Chad Gable and Otis have apparently turned heel.
This week’s WWE SmackDown on FOX saw Gable and Otis face Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio in tag team action, while SmackDown Tag Team Champions Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler were on commentary. The match ended in DQ, with the win going to The Mysterios, after Otis delivered splashes to Rey while ignoring the 5 count from the referee, while Gable, the legal man, cheered him on.
After the match, Alpha Academy ignored the referee as Gable pulled Rey back over to their corner so Otis could deliver another big splash fro the second turnbuckle. The boos got louder as Gable hyped Otis up, standing tall while Rey was down in the ring and Dominik was down at ringside.
A heel turn for Alpha Academy has been subtly teased for a few weeks now, but it looks like WWE finally pulled the trigger this week. It will be interesting to see if this leads to a title shot from Roode and Ziggler, who did not get involved while on commentary.
Below is post-show video of Alyse Ashton interviewing Gable and Otis in the backstage area. She said everything was going well for Alpha Academy until the disqualification.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Gable responded. “No, no, no. Tonight was nothing but wins for the Academy. Did you see this guy out there? My prized student.”
Otis asked, “Wins?”
“Yeah, wins,” Gable said. “You’re following direction, you’re taking the coaching, the information I’m giving you, you’re assimilating it, you’re dissecting it in there, you’re processing it. You know all these terms, right?
“Otis, big things on the horizon for us, OK? Yes, we’ve got championships to chase, to win, but we’ve got training to do, right now. You know that, right? I’m so proud of you. It’s going to be great, let’s go.”
Otis agreed with Gable, who was all smiles at the idea of the future, that they have big things to come and championships to win. Otis also said the training never stops.
There’s no word on what WWE has planned next for Alpha Academy, but we will keep you updated. Below are a few shots from tonight’s match and post-show interview, along with their post-SmackDown tweets:
#ForTheAcademy #AlphaAcademy https://t.co/zj1G8cKOuV
— OTIS (Dozer) (@otiswwe) February 20, 2021
🤯🤯🤯#SmackDown @otiswwe @reymysterio pic.twitter.com/OTcFVI5bhK
— WWE (@WWE) February 20, 2021
The match is over. What are @otiswwe and @WWEGable doing?! @reymysterio is defenseless! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/05LohaYBH8
— WWE (@WWE) February 20, 2021
.@reymysterio & @DomMysterio35 battle it out against @WWEGable & @otiswwe in tag team action. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/uZlN4PfWeU
— WWE (@WWE) February 20, 2021
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