Otis And Tucker Reveal How Heavy Machinery Name Came About

The 2020 WWE Draft brought some unfortunate news to popular tag team Heavy Machinery. Otis and Tucker were drafted to different brands, splitting up the duo for the first time in their WWE tenure. The two were recent guests on Table Talk w/ DVon, and they both detailed their emotions when they found out Tucker would not be joining Otis on SmackDown.

"Terrible," Otis said. "Just terrible."

"We found out at the last minute like most things happen here," Tucker said. "And that's just part of being a WWE Superstar. [I] actually found out live on Talking Smack that I was I going to move to RAW. It is what it is. Kind of good and bad or whatever, but mostly disappointing because Heavy Machinery still feels like they have some things to achieve. We haven't won Tag Team Championships together and we feel like we still have more to do as a team. but not everything's up to us and we'll deal with what we got to deal with."

This isn't the first time Otis has lost a partner, as his on-screen "peach" Mandy Rose was unceremoniously moved to Monday Nights earlier this year. While the two had only began an on-screen storyline within the last year, Otis has been chasing Mandy since their NXT days. Mr. Money in the Bank jokingly discussed how the two became an on-screen couple, saying he couldn't help but compliment Mandy.

"My harassment [jokingly]," Otis said. "I think definitely Tucky would say the HR rules don't apply to me the way I say things and sometimes, I don't realize what I just said, and I go, 'Oh, I mean to say it that way or that style of way', but I'm also guilty the way I do it, but I saw Mandy though, I just couldn't help the gorgeousness. So I kept saying, I wouldn't say barking, but I would just be like 'Hey what are you doing over there!' I just couldn't help it. A massive ball of testosterone. So, yeah, we met in NXT, and I just kind of–I wouldn't say stalking, but I always made sure I worked out the exact same time she did, doing her squats while I was doing my biceps."

While the popular tag team are no more for at least the time being, Otis and Tucker reminisced on their early days as a duo in NXT. According to both, the 'Heavy Machinery' name was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

"I said it once, we had this thing called the Performance Center shows, and basically, it's to test some things out, see what looks on camera," Otis said. "So, you're basically wrestling in front of your peers and your coaches and Kayla Braxton, she came into the post-match interview 'What would we call you two hunk of men?' 'Heavy Machinery!' I said something else, but I don't remember how I even said, but Heavy Machinery just kind of clicked but after the meeting of Heavy Machinery, those two big guys could go and never stop coming. It was not supposed to be Heavy Machinery. Then, after four months, we were actually named Heavy Machinery."

"First, we were Otis and Tucker," Tucker said. "Then, we became Heavy Machinery."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Table Talk w/ DVon with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Mehdy Labriny contributed to this article.