10 NXT Stars That Failed On The Main Roster (And Why)
4. Apollo Crews
The NXT debut of Apollo Crews in May 2015 raised a fair few eyebrows. Although the former Uhaa Nation didn’t have the name value of a Kevin Steen or a Prince Devitt, those in the know were excited, and with good reason.
An astonishingly agile heavyweight able to hit a standing moonsault, Crews had charisma to spare. It seemed a foregone conclusion: this man could be the next big thing.
The only trouble was, they’d forgotten to give him a gimmick or a decent storyline. With the upper card crammed with stars, his ring time was limited to short television-style matches. Crews was left with little chance to impress, and his moment came and went.
Ideally, Crews would have moved up and developed the character and skills he needed once NXT’s main event stars were called up. Bizarrely, NXT’s midcard were called up first. Crews debuted on RAW in April 2016, and then moved to SmackDown in July, but with no more personality than he’d had in NXT.
Developmental had passed him by, and now he was in the deep end. A year later, back on RAW, still resolutely lower midcard and with no sign that the office or the fans are interested in seeing more from him, Apollo Crews is just treading water.