From the beginning of his WWE career, Apollo Crews was a Superstar waiting to emerge. After a short stint in NXT, Crews transitioned onto the main roster carrying an abundance of talent and even more serious promise.
The hype viginettes suggested that Crews was the next breakout Superstar for WWE. Following those came the eventual disappointment that many fans feared as he faded away. Arguably, Crews’ time in NXT was vastly premature. Getting lost in the shuffle is easy to do with a roster full of amazing talents. That appeared to be the case for Crews. The infamed “NXT curse” was beginning to follow him, as if the company forgot about the up and coming star.
Through these last five years, Crews pushed through start and stop stories such as “Titus Worldwide” igniting fans’ hope to little avail. Now, Crews has been rewarded greatly. 2020 looks to be the Georgia native’s breakthrough year in WWE. Crews took advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic and rose to the occasion when WWE needed him the most. With some talent opting to stay home, Crews was ready to grab the brass ring so to speak.
His coming out party started on the April 6th edition of Raw, where he put on an incredible performance against former NXT Champion Aleister Black. Crews reminded everyone just why he was one of Georgia’s brightest talents as Uhaa Nation. In what is considered a Match of the Year candidate, Crew and Black traded shots back and forth with some flying in between. Crews went into the match with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
For Crews to show up in this match was a bright moment for these dark times. Since that bout, Crews was slated to appear in the Men’s Money in the Bank match before an injury to his left knee would deter him for a few weeks. However, upon his return, Crews would return to feud with Andrade, and pulled off an upset win this past Monday winning his first Championship with WWE.
As United States Champion, Crews joins names such as Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, and Booker T on an historical elite list that includes first Champion Harley Race and the late Dusty Rhodes. While the Championship is secondary and has been in and out of focus at times, it still means big things for Crews.
Memorable bouts with Black and Andrade only help keep Crews’ growing momentum going. Crews’ climb towards superstardom is one of Monday Night Raw’s biggest highlights. Overcoming such adversity is only part of Crews’ story. How long the push will last is anyone’s guess. But perhaps Crews’ revival on the main roster is just the beginning of a even bigger payoff.
