Ex-WWE star "got a ton of heat" after producing Otis match

Otis has competed in more than 500 matches since joining WWE in 2016. Stevie Richards, a WWE wrestler between 1999 and 2008, recently recalled how he received backstage heat after producing one of Otis' bouts.

Richards briefly worked as a producer when Otis was part of WWE's NXT developmental system. The former Right to Censor leader spoke to the 2020 Money in the Bank winner and his opponent before the match. However, he did not give them strict instructions to follow.

On The Stevie Richards Show, Richards said NXT higher-ups were unhappy because they wanted matches to be more scripted:

"I agented a match with Otis and this other guy and got a ton of heat because they were the first match, I gave them a little blueprint, and I said, 'Go out there and have fun,' and I did not call the spots to them through the referee earpiece and everybody got mad at me. And you know what they did? They had a solid match." [1:38 – 2:00]

Otis joined WWE's main roster in 2019 and is widely viewed as one of the company's most entertaining superstars. He is currently a member of Alpha Academy alongside Akira Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri.

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Stevie Richards defends his handling of Otis' WWE match

Almost every full-time RAW and SmackDown star came through WWE's NXT system before moving to the main roster.

According to Stevie Richards, NXT matches are too choreographed because the wrestlers do not receive adequate training:

"For the rest of that show, guess what? Everybody had the same match, dare I say it. There were superkicks, DDTs, same apron spots, going to the outside, and Otis and that guy, in my estimation, had the best match of the night, which probably there had me heat too. But I was unwilling to compromise what I was taught to pass along to them and just stand there and have somebody, who doesn't know more than me, tell me how this is supposed to go." [2:49 – 3:18]

In another recent video, Richards explained why a tag team was released shortly after facing Kane and The Undertaker.

What are your thoughts on Stevie Richards' comments? Hit the discuss button and let us know.

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Please credit The Stevie Richards Show and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.