How Batman Unthinkably Influenced Otis' WWE Gimmick Change
Vince McMahon's backstage words reminded Otis of Tim Burton's 1989 classic.
Chad Gable = Carl Grissom, at least for the purposes of this story.
Otis revealed during a chat with 'In The Kliq' that a backstage conversation with WWE boss Vince McMahon changed his company career overnight. The previously-cartoonish babyface was real-life pals with Chad Gable, but was struggling to transition out of his over-the-top characterisation post-Money In The Bank.
That's when Vinnie Mac, as he often does, asked Otis to name some things that inspire him. Movies came up, and the ham-loving goof said that he'd always liked Jack Palance's (Grissom's) line in Tim Burton's 1989 classic take on Batman.
At one point, Grissom told Jack Nicholson's Jack Napier that he was his "number one guy" before sending him out on a suicide mission. That resonated with McMahon, and it's why Gable constantly says that about Otis on SmackDown. Basically, they lifted it from Burton's timeless bat flick and didn't look back.
Vince wanted Otis to become a much more serious figure overall. So, WWE cut out all the barbecue stuff, the gyrations and more. 'Alpha Academy' was born, and the pair seem poised to become SmackDown Tag-Team Champs someday.