Apollo Crews cringes in pain after Sheamus hits him with the steel steps. (Photo : Twitter/@WWEMYVIEWS)
Apollo Crews is one of the rising superstars in the WWE's "New Era" but his stay on the main roster has not been very successful. According to the latest rumors, there is backstage heat on Crews for not getting over the crowd and for botching spots in his matches, mainly the one against Chris Jericho last month.
The 28-year-old quickly moved up in the NXT ranks after signing a contract in October 2014. He made his developmental debut on the May 6, 2015 episode of NXT and it only took him less than a year to get called up to the main roster.
Crews was promoted to the main roster on April 4 after WrestleMania 32 and he defeated Tyler Breeze in his Monday Night Raw debut. However, he has not been well-received by the WWE universe despite his athleticism and genuine smile.
The problem with Crews is his character that is basically non-existent. He is only a wrestler that can do great moves but the fans need something more to cheer him on. According to Daily Wrestling News, his failure to get over has caused Vince McMahon to express doubt about him.
It is also noted that there was backstage heat on him for botching a spot in the Money in the Bank qualifying match against Jericho on the May 23 episode of Raw. Crews failed to get out of the way of Jericho's Lionsault that could have been disastrous.
However, the former Uhaa Nation is only three months into his main roster career and his character would just need some development. The wrestling techniques and moves are there for him and he just needs to get better on the microphone.
According to Forbes, Crews needs to have a manager in order for him to get over. Some of the names that could help him are Paul Heyman, Teddy Long and Montel Vontavious Porter, if he re-signs with the WWE. A gimmick change could also work for him, but developing his "happy-go-lucky" character may be the best way to go.
The current feud with Sheamus is a little bit stale but having a win over a former WWE champions is a pretty big deal. Check out the video below for the botched Lionsault spot that caused Crews to have backstage heat.
