Apollo Crews recently spoke to Lagos’ The Nation to discuss WWE’s talent hunt in Nigeria and the opportunities the billion-dollar company offers to prospective wrestlers. Crews addressed the scope of WWE’s global reach and what that means for talents selected for training. Crews, known both as a powerhouse and high-flyer, was signed to WWE NXT in 2015.
You can read some highlights from the interview below.
On being part of the efforts to bring WWE to Nigeria: “I feel like, it is a huge honor for me because this is the first time it’s happening. And for me to be able to be part of this and make the announcement it’s a great honour and it’s a pleasure as well. I feel very blessed. I have root here in Nigeria and I was able to represent a wonderful country on TV it’s nice that we have the opportunity to bring another or maybe multiple or more African Superstars into the WWE and show the world what we already know.”
On the scope of WWE’s plans within Nigeria: “I think it’s endless. This is just the first, the first of many to come. It’s something that is amazing because we are always searching for talent. WWE is always looking for the next talent, always looking for the new talent and I know we can find a lot here. They just have to be brought into the mainstream and that’s why WWE is providing opportunities not just for Africans but for everybody. You know I have the opportunity to take my talent up to the global level. WWE is a global platform; it is a global brand, and it’s all over the world, so it’s a huge opportunity. Again, I’m glad to be able to come here and make this announcement and be part of it and then represent the country and the nation of Africa.”
On the opportunities provided by working with WWE: “The prospect is great and I think it is an amazing opportunity for the athletes. WWE provides an opportunity for athletes and other individuals who may not have had a successful career or may have had a successful career but at the end of their career have another step to have a different career but on a global level. So they get to travel. Our schedules are so busy; we travel all around the world, and we bring culture into the profession. So thinking about WWE is great. You have, for example, Omos (Tolulope “Jordan” Omogbehin) who came home (Lagos, Nigeria) for the first in 15 years. He took a camera crew to his house (here in Nigeria) to show his family and showed everyone where he grew up. So, it’s more than finding African Superstars it gives the opportunity to allow everybody to tell their stories as well; as where these Superstars come from. For example, you have people from the (Nigeria) Wrestling Federation and it gives them the opportunity to tell a story of their Wrestling career and the opportunity to become a WWE Superstar. So it’s a great opportunity for the prospect of Africa, Nigeria, and the nation, and I’m honoured to be a part of it.”
On the trajectory of his own career with WWE: “It’s unreal. This is an opportunity for a dream to come true because sometimes as a kid I dreamt of being a wrestler. I have been watching wrestling since I was three years old like many of us, right, but you never really think in reality that this is going to be real and when it happened you feel like it’s unreal. So I feel better coming back to Nigeria and being able to spread the message that we are looking for more talents; we are looking for more African Nigerian talents. It’s life-changing. It’s an opportunity to change your life, to change your family’s life. So I’m glad we are providing this opportunity for talents.”