Assessing The Futures Of 10 WWE Stars Who Didn't Make The Royal Rumble 2022 Cut

4. Apollo Crews

Sad Cesaro wwe
WWE.com

When compiling your lists of talented in-ring workers who could've been utilised in the Royal Rumble but weren't, Apollo Crews is another name to add to the likes of Cesaro and Finn Bálor.

Whereas for Cesaro and Bálor a strong Rumble showing could've been used to push either man back towards the main event picture they'd both briefly dabbled with, a solid outing for Crews could have been a breakout moment for someone who's spent so much of his seven years in WWE trawling in obscurity.

Crews' Intercontinental Title run and rivalry with Big E promised plenty, yet the former Uhaa Nation has once more slipped down the card and again finds himself out of the picture when it comes to WWE's PPVs. While missing a regular PPV obviously sucks for a talent, being not used at the Royal Rumble is an even bigger disappointment due to the sheer number of bodies required for such an event.

That Apollo wasn't deemed valuable enough for the 30-man Rumble is a worrying sign. Should WWE make its regular round of post-WrestleMania cuts in a couple of months, Crews could well be one of the names on the chopping block.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.