6 Ways WWE Can Salvage Apollo Crews
2. A Return To NXT
The general consensus when it comes to Apollo Crews is that his time in NXT was cut somewhat short. Crews arrived in NXT in May 2015, wrestled his first NXT match in August and less than a year later he was making the jump to the main roster. In that year Crews didn't have a meaningful rivalry in developmental, mostly taking part in standalone matches with little story behind them.
Whilst sending Crews back to developmental may look like admitting defeat, it could prove to be a major victory for everyone involved. NXT in March 2017 is very different to NXT in December 2015, and Crews may be that rarest of beasts; the independent standout performer who needs developmental work all the same.
A longer stint in NXT would allow Crews to rebuild his character ahead of a second run at the main roster, with a host of fresh stories waiting for him down at Full Sail. Samoa Joe, Eric Young, Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, No Way Jose, Andrade Almas and a whole lot more are waiting for him. A return to NXT would represent a hard reset on the Apollo Crews experiment, and it is just what is needed.