Backstage WWE Update On WrestleMania 37's Nigerian Drum Fight - What Are The Rules?

What exactly does WWE have in mind for Sunday's Nigerian Drum Fight between Big E and Apollo Crews?

by Andrew Pollard
Apollo Crews
WWE

With WrestleMania 37 Weekend so nearly upon us, there’s now an update on what to expect from the Nigerian Drum Fight that will take place on Night 2 of this year’s Showcase of the Immortals.

That match will see Intercontinental Champion Big E defending his prize against Apollo Crews, with Crews the one to specify that this will be under the rules of a Nigerian Drum Fight.

The thing is, what even is a Nigerian Drum Fight? On that front, Fightful Select is reporting that not even those involved behind the scenes in WWE had any idea what this contest would look like as of earlier this week.

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Last week’s SmackDown tapings – where tonight’s blue brand offering was recorded ahead of time – saw confusion, as ideas were still being discussed as to what the exact rules of a Nigerian Drum Fight would be. By the time those tapings concluded, no set decision had yet to be made on how this match will be presented.

By all accounts, the current word is that the Nigerian Drum Fight will essentially by a No DQ match, although who knows what we'll get by the time these two rivals do battle in just two days time.

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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.