Patterson, the crowd will go "banana" when Otis finally stands up to, and lays out, Gable.
While Zayn, Gable, and Otis are the focal points here, do not sleep on Dupri, who is one of the best characters in this entire arc.
WWE @WWE💔💔💔💔💔💔<a href="">#WWERaw</a> <a href="">
Often labeled the "dumb blonde" by her coach, she was the only member of Alpha Academy to stand up to her abusive boss, drawing a big pop from the fans.
She has star potential as the lovable underdog who stands up for what is right.
Reed pinned Otis
Top Moments and Takeaways
- "If it isn't Goldilocks and her three brain cells," Gable said of Maxxine Dupri. It is a killer line but beyond that, will only help to create more sympathy for one of the better underdog characters in the company.
- "Doz is feeling it!" Cole said, referencing Otis' long-erased last name, Dozovic, used during his time in NXT.
- The reaction to Dupri denying Gable the lashing of his protege reflected a story well-told by all involved.
