Condolences to WWE star Otis

WWE star Otis has been getting a lot of love from the Monday Night RAW crowd for some weeks. The Alpha Academy member recently won everyone’s hearts by standing up to Chad Gable and cutting him off the faction. While he is enjoying a good run on WWE, he recently addressed losing a very close person to him in his personal life.

Otis added a post on Instagram and highlighted the untimely demise of one of his close friends from college. One of the few superstars who have a collegiate wrestling background, he recalled that his friend, Ryan, was his buddy during those days.

“The world lost another TRUE GRIT of a Great One 😞 Ryan D.S.S VanPuymbrouck aka VP. VP was my teammate in both Football and Wrestling in high school. First thing that popped in head on the plane this mornin' was the memory of us finishing stairs for conditioning at the high school stands. Pretty sure it was wrestling pre-season..... Sometimes well... Most of the time after practice, I would sing random a** songs that were stuck in my head…” wrote Otis.

Otis also wrote about singing his favorite Metallica song, Turn The Page, to his friend Ryan once, and how he joined him. The WWE star also recalled the last time he saw him while running an errand back in 2014. Sadly, 2024 has been a year of personal loss for The Alpha Academy member and this was another emotionally charged post penned by him after the loss of his mom.

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When Otis paid his respect to his departed mother

The year 2024 began with a piece of heartbreaking news for Otis when his mother passed away in late January. The heavyweight wrestler wrote a hearty post on Instagram to pay respect to his mother, bidding his farewell to her.

“Rest Now Forever. Where now there is no more pain. Because of you, growing up, I've memorized every John Candy movie. Introduced and jam to Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers and Stevie Nicks. Know all the horror classics, watching with KARI (Sissy). I know you were weirded out me pursuing my dream as a wrestler but I said to you 'Just something I have to Do Gaisan, Sorry 😉'. I am You SON SON. Tell Great Grandma 'Kattle Kate Pallas.' I'll give her a run for her money in the ring up in Heaven. See you down the road, with you picking me up, jaming to Tracy Chapman Fast Car - Niko.”

Despite the weight of both these losses, Otis has maintained a level of positivity in both his posts and recalled fond memories with his departed loved ones. Fortunately, the resilient WWE star has his father by his side whom he recently wished on his 70th birthday. Hopefully, the 32-year-old star would soon put this loss behind him and remember Ryan along with his mom in fond memories.