10 Most Disappointing Wrestlers Of 2016

7. Apollo Crews

Apollo Crews
WWE.com

2016 saw WWE call a number of NXT wrestlers up to the main roster ahead of time, and while Apollo Crews was considerably more developed than the likes of Carmella and Mojo Rawley, he came with huge holes in his game. Crews is supremely athletic and a guy who usually pieces a decent match together, but his charisma is almost non-existent, and he has never been given a chance to develop his character.

Apollo would certainly have benefited from another 6-12 months honing his skills at the Performance Center, but he made his way to Raw and SmackDown in April. Since then, Crews has established a reputation as somebody who is really, really good at precisely two things: smiles and flips.

That’s about the extent of Crews’ character at this point. Feud-wise, he has been given nothing more than a few brief spats with Sheamus, Baron Corbin, and the Social Outcasts since his call-up. He’s never given any microphone time, his matches rarely break the 5-minute mark, and he misses weeks of television at a time. Apollo’s stuck in purgatory, and WWE have made no effort to rescue him.

Crews still has bags of potential, but there’s no point on him being on SmackDown if WWE won’t let him harness it.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.