The Real Reason Otis Vanished From WWE TV

Otis vanished for a hot minute, rumors flew, and now the Alpha Academy tank just walked back onto Raw like nothing happened. Here’s the quick and slightly messy saga of where he went, why people thought he might be done, and what his return actually looked like.

The short version

• May 5, 2025: Otis’s last televised match before the break was against Rusev. He took a nasty beating and got helped to the back.
• Surgery talk: Fightful Select (via The Takedown on SI) reported that sources close to him said he underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery to figure out what was wrong. The expectation then was a relatively short layoff, with the usual injury caveat of 'that can change fast.'
• Roster mystery: WrestleVotes (via Cultaholic) said he was 'off the roster' for a stretch, meaning not available for TV, without specifying whether it was injury or personal.
• The return: He resurfaced on Monday Night Raw in the main event battle royal to determine the next World Heavyweight title challenger, entering alongside Akira Tozawa. He mixed it up with Ivar, even got in Rusev’s face, and was ultimately tossed by Rusev.
• Non-WWE sightings: Before Raw, he popped up at AAA TripleMania XXXIII in August and worked some dark matches after that. It’s a little fuzzy in the reporting, but yes, he was active off and on.
• Live events: He also hit the Australia tour and lost to Grayson Waller, per Cagematch.

About that elbow (and the 'off the roster' stuff)

When Otis disappeared, a lot of fans figured it might be a quiet exit. That never really tracked. Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp said a source told them Otis had an elbow scope to diagnose the issue and that the plan wasn’t for a long absence, though those plans can crumble fast with injuries.

'Otis was undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery to figure out what was bothering him. He wasn’t expected to miss too much time, but with injuries, that can change very quickly.'

Meanwhile, WrestleVotes said he was taken off the active roster for a while, which is basically 'not available for TV' status. They didn’t attach a reason, and to their credit, didn’t guess. Wrestling paperwork can be as clear as mud, and this was one of those times.

The Raw return (and yes, that Rusev thing)

On the latest Raw, Otis jumped into the battle royal for the No. 1 contender spot for the World Heavyweight Championship. Akira Tozawa was out there with him. Otis looked spry, went at it with Ivar, and even squared up with Rusev before Rusev eliminated him. Is Rusev back in the mix? That’s how it was presented here, and it made for a neat little throughline given their May 5 match.

Where he’s been working

The timeline is a little odd, but he did surface at AAA TripleMania XXXIII in August, then did some dark matches after that. It’s not the typical recovery beat you expect, but pro wrestling schedules aren’t exactly textbook. He also made the Australia loop and lost to Grayson Waller (Cagematch has the details).

What Triple H gets back

Paul 'Triple H' Levesque has been juggling a long injury list for months, so getting Otis back helps. We’ve seen what works with Otis: pair him with Chad Gable and you have a former Raw Tag Team Championship combo, or let him be the wrecking ball in short bursts. Either way, he plugs holes on TV pretty easily.

Is Natalya about to mentor the whole crew?

There’s a small angle brewing that could tie Otis to a mentor figure. After Otis got hurt, Natalya Neidhart popped up on camera giving Maxxine Dupri some tough-love feedback after a loss to Ivy Nile. It sounded like this:

'You didn’t do terrible... You definitely need some work.'

Since then, Maxxine has looked sharper and reportedly scored two wins over Becky Lynch, and she’s talking about going after the IC title. That is… ambitious, and also unusual, but that’s the chatter. If Natalya is quietly coaching Maxxine and Akira Tozawa, sliding Otis into that mix wouldn’t be a shock. It gives him a direction coming off the layoff.

So, what now?

Otis is a former Money in the Bank winner who has already shown he can anchor a tag act and pop a crowd on his own. He just came back, he looked healthy, and he’s got ready-made stories with Rusev and Ivar if WWE wants them. If Triple H is looking to stabilize the midcard while the injury bug clears, a focused Otis push isn’t the worst idea.

Your call: does he deserve a real run right now, and what does that look like — singles bruiser, Alpha Academy gold chase, or something wilder?