10 WWE Payback 2020 Impulse Reactions

8. Apollo Crews (c) Vs. Bobby Lashley

Sasha Banks Bayley
WWE.com

Apollo Crews was kind of an a*sehole again after Bobby Lashley beat him clean as a sheet with the Full Lashley to conclude a rather underwhelming opener.

The former Champion struck just after The Hurt Business had posed for photos with 'The All Mighty', mirroring the manner in which he "won" their arm wrestling match on Raw the week prior.

Proof that things just mostly happen in WWE rather than wrestlers getting sustained runs, Apollo Crews held the title for just shy of 100 days, oversaw the introduction of a brand new belt, and apparently had the number of the three men he had no choice but to back-jump after a bruising defeat. The last six days in his life have rendered the prior 91 mostly moot.

Crews had profile, not a push, and this entire match felt like the beginning of the end of that particular era. Business isn't exactly booming for MVP's trio, but Lashley with the belt likely offers more going forward, especially if he rocks up to Raw Underground holding gold.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett