Here's the Reason Why Otis Hasn't Been Seen in WWE's 'Monday Night Raw'
The former Mr. Money in the Bank has assembled a considerable fan base over the course of the last few years.
Published Aug. 12 2025, 12:47 p.m. ET
2025 has been a major year for WWE. Impressive media deals with Netflix and ESPN have kept the world talking about the wrestling promotion nonstop. At the same time, John Cena's retirement tour has maintained viewers glued to the screen throughout 2025. The sky is the limit for the controversial company, just a couple of years after Vince McMahon was removed from his creative and executive position.
However, there's one WWE Superstar who hasn't been seen on television for a while. Otis shocked the world when he won the Money in the Bank briefcase in 2020, but 2025 hasn't been kind to the member of the Alpha Academy. What happened to Otis? Here's what we know about what's keeping the beloved wrestler out of action.
What happened to Otis?
According to Sports Illustrated, the injury bug that has derailed WWE's plans for 2025 caught Otis. As of June 2025, the wrestler was reportedly no longer listed on the company's internal roster due to an elbow injury that took place during an unspecified match. Fightful stated that the Superstar was headed towards an "elbow surgery in the form of arthroscopic to see what was ailing him."
Fortunately, the recovery time for Otis wasn't expected to be very long, although injuries sustained by professional athletes can be very unpredictable. The last time Otis was seen in the ring, he fought against the returning Rusev. The Bulgarian Brute got in the way of the Alpha Academy in the weeks following the highly anticipated WrestleMania 41.
Before Otis's injury took place, the charismatic fighter was involved in a brief rivalry against the former World Heavyweight Champion, Gunther. Any WWE fan knew that the confrontation only took place to make Gunther look dominant ahead of his match against Jey Uso. Nevertheless, it could have been rewarding for audiences to see Otis going up against such a strong champion after being stuck in the tag team division for so long.
Otis didn't get to use his Money in the Bank briefcase.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a very unfortunate time for most people around the world. However, the pandemic proved to be fruitful for Otis. The Superstar won the Men's Money in the Bank briefcase in the summer of 2020. The prize allows the winner to request a World Championship match during any WWE televised show for up to a year. It can be used when the champion is hurt due to a different combat, turning the briefcase into an almost guaranteed belt.
The WWE was looking for different ways in which to make programming more entertaining without crowds during the pandemic. As the months went by, it appeared that Otis no longer seemed like the right candidate to hold the Money in the Bank briefcase. The Miz ended up challenging the Alpha Academy member for his beloved championship opportunity.
After taking the Money in the Bank briefcase from Otis, The Miz waited for the perfect opportunity to attack the man who was the WWE Champion back then, Drew McIntyre. Otis lost the biggest opportunity of his career, but the Superstar has been able to thrive in recent years thanks to his friends, Akira Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri. Hopefully, the wrestler will be able to return to the action of Monday Night Raw before long.