5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Feb 26)

Ups...

5. Crews Explains Himself

Apollo Crews Heel
WWE.com

Ignore the fact that Apollo Crews veered into Booker T TNA territory with that Nigerian accent. Ignore the fact that WWE will, in all likelihood, get bored of his midcard heel push soon. Ignore the fact that Shinsuke Nakamura's own short-term shunt has been sacrificed.

Anything is better for Apollo than being 'Random Smiling Babyface #467.

That's all he was before, and it wasn't working. Now, with one vicious attack on Big E and one solid promo, Crews has some momentum. Better yet, he looks comfortable in the role, and that should help him. This isn't Chad Gable as 'Shorty G' awkwardness, put it that way - Apollo has embraced what WWE are going for.

The big challenge now is floating him above that standard 50/50 booking routine. He lost to Nakamura last week, gained a big win this week and now has to move on from the Japanese star towards E's Intercontinental Title. Crews is finally on the right path, and this is the right way to make that rivalry mean something.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.