Assessing The Futures Of 10 WWE Stars Who Didn't Make The Royal Rumble 2021 Cut

10. Apollo Crews

It might sound weird, but 2020 was actually a pretty good year for Apollo Crews. After years spent treading water in midcard purgatory, the former Uhaa Nation finally broke through the glass ceiling and won his first championship, defeating Andrade for the WWE United States Championship and holding the belt for three months before coming up short against Lashley. There ain't no shame in losing to Lashley.

Crews hasn't exactly dipped since then. He moved to SmackDown as part of the October draft and has spent much of his time on the blue brand trying to wrestle the Intercontinental Championship from the grasp of Big E., a quest that has so far been unsuccessful. There have been hints at a heel turn, with Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns seen giving Crews advice on a number of occasions.

Many expected Crews to cement that heel turn at the Rumble, but that didn't happen. He wasn't seen in the 30-man battle royal either. Unlike many names on this list, Apollo's absence shouldn't be a harbinger of difficult times ahead, and was more than likely simply a case of Crews just not making the cut this time. I'd expect him to be featured as normal come Friday's SmackDown.