Current WWE Champion Says He Was Called Up From NXT 'Too Soon'
Who thinks WWE jumped the gun?
Apollo Crews has told Newsweek that he now realises he was called up from NXT too soon.
When WWE informed Crews that he'd be jumping to the then-main roster in 2016, he was ecstatic and admits he didn't think, "No, I need to stay longer and develop this character more". Apollo was hungry for the opportunity, but now looks back with the benefit of hindsight and sees that he needed to create more of a connection with fans before moving brands.
Specifically, Crews noted that he didn't get to let people see him "be angry, sad, happy - to see those different emotions so they can know that I have these different layers. It’s not just a guy who comes out smiling and does flips and other cool stuff".
At least he's honest.
It's only recently that Apollo has started to really settle into a groove on Raw. The current United States Champ is in a neat storyline with MVP and Bobby Lashley, and he's been able to show some much-needed fire on the mic too.
Crews just wishes he'd been able to explore that side of things before leaving NXT.