Another name has been added to WWE’s injury list, as Apollo Crews is now sidelined following surgery.

Crews was last seen in action on the January 25 episode of SmackDown, where he defeated Johnny Gargano in a singles match. However, he has since undergone surgery for a torn pectoral muscle.

The WWE star took to Instagram to share the news, writing:

“Heading into surgery today. A few weeks ago on SmackDown, I tore my pec—an unfortunate situation. Sometimes, you do everything right, but there are just some things beyond your control. I’m looking forward to the road ahead, attacking it with a positive and unstoppable mindset.”

Crews has had a career filled with highs and lows in WWE. After debuting in NXT in 2015 with significant hype, he quickly became a fan favorite and was seen as a future star. He was challenged for the NXT Championship during this time, but did not win the title.

He moved to the main roster in 2016, but his momentum stalled. However, he found success in 2020, capturing the United States Championship. In 2021, he embraced his Nigerian heritage and aligned with Commander Azeez. This character shift led to his Intercontinental Championship victory at WrestleMania 37 in a Nigerian Drum Fight against Big E.

In 2022, Crews returned to NXT before being drafted to the main roster in 2023. We wish him a speedy recovery.

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Apollo Crews is one of the stars that found success very early in his wrestling career. His fearless style of wrestling attracted people and made him a star in indies. Turns out, he took the fearless approach not only inside the ring but outside as well. The NXT star took chances despite his limited resources which helped him get opportunities.

The former US champion recently appeared on Out of Character podcast. During the interview he talked about his run in Japan before his WWE signing. Crews told the story of how he first got the opportunity to wrestle for Dragon Gate Japan:

“When I did Dragon Gate USA, but we’re trying out for Dragon Gate Japan. 2011 It was. [It was] AR Fox that convinced me. I was wrestling around in Georgia at the time.” recalled Apollo Crews, “He’s like, ‘Man, if you really want to get your name out there, you need to come to this tryout with me this weekend.’ I had $100 to my name. I’m like, ‘Dude, if I drive to Indianapolis from Atlanta, Georgia. It’s like 13-14 hours.’

I was like ‘$50 is gonna go to gas, the tryout cost $50, I’m coming home broke. I don’t have money to do it.’ I did it. Best decision I made. I remember Ricochet being in there and I think he wrestled on the show that weekend and Rich Swann is another one. Those guys I just immediately like kind of bonded with them. Then shortly after I got to start traveling into Japan with them.”

You can check out Apollo Crews’ full interview below:

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If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

Apollo Crews is one of the stars who seemed to have huge potential when he started with WWE but his career didn’t go as planned. The former IC champion was called up to the main roster in April 2016, less than a year after his NXT debut in August 2015. A lot of people believed that he wasn’t ready for the main roster run and this was the primary reason why he got lost in the shuffle. This is why Crews took the opportunity to go back to the development territory with open arms earlier this year.

The WWE star recently appeared on Ryan Satin’s Out of Character podcast. Speaking about his NXT return in June, Apollo discussed how he had been stuck wrestling on Main Event and hadn’t made a PLE appearance in over a year. So he decided to take a chance and ask about a potential opportunity in NXT:

“It was weird that nothing was happening [in my career]. It got to the point where it was just like ‘man, I don’t want to be coming here and doing Main Event anymore. I want to be on the main shows. I want to be one of the guys here that’s a household name, right? I want to be one of those guys.

So like, it wasn’t coming. So I made an approach and asked if there was any spot down here essentially for me at NXT and the opportunity came about and it happened. There happened to be a spot available. I was like, ‘Man, I’m 100% for it.'”

‘I’m Gonna Control What I Can’: Apollo Crews

Apollo Crews revealed that the officials asked what kind of run he wanted to have. But for him, it was about taking the full advantage of the opportunity:

“It was one of those things where it’s like, ‘Is it long term or it’s gonna be short term?’ and I was like ‘For me honestly. It doesn’t matter.’ I’m gonna control what I can control. You give me this opportunity. I’m gonna come out here and kill it.

If they bring me back to Raw or Smackdown two weeks later so be it. If they bring me back [in] two months, so be it. But in my head, I wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity that I was being presented with because essentially, I was presented with the opportunity to kind of change the trajectory of my career and kind of really start over which not a lot of people get to do.”

You can check out Apollo Crews’ full interview below:

WWE has changed its internal roster following Tuesday’s episode of NXT. 

As previously noted, Apollo Crews returned to WWE NXT last night following Bron Breakker asking for someone new to step up to be his new challenger.  In the main event, Crews teamed with Solo Sikoa where they beat Carmelo Hayes and Grayson Waller.

Crews is back in NXT to stay as PWInsider reports that he is now officially internally listed as part of the NXT roster as is Commander Azeez. 

Azeez did not appear on last night’s show with Crews so it remains to be seen if they will be paired moving forward.

WWE put the two stars together from WWE WrestleMania 37 onward. When Crews showed up on NXT TV, he had dropped his Nigerian accent that he was using all throughout his time as a heel on the main roster with Azeez. 

Crews worked briefly in NXT when he first joined WWE, but was called up after WrestleMania 32 in 2016. Azeez, also known as Babatunde and Dabba Kato, never had a notable run in NXT. He worked The Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia back in 2018.

Apollo Crews is back in WWE NXT for now. 

Bron Breakker appeared on tonight’s NXT 2.0 after successfully defending the NXT Championship at In Your House this past Saturday night over Joe Gacy. Breakker cut a promo about it before asking who is next to challenge him for the title. Answering the call was the Raw star. 

Crews thanked the crowd for their warm welcome and put over Breakker for his rise in NXT. He said they’ll cross paths for the title soon, but until then, Crews will see him around.

Crews also noted that left NXT way too soon in his first stint and left many goals unaccomplished. He plans to change history by becoming NXT Champion. 

Crews spent several years on the NXT brand before being called up to the main roster in 2016. In 2021, he went to a ‘Nigerian Royalty’ character that kicked off his reign as Intercontinental Champion, but he eventually lost the title this past August. 

Last October, he was moved from SmackDown to Monday Night Raw as a part of the WWE Draft. Crews had been paired with Commander Azeez. 

Crews previously stated he would love an NXT return and felt his first run was cut short. Now, that wish has been granted. 

The latest match between Big E and Apollo Crews took place in a Nigerian Drum Match at Sunday’s (April 11, 2021) WWE WrestleMania 37 pay-per-view event.

The match had weapons around the ring from kendo sticks to tables to drums. The finish saw Crews put him on a table, but missed a splash off the top rope and went through it. This led to Commander Azeez aka Dabba Kato to run out and attack Big E, which led to Crews winning the title. 

On the April 2nd edition of SmackDown, Crews cut a backstage promo challenging Big E to this match. In that promo, he noted that it was an ancient duel created by his ancestors for those who are wronged to get a chance to make things right. 

WWE had Crews debut this character back in February where he has since embraced his Nigerian heritage and claiming to be a descendent of Nigerian royalty. WWE started this promo when Big E noted in a promo that Crews wouldn’t be getting another shot at the title, but they did an angle where Crews attacked Big E with the steel steps. 

Last month at the Fastlane pay-per-view event, Big E retained against Crews, but after the match, Crews attacked him. There was a six-man tag team match on an edition of SmackDown in late March where Crews pinned Big E. 

Apollo Crews has been paying homage to his Nigerian heritage as of late on Smackdown. This drew the attention of Bashir Ahmad, the personal assistant to Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria.

Ahmad sent the following Tweet to Apollo recently online:

Naija is another way to say Nigeria or refer to a person from Nigeria.

Other popular wrestlers with Nigerian heritage include Impact’s Moose. His father was from Nigeria and unfortunately passed away on the day Moose committed to the University of Syracuse football program.

Jordan Omogbehin, Style’s bodyguard known as Omos, is from Nigeria.

Babatunde Lukasz Aiyegbusi, also known as Dabba-Kato is from Poland but has Nigerian heritage.

Ezekwesili Nduka is currently training at the Performance Center. He is a former football player and bodybuilder with Nigerian parents.

Apollo Crews on His Nigerian Heritage

Crews spoke with SI.com recently about his new persona on Smackdown.

“This isn’t arrogance or cockiness; it’s just me knowing what I am capable of doing,” Crews said. “My talent has been hidden for too long, and people are finally going to see how great I really am.”

He also spoke about how Roman Reigns has influenced him.

“Roman does everything so well. I’ve watched and learned from him. He’s the best. Everyone wants to be in the spot he’s in, so watching him has taught me so much. I want to be that person who can captivate an audience, with an undeniable greatness. That’s Roman’s level, and that is what I am working toward,” Apollo Crews said.

Apollo Crews has gone through a drastic change in his character over the past few weeks on SmackDown. He turned heel in February and attacked Shinsuke Nakamura and Big E after losing a match to Nakamura. He kayfabe injured Big E by slamming steel steps onto his back, which forced him to take time off of SmackDown. Crews would then go on to debut a new “Nigerian Royalty” character with new gear and entrance music. Crews would do a good job pulling the character off and working with what’s given to him, even earning a WWE Intercontinental Championship match against Big E at Fastlane.

Apollo Crews talked about his new persona in an interview with Sports Illustrated, where he discussed his newfound confidence in himself. “This isn’t arrogance or cockiness; it’s just me knowing what I am capable of doing,” Crews said. “My talent has been hidden for too long, and people are finally going to see how great I really am.”

Apollo Crews also said that this new character is a chance for him to get back in touch with his Nigerian roots. He also revealed that he cared too much about what people thought of him and now his mindset has changed. He’s happy with his role, and it feels like a part of him. “I have such a different background,” Crews said regarding his lineage. “You don’t often see African representation on our show. This is a chance to get back in touch with my Nigerian roots. I always cared too much what people thought when I was younger, but my mindset has changed. I’m excited about what I’m doing right now. It’s an extension of who I am, and it feels so natural. I am stepping outside my comfort zone, and I’m so excited to do that.”

Apollo Crews also revealed that his impressive in-ring work was able to carry him throughout the indies. But once he got into WWE, he struggled to find himself in a new environment. Crews said that since he’s a shy person, it takes him some time to get familiar with a new situation. Because of this, he came accross as a generic guy and saw that fans weren’t able to connect with him. Since then, he has worked hard to build the connection and make fans care about his character.

Crews’ Inspiration from Roman Reigns

One such character that struggled to connect with fans was that of Roman Reigns. Apollo Crews said that he took inspiration from Reigns’ journey in finding his character and he’s applying what he’s learned from the Universal Champion.

“Roman does everything so well. I’ve watched and learned from him. He’s the best. Everyone wants to be in the spot he’s in, so watching him has taught me so much. I want to be that person who can captivate an audience, with an undeniable greatness. That’s Roman’s level, and that is what I am working toward,” Apollo Crews said.

Apollo Crews faces Intercontinental Champion Big E at Fastlane on Sunday, March 21.

WWE has announced an Intercontinental title match for Fastlane, the final pay-per-view event on the road to WrestleMania 37.

WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E will defend his title against recently turned-heel Apollo Crews on WWE Fastlane. On this week’s SmackDown, we saw Big E return to the show after he was stretchered out after a brutal attack by Crews a few weeks ago. Crews had used steel steps as his weapon, launching them into the air so that they could fall down on Big E. The returning champion had much to say about what transpired over the past few weeks on this week’s episode.

Big E came down to the ring with braces and bandages on, only to remove them and show how fit he is. Big E said that he was in a medical facility because of Apollo Crews and there’s no coming back from that for Crews. Big E demanded that Crews show up, but he didn’t come out. Big E said that he’s not surprised, but he got all dressed up to defend his Intercontinental title tonight and he issued an open challenge to anyone who wants a shot at the belt from the locker room.

King Corbin came out and told Big E to calm down because he was looking crazy. Sami Zayn also joined the discussion and said that he’s ready to fight. Zayn said that it would be the perfect ending for his documentary and that since Corbin never actually accepted his challenge, he’s good to go. Big E said that whoever gets in the ring first gets the match, and Zayn ran in first to meet with punches and a Big Ending sending him out of the ring. The bell rang and Big E was able to successfully defend his title.

Big E’s celebrations were put to a halt as Apollo Crews’ music started playing and Crews launched a surprise attack from behind on him, hitting him with a suplex. He picked up the steel steps again and hit Big E’s arm and wrist with them.

Apollo Crews was asked backstage why he attacked Big E when he could have just accepted his Open Challenge instead. Crews said that he’s a descendant of Nigerian royalty and he answers to no one. People like Big He cater to him instead, he said. He then said he’d gladly accept his challenge for the Intercontinental Championship, at WWE Fastlane, that is.

Apollo Crews has gone through a significant change over the past few weeks on SmackDown. He has gotten a bit more aggressive and finally turned heel a week ago. Crews’ full heel turn was definitely around the corner, as he showed us glimpses of his destructive side over the weeks.

After embracing that side and going through it by attacking Big E and Shinsuke Nakamura last week, Crews debuted a new character with new attire and all. On Friday Night SmackDown, Crews came out and declared that he is proud of what he did and he talked about his ancestors that we had no knowledge of before this.

Apollo Crews said that he’s a “real African American” and that his ancestors were “real Nigerian royalty.” Apparently, Crews’ grandfather was ruler of large swathes of land in Nigeria, going to bed with his five wives draped in gold, if we are to go by his words. “My grandfather — he ruled, and he commanded some of the richest lands in Nigeria. He spent his days draped in gold and his nights with his five wives. His word was law and he was feared,” Crews declared during a promo on SmackDown.

Apollo Crews’ new attire consisted of a scarf and new white and green color on his gear. Crews explained that the colors signify wealth, dominance, and power. He said that he would make a point of anyone who challenged him, and Shinsuke Nakamura came out to take revenge for what happened during last week’s SmackDown.

Apollo Crews didn’t let Shinsuke Nakamura get in the ring though, as he assaulted him again and used the steel steps outside of the ring before the match even began. However, as the match began, Crews was able to be dominant throughout the bout and interestingly used an Olympic slam — also known as the Angle slam popularised by Kurt Angle — as his finisher to pick up the victory over Nakamura.

Otis and Apollo Crews went through a change in their characters on tonight’s SmackDown as both of them embraced their negative sides.

A match was set between Shinsuke Nakamura and Apollo Crews during SmackDown, with Intercontinental Champion Big E joining commentary for the match.

While the match was underway, Big E derided Apollo Crews and told him that it was time to move on and fight someone like Nakamura instead. This only made things worse as Crews lost to Nakamura and resorted to causing chaos and uncalled-for violence.

After being rolled up for a successful pinfall by Nakamura, Crews attacked him from behind while he was celebrating and threw him out of the ring. Crews launched Nakamura to the barricade and went to mouth off to Big E. Crews then grabbed the steel steps, but Big E got in the way and told him to put it down and walk away.

Crews complied and put them down, with Big E going to check on Nakamura – only for Crews to pick them up again and slam them in Big E’s back, effectively knocking him down. He then threw the steps and Big E inside the ring, but a referee interfered in time, allowing E to roll out of harm’s way.

The referee asked Crews to throw the steps down – which he did – but they landed on Big E. He was then stretchered out of the ThunderDome.

Apollo Crews’ full heel turn was definitely around the corner, and now it has finally arrived. It’d be interesting to see if Crews could join hands with Roman Reigns now that he’s on the “other” side.

WWE SmackDown Results (2/19): Elimination Chamber Go-Home Show, Edge & Reigns

Apollo Crews is not the only heel turn of the night though, as Otis surprised everyone by knocking out Rey Mysterio during a tag team match.

During the match between Otis and Chad Gable vs Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio, Alpha Academy, however, wanted to unfold chaos in the ring. For some reason, Gable argued and ordered Otis to deliver a splash from the top turnbuckle on Rey Mysterio, who was already down.

The referee then called for the bell, as Otis apparently didn’t pay any heed to the official’s count of five. Gable instructed Otis to hit another splash on Rey, after which Otis proceeded to pose in the ring. Dominik helped Rey backstage as he was knocked out and wasn’t moving.

Apollo Crews was scheduled to face MVP for the United States championship at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules last night. The match didn’t happen, however. Instead, MVP just declared himself the new champion.

According to a report from Wrestling Observer Radio, Crews was removed from the show due to COVID-19 related concerns. Comments on the show seemed to imply Crews has tested positive for the virus but did not outright say that is the case.

“Apollo Crews was COVID-19,” Meltzer said regarding Crews’ absence from the show. “People have been suspecting it and it was.”

Crews would later post to social media regarding MVP’s title claims.

• Apollo Crews Responds To MVP’s United States Championship Claim

“MVP is the new United States Champion — at least, according to himself,” reads a WWE.com report about the situation. “He declared himself as such at The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules when Apollo Crews wasn’t cleared to compete in their scheduled match due to a bulging disc.”

The United States championship is the first title Crews has held since debuting on the main roster in 2016. MVP’s 419 days spent with the title across 2 reigns is good for 5th all-time in that category. Only Lex Luger, Ric Flair, Greg Valentine, and Blackjack Mulligan have held the title for more days.

Apollo Crews has addressed MVP’s proclamation from last night’s The Horror Show at Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

During the event, MVP would come out with Bobby Lashley. MVP claimed how, because Crews was unable to defend his championship, he was now the WWE United States Champion via forfeit. MVP then grabbed the recently revealed re-designed US Championship belt from ringside.

WWE did not announce MVP as the new champion or seemingly acknowledge or recognize MVP’s declaration. At the time of writing, WWE.com still lists Crews as the current WWE United States Champion.

Crews responded to MVP’s actions, taking to Twitter to write:

“@The305MVP is trippin thinking he can claim himself the #USChampion. I was looking forward to shutting you BOTH up once and for all tonight at #ExtremeRules but once I’m cleared .. #ImComingforwhatsmine”

Apollo Crews was set to defend his WWE United States Champion at Extreme Rules against MVP. However, Crews would suffer a storyline back injury courtesy of MVP’s associate Bobby Lashley. This injury forced the match to be canceled.

It was noted during the show that Crews was in attendance at the WWE Performance Center for the show, but was unable to pass the physical to allow him to wrestle. There has been speculation that Crews’ removal from WWE programming could be due to coronavirus concerns, but this has not yet been confirmed.

Apollo Crews was first called up to the main roster in 2016. In the 4 years since, he’s done less than many fans would have expected him to. He recently became the WWE United States Champion, the first title he has won since signing with the promotion.

Paul Heyman’s year running WWE creative provided Crews with more opportunities than he had in his previous 3 on the main roster. Crews spoke with Newsweek recently about what it was like working with Heyman and what it’s like now that he has been removed from the creative team.

“Working with Heyman was fantastic. He was so hands-on with me and he helped me a lot. He was one of the main reasons for me getting this opportunity and I’m very thankful for everything he’s done for me and helped me with,” Crews said to Newsweek. Crews would continue to say he doesn’t feel Heyman being gone will work against him.

“All I could do is look toward the future and I’m looking forward to working with Bruce [Prichard] as well. We’re going to make magic together and I’m excited for what’s to come and where I’m at right now. The company is seeing what I’m capable of after these past few months taking this opportunity and running with it.”

Crews has a big PPV match this Sunday at Extreme Rules. He’ll take on MVP with the newly-designed United States title belt on the line.

• Apollo Crews On How A WWE Hall Of Famer Helped Him Get Into WWE

The full interview with Apollo Crews can be read here.

As expected, WWE showed off the new design of the United States Title. 

WWE did so during Monday’s episode of Raw from the Performance Center on the USA Network when MVP awarded himself the championship to further build his program with the current champion, Apollo Crews. 

As seen below, the title belt has a mixture of red, white, and blue on the center plate. WWE has confirmed that Crews will make his next title defense as United States Champion against MVP at Extreme Rules. 

WWE changing up the design of the belt was first reported back in June. The delay of the new design being revealed was due to WWE needing to make replicas available to sell on WWEShop.com.

It was reported this morning by WrestleVotes that the new design would be revealed on this show. WWE recently gave the Intercontinental Title belt a new design. AJ Styles is the current champion. 

Crews became the WWE United States Champion when he beat Andrade for it on an episode of Raw back on May 25. 

• Apollo Crews On How A WWE Hall Of Famer Helped Him Get Into WWE

What are your thoughts on this new design of the title? Sound off in the comment section.

A lot of famous WWE superstars have ended up in the company by coincidence and the story of the current United States Champion Apollo Crews is something similar.

The new champion appeared on this week’s episode of WWE Backstage and among other things; he also revealed how music artist Wale and WWE Hall Of Famer Mark Henry played a part in getting him into the company.

Crews explained that the music star messaged him on Twitter after seeing his work. He got in contact with Mark Henry and the WWE Hall Of Famer then arranged a tryout for him:

“Wale messaged me on Twitter about 2013 or something like that. He was like, ‘I just got hip to all your work. I love it. How can we get you in the WWE? At the time, I was just traveling around in England and Japan, just enjoying what I was doing.

He gets in contact with Mark Henry who sees my work and he gets me a tryout.” recalled Apollo Crews. “A couple of weeks later I get an email from Canyon Ceman saying they want to bring me down to Orlando for a tryout and I was like there’s no way this is real.”

The US Champion took part in a WWE tryout camp in October 2014 and he was then offered a development contract. He reported to the Performance Center in April 2015 and the former NXT star has been a part of the WWE roster ever since.

Apollo Crews made his main roster debut in April 2016. He recently won his first title in WWE, defeating Andrade for the United States Championship at this week’s episode of Raw.

• Also Read: Britt Baker On If Adam Cole Is Allowed To Attend AEW Shows

Apollo Crews is the new WWE United States Champion. Crews dethroned Andrade as the champion by beating him in a match on Monday’s episode of RAW on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.

After the match, Crews cut a promo in the ring about after all of the hard work and sacrifice he’s been through, he won his first title in WWE. He brought up how after the “injury” setback, he fought forward and is now the new champion. 

Last December, during a house show at MSG, Andrade defeated Rey Mysterio to win the United States Championship for the first time.

Back in April, WWE did the injury storyline when Crews faced Andrade for the title on an episode of RAW. This was done as a way to set up the replacement star for Crews in the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. 

As a result of the injury, Crews was unable to finish the match and ultimately pulled from the ladder match. AJ Styles ended up replacing him. 

• Andrade Shares His Initial Frustrations In WWE’s Performance Center

What are your thoughts on Crews winning the title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry has shared what he believes RAW Superstar Apollo Crews needs to do to break through to the next level. Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Henry expressed his belief that, from a talent perspective, Crews is able to capitalize on an opportunity if presented with one. He noted this sheer talent is why he sought him out and brought him into WWE in the first place.

Henry added how he’d love to see Apollo Crews with more “bells and whistles.” He believes he could succeed with the help of a manager and a “dominant” storyline.

The Hall of Famer would love to see him involved in a narrative that sees Crews have “something over somebody’s head.”

Apollo Crews Is Not Yet A Jedi Knight

Mark Henry stressed he means no disrespect when discussing Crews or his position. He pointed out how he has a strong knowledge of the Force. According to him, Crews “is not yet at the level of a full-fledge Jedi knight.”

Henry added how Apollo Crews isn’t at a Padawan level either but still has plenty of room for improvement.

Apollo Crews suffered an unfortunate injury during this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW. It occurred during his matchup against WWE United States Champion Andrade. WWE has since pulled Crews from the Money in the Bank ladder match, stating he is not medically cleared to compete. 

This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw Apollo Crews picking up a big victory over a current champion but things didn’t end the way he wanted to.

The former NXT star teamed up with Rey Mysterio and Aleister Black on the show to face the team of Angel Garza, Austin Theory and Andrade in a 6 men tag team match.

Apollo won the match for his team while pinning the US Champion Andrade in the process. This win earned him a shot at the US Championship later in the night.

However, the Raw star ended up suffering a leg injury while attempting a Frogsplash in the championship match and the bout was stopped because he couldn’t continue the match.

The company later announced on their website that Apollo Crews is not medically cleared and so he will not be able to compete in the upcoming Money In The Bank ladder match as announced.

• Also Read: Former US Champion Reveals If He Is Still With WWE

The company has not confirmed a replacement for the high flying star so it would be interesting to see who ends up taking his place in the upcoming match.

The Money In The Bank this year will be contested at the WWE Headquarters on May 10. After Crews’ removal, the remaining confirmed participants for the bout are Daniel Bryan, Aleister Black, Rey Mysterio and King Corbin.

This week’s episode of Raw saw Nia Jax making her in ring return but the former Women’s Champion wasn’t the only superstar who made her return to the show tonight.

During the episode, Aleister Black came out for a match and then Apollo Crews, who was a part of the SmackDown roster made his way to the ring.

Tom Phillips then revealed the reason behind this brand switch and he mentioned that Crews has been drafted back to Raw from the SmackDown roster due to the draft picks that were going to expire.

The former NXT star went on to have a lengthy match with Black and the bout was won by the former NXT Champion after he pinned Crews with a Black Mass.

Apollo Crews was originally brought up to the main roster as part of the Raw brand in April 2016 but he was drafted to SmackDown not very long after this in July the same year.

He was moved to the Red Brand once again during the 2017 drafts. After this move, the former NXT star joined Titus Worldwide but this storyline didn’t go anywhere.

He was moved a fourth time when Apollo Crews was drafted back to SmackDown during the Superstar Shakeup in 2019 and it would be interesting to see if the company has a plan for him this time.

Apollo Crews trusts the process. 

In an interview with The Wrap, Crews spoke about being patient and understanding in how the process works as he continues to try and break through on WWE’s main roster since leaving NXT in 2016.

“I wanted to come in here and shock the world, I guess you could say,” he admitted. “I felt like I would have done much more at this moment in my career. I’m still young — I’m about to be 32 in a couple of days — and there’s still a lot of time. I’m still very patient and understanding in how the process works. I trust the process.”

Crews was one of the Superstars announced for the current King of the Ring tournament. When asked about what it was like to be taking part in the competition, he responded:

“First of all, the talent that we have, in my opinion, I think it’s the greatest roster of all time as far as talent goes. There’s so much potential for these amazing matches with the talent that is matched up in the tournament, and I’m excited to be a part of it. Growing up watching ‘King of the Ring,’ I never thought I was gonna actually be in ‘King of the Ring.’”

Crews competed in the first round of the King of the Ring tournament last week on SmackDown Live. He lost to Andrade.

Apollo Crews was one of the most promising prospects from NXT and many believed his high flying abilities would lead him to become a fan favorite. However, he hasn’t been able to make his mark on the main roster yet since being called up back in April 2016.

During a recent interview with The Wrap, the former NXT Star talked about a number of things and he also admitted that he is not satisfied with his WWE career so far. Crews said that he wanted to come to the main roster and make his mark but he then went on to claim that he is keeping patience and trusting the process:

“I wanted to come in here and shock the world, I guess you could say. I felt like I would have done much more at this moment in my career, but I’m still young — I’m about to be 32 in a couple of days — and there’s still a lot of time. I’m still very patient and understanding in how the process works. I trust the process.”

• Also Read: Talks Of WWE Cancelling 205 Live

Apollo Crews also talked about the King Of The Ring tournament. In the interview taken before this week’s episode of SmackDown Live, he talked about his match with Andrade and said that he is excited to be a part of the competition.

He mentioned how winning the King Of The Ring has done wonders for the careers of many WWE Stars and hoped that he could win the tournament. You can check out his full interview at this link.

Several WWE stars made their return to NXT which is where it all began for them.

WWE is in Winter Park, FL at Full Sail University for Thursday’s NXT TV tapings. This is where Fandango, Killian Dain and Apollo Crews made their returns to NXT.

First up was Dain, who returned following Matt Riddle’s win over Arture Ruas as he appeared wearing a mask then revealed himself. Dain then destroyed Riddle and put him through the stage.

Dain had been rumored to be heading back to NXT when SAnitY was split up once Eric Young went to RAW and Alexander Wolfe was sent to NXT UK.

Crews wrestled Kushida in a singles match where he lost by submission. Both of their matches will air on the July 17 episode.

Finally, Fandango made the save for Tyler Breeze, who beat Jaxson Ryker. Post-match, Forgotten Sons beat down Breeze until Fandango made the save and reunited with Breeze.

Fandango had been out of action after suffering a shoulder injury back in July 2018 that originally expected for him to be out of action for around 6 months. The timeframe for his return was at the end of 2018 but it was delayed. 

• Spoilers: WWE NXT TV Tapings Results (6/13/19)

WWE are reportedly looking to push one of their more overlooked Superstars in the near future. This week’s episode of RAW saw Apollo Crews beat Jinder Mahal. Crews took the win after hitting a Standing Moonsault which seemed somewhat of a shock. Crews lost his last bout to Dolph Ziggler on RAW.

On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio Dave Meltzer confirmed that there are new creative plans for the Superstar. Meltzer claimed that WWE are looking to push Crews as a ‘highlight reel’ on the show. Crews is one of the more athletically gifted stars on the RAW roster, so this new vision may have potential.

It is also been reported that Crews is no longer part of the Titus Worldwide faction.

News surrounding Apollo Crews has been sparse over the past few months. Crews lost and regained his surname from his character earlier this year. There was speculation that his name change may have been in response to Nikolas Cruz, the Florida school shooter who killed 17 people earlier this year.

– As seen this past Wednesday on the WWE Network, Mia Yim sent Kaitlyn packing from the Mae Young Classic by beating the former Divas Champion in a Second-Round Match. Yim scored the victory by forcing Kaitlyn to submit to the kneebar.

Following the match, Kaitlyn — real name Celeste Bonin — took to Instagram to reflect on her WWE comeback.

“My match with @miayimofficial was one of my favorite of all time. The match itself was so dope and Mia is such a powerful woman in so many ways,” Kaitlyn wrote.

“But For me, it was exceptionally meaningful to come back after so many years and to leave it all out there in the ring and offer my contribution to the evolution of women’s wrestling. The evolution of the division is parallel to my evolution as a person and as a competitor/performer. Man I love wrestling. Congrats to @miayimofficial. She deserves it. Much respect to her.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Boyz2TAlZis/

– Although Apollo Crews and Titus O’Neil have not appeared together on television since the night after SummerSlam, they’re still a unit.

Crews and O’Neil teamed up for the first time in four weeks at last night’s WWE live event in Syracuse, New York. Titus Worldwide teamed with Tyler Breeze to beat The Ascension and Mike Kanellis in a Six-Man Tag Team Match.

This was also O’Neil’s first match since September 15 (teaming with Crews at a live event), and Crews’ first since September 24 (beating Breeze in a match taped for WWE Main Event). Crews and O’Neil have not wrestled together on television since losing to AOP on Raw on August 20. It was also their last appearance on Raw.

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