Why He Sucks
Apollo Crews is one of those wrestlers that was amazing on the indie scene. He created a buzz that got him noticed by the biggest wrestling company in the world, World Wrestling Entertainment.
The former Uhaa Nation character of old has not had the glitz and glamour run for WWE that he saw on the indie circuit. In fact, he was an in demand, top tier performer across the globe. He put on fantastic matches and showed unmatched athleticism in the ring.
His ability inside the squared circle is a height above most competitors. His fascinating ability in the ring consistency leaves fans in a bit of an utter shock. He really is that damn good.
So why has his ability not transferred to the WWE?
Well ability may be the wrong terminology. His ability shines through in matches. When he first got the call-up, he was introduced through a number of squash matches that set him up for a bright future. In those matches, no matter the length, Apollo Crews was able to show of his superior abilities, and he did a great job.
About a year in a half ago, maybe two years now, I read an article that tried to predict the five things that will undoubtedly happen over the next five years in WWE. For instance, one of those things was that John Cena would not only match Ric Flair 16 titles but would surpass it. So far he has tied it.
The other thing that stood out on that list was a name I was unfamiliar with at the time, Uhaa Nation.
Uhaa Nation was an independent wrestler on the verge of signing with WWE. The prediction for him was that he would be WWE’s first african-american champion over the next five years. That was around two years ago and with about three years left, I do not feel we are even remotely close to that happening.
Uhaa Nation signed with NXT and became Apollo Crews. The foundation was set and it was going to start in NXT.
NXT was the perfect starting point for the Apollo Crews character because it was a character that needed work. Crews came into the WWE with mostly a good wrestling accolade but lacked in areas such as promos, mic work and overall T.V. personality. The idea of NXT is to further individuals in these specific areas and improve them for the main roster if they reach that level.
Apollo Crews spent nearly two years at the NXT level and my feeling is that it wasn’t enough.
Crews still lacks the ability to be adaptable. He lacks mic skills and in all honesty he lacks any sense of a character. These things weren’t developed fully on the NXT brand and it is proving to be a glaring difficulty seen every Tuesday night.
Crews has an awful character and the reason being is that it is an extension of himself. And yes, I know how that sounds. And no, I am not attacking him as a person. The Apollo Crews character needs to be redefined. This is one of the few characters that cannot fully be an extension of yourself. The reason being is because it simply does not work.
Crews is not funny, he is not serious, he is not emotional, he is not angry, he is not smart, he is not dumb, he is not mean and in all honesty I don’t even really know the extent of his happiness. Apollo Crews is simply a character that smiles a hell of a lot and has very, very good in ring work. That is a lot of areas that are absent in the development of a character. Things need to change and they need to change ASAP.
How can these specifics change though?
WWE is a character driven show highlighted by wrestling and story lines, some bad and some good. When a character is not working it can be changed and altered, some times for the better and some times it doesn’t change much. With Apollo Crews it is evident that an shift in character needs to happen. His current character, as alluded to earlier, is a guy that smiles and is phenomenal in the ring.
The one thing that I don’t think you can get away from with Crews is his smiling. I see that as a natural part of who he is and ultimately the extension of himself that we discussed earlier. It is the extension of himself that is most notable and defining. Without a lot of wiggle room from that aspect, it should be more of a question of how can WWE and Apollo develop around that?
What about a narcissistic personality disorder? Sure, it is a character route that has been done and repeated in WWE but when done correctly it is good. Apollo Crews has the makings in place to have this happen.
AJ Lee is a great example of this. Look at her personality as fun and bubbly but yet finds a way to be ruthless and of great quality in the ring. AJ Lee was a champion and a great character in her time with WWE.
Lee may be one of many examples of this trait to have but how can Crews make something of it? I wouldn’t say he is as bubbly as an AJ Lee was but he is certainly a smiler. His goal would to be build around the smile.
How do you do this?
It is simple. You smile in front of people and on camera. You say good things about people on camera and anytime in front of the microphone. You act one way when it’s time to communicate. This should be easy for Crews by the way. Then you flip the script completely. You attack people any time you feel threatened. You find a way to swindle your opponents to win the matches. Eye gauges, low blows, back rakes, foreign objects etc. should all be utilized to beat opponents.
And when you win by these methods all you say at the end is “I won fair and square. My opponent was great but in no way was he better than me.” You say it with a big ole smile. The interviewer asks “Why did you use the low blow?” Crews should simply respond with “I didn’t!” YES. You lie and lie and lie some more. You can do no wrong within this character.
That is one way the character change should take place but hi in-ring style needs to be changed a little bit as well. For one, Crews would need to be more aggressive with this character. His physicality in the ring needs to be highlighted. His physique is already in place. Now he needs to let it be shown.
The other part of his in-ring work that needs to change is his flashy, exciting moves. Apollo Crews has an array of big time and exciting moves that please WWE fans very much. The problem is that he does them every time he has a match. The fans are witnessed to them every time he is on TV. Their is a chance to grow tired of those moves with the consistency in which he uses them.
What Crews should be doing is reserving those moves and spacing them out across bigger events and matches. Think in the context of Seth Rollins and his championship run. Rollins always had a few special moves that he reserved only for the big PPV events or matches. Fans, like myself, we more excited to see those moves done because it felt like I hadn’t witnessed before and certainly not the last time I saw him wrestle. He gave me something different and it was a welcomed change of pace.
These changes could be highly effective for his character. I feel that with a change in character and ultimately becoming a heel as opposed to his current face run, Crews can elevate his worth. Changing a character and in-ring work is never easy but sometimes necessary. In the case of Apollo Crews it is a necessity.
If you want a good comparison that is currently happening on WWE programming take a look at Dolph Ziggler’s change. His persona of the last two to three years had grown very stale and people were losing interest. Now he has shifted things and has found a way to play off the character of old at the same time.
He is to the point where losing is no longer okay. He doesn’t believe in a next time. All he wants to do is win now and win by any means necessary. The shift has been beneficial as it has brought new light to his career and character and in-ring work. In my humble opinion, everything about Ziggler has improved for the better.
Apollo Crews needs this very same type of change. I hope the best for him moving forward because I enjoy his in-ring work. I feel that the potential of Apollo Crews is through the roof but is majorly stalled with his current character. This stall is due to Crews abilities in front of the camera and due to WWE for not pushing him far enough to get better.
Crews is bound to have success in the realms of WWE but it will only come in the form of a character change. How immediate this may take place is unknown but I hope the script is figured out sooner rather than later.
Sign up for articles: Email sign up
Follow me: @720wrestling
Support us on Patreon.
720wrestlingcom.wordpress.com 