The WWE Is Ruining... Apollo Crews

As a pro wrestling fan, it is a part of our identity to always know how to utilize wrestlers better than the WWE. If WWE would just give me, random WWE fan, a job a the company, ratings would immediately rise to the levels of the Monday Night Wars, despite how television ratings have changed as a whole over the last 20 years. But until that happens, WWE will continue ruining our favorite wrestlers, and that is why it is time to point out the error in their ways. Because of WWE's incompetence, I am literally going to pick a wrestler at random and point out how they could be better utilized, because WWE is ruining everyone in one way or another.

Today, we look at a guy that I had high expectations for, and the WWE dashed those very quickly after his call-up, Apollo Crews. And of course, I wrote this a couple weeks in advance, before he got his biggest push yet, by not only winning, but dominating, a battle royal to set up an Intercontinental Title match with Dean Ambrose. He then of course promptly lost that match, but it could be a sign of things to come. If he gets a huge push immediately, great. If not, I have an alternate option below.

Before joining the WWE, Uhaa Nation had made a decent name for himself. He wasn't considered a top indy guy at the time, but he was more seen as somebody who would be a top indy guy if he continued to work that wrestling scene. He was a very important part of both Dragon Gate and Evolve, and the WWE had seen enough to sign him to a developmental deal for 2015.

He made his debut in August of 2015 and ran through Tye Dillinger, Tyler Breeze, and even Finn Balor (by disqualification) before losing for the first time to Baron Corbin. It was a weird loss for him to get, but considering that NXT often falls into new guy stays undefeated for way too long, it didn't seem to be a big issue.

Then on April 4, 2016, he beat Tyler Breeze again on NXT...wait, no, for some reason he was already called up and this happened on Monday Night Raw. Just over half a year on NXT, and he was already up on the main roster. On one hand, good for him. On the other hand, Crews could have used some more seasoning.

And that is where the problems began. WWE, if your plan to start somebody off on the right foot on the main roster is to have them feud with the Social Outcasts, maybe just hold off on bringing them up at that point. At least Crews was able to overcome that dominant stable. After that, he came close to pushes as he was in #1 contenders matches as well as actual title matches, although he never actually won those matches. The big issue, and one that anyone who watched NXT could see, was that he never developed a personality, so it was pretty hard to get invested in anything he did.

Then he joined Titus Worldwide. You may be shocked to learn that things did not get better. They avoided giving Crews a personality, but didn't really let Titus have one either as even he wasn't allowed to give many promos, just holler a lot outside the ring as Crews wrestled inside of it.

He has now ditched Titus Worldwide, which would have been my first step to making him relevant. But the issue of never guiding him along to let him work on promos will continue to haunt him in any potential rise within the company. So how can you get the most out of Apollo Crews?

I think that the best thing you can do for him is put him in a tag team. He's an ideal hot tag guy as he's strong and explosive in his moves, but he's a good enough wrestler where he could also be the scrappy side of a tag team. I will admit that I struggled to find him the right tag partner. Chad Gable was my first thought, but I would rather just put American Alpha back together. My next thought was Finn Balor, but that seems like a really poor use of Finn Balor. Ultimately, I couldn't settle, but here were my four best options.

4. Tye Dillinger
I don't know how they fit together, but I just want something for both of these guys, and although Dillinger isn't going to amaze people with moves, he's super good at what he does, so they could put on some very good matches.

3. Bo Dallas
It would be a fun pairing with Bo living in his own world away from reality while Apollo had to come in with explosive moves to save the day. There is potential there.

2. No Way Jose
I know; it seems a little too on the nose and totally like something WWE would do, but I do think it has potential. It's two guys who were brought up too early with no real plans for either one, and two guys that show tremendous potential. I think it could be a fun dynamic and two guys that could be in the tag title picture.

1. Kassius Ohno
APOLLOHNO. Kassius Ohno has been in NXT since the beginning of time. Literally, dude was there at the beginning of NXT as a developmental brand. He had some time away on the independent scene, but he's back. Still talented, still used as a guy to get other talent over, and still nowhere closer to the big shows. This team is kind of a weird combination at first, but it's a combination that I think could work. They are made to put on great matches, and Ohno can handle the bulk of the talking while letting Crews be the exclamation point in interviews. The more I think about it; the more I like it.

Apollo Crews rose up to the main roster too quickly for his own good, but it's not a dire situation as the talent is still there, and with the right setting, he can still reach his full potential. I hope 2019 provides him that opportunity.

Other Wrestlers WWE Is Ruining
Alicia Fox
Andrade "Cien" Almas
Bayley
Bobby Lashley
Bobby Roode
Charlotte Flair
Curt Hawkins
Dana Brooke
Dash Wilder
Ember Moon
Jinder Mahal
Kane
Karl Anderson
Killian Dain
Kofi Kingston
Luke Gallows
Mickie James
Mojo Rawley
Nia Jax
Peyton Royce
Randy Orton
Scott Dawson
Shinsuke Nakamura
Tyler Breeze

The Ultimate NXT Draft Review: 11-20

In June of 2016, so now nearly two and a half years ago, Lukewarm Jonah and I got together to do an NXT Fantasy Draft. We are going to focus on the NXT roster as the transition from NXT to the main roster or just the progression within NXT provides some fascinating talking points. Although we did a fairly good job, there were definitely some big time misses and some amazing steals. We've already broken down the top 10, so let's look at picks 11-20 today.

11. Joe selects Tye Dillinger

Jonah: Tye Dillinger is awesome, but very underused, kind of like in NXT.  He’s very entertaining and good, not great in the ring. He’s a guy who can be in the midcard for a decade, and could move up if the WWE ever wanted to use him that way.  Solid pick, but there are some people below who are better, he probably moves down about 10, 10, 10 picks in the redraft.

Joe: Yeah, Jonah is correct in everything he said. He just never got a chance to get his character over, and now he’s in the abyss of underutilized WWE talent.

12-13. Jonah selects The Revival

Joe: Well, let me just start by saying Fuck The Revival. But these guys had injury issues at the worst possible time, and WWE has not shown any inclination that they are ready to trust them. They can have great tag matches, but despite the WWE having an overload of tag talent, they can’t seem to utilize more than two teams at a time. Hopefully 2019 turns things around as their matches with DIY, American Alpha, and Authors of Pain will go down as some of the best tag wrestling in WWE history.

But seriously, Fuck The Revival.

Jonah: Joe, FTR stands for Forever the Revival.  They’ve been retweeted by some young bucks quite often these days so if there was heat it’s all gone.  The Revival should be higher on this draft, they’re an incredible tag team, but they’re so horribly used.  I could see them making an impact this next year after a shoutout from Seth Rollins. If the WWE fails them miserably, I can see them being great in AEW.

14-15. Joe selects Nia Jax and Mojo Rawley

Jonah: Nia Jax is pretty over and featured on RAW most weeks.  She is also really good at injuring people, which isn’t a great skill to have.  In her time on the main roster Jax has injured Bayley, Zelina Vega, Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair and of course Becky Lynch.  This article isn’t about ragging on Jax, but there has to be a concern if you have a wrestler on your show that isn’t good at keeping her opponents healthy.  That being said, she’s a former champ and this is a good spot for her to get drafted. Mojo, oh Mojo,if you came around 10 to 15 years ago you’d be a huge star, but wrestlers have to be able to wrestle these days.  Mojo isn’t awful, but compared to the immense talent they have company wide, he stands out as not being great. He could be a great opener, using his hypeness and having fun with the kids. Or he could be a main event heel if they made him Triple M and paired him up with Jay Cutler.  In a redraft Mojo falls a decent amount, but he could still have a future.

Joe: Sorry that Jonah is a snowflake who can’t handle Nia Jax getting REAL and hurting people all of the time. But seriously, Nia Jax still has a great presence, seems like a really nice person and is not great at professional wrestling. But with her hanging out with Tamina, she’s basically Ricky Steamboat out there. Mojo won a battle royal once, but yeah, I wish I could have had this pick back.

16-17. Jonah selects Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa

Joe: When I’m wrong, I say I’m wrong, and boy was I wrong about Johnny Gargano. People freaking loved Johnny Wrestling, and I just saw an undersized guy who was fine. Like, definitely good at wrestling, but I just didn’t see anything special. I did like Ciampa, but with them being a packaged deal, I really had no interest in them, and I was wrong. Gargano’s great. Ciampa’s great. But they’ve been around for three years and still haven’t gotten the call-up, and that is my big concern. What is the WWE going to do with these guys on the main roster?

Jonah: Triple H is just waiting for Vince to give him full control before he calls up Gargano and Ciampa, he saw what he did to Asuka and he will never forget that pain.  Gargano puts on five star matches basically every Takeover, it’s pretty amazing. His character has become well flushed out, and even though I don’t like the white meat babyface turning evil, it seems to be working out for him.  Lost in the talk of how great Gargano is, is how great Ciampa is. He’s the NXT champ, putting on phenomenal matches, and being an amazing heel. No one will survive Ciampa, no one. As a package, these guys are way higher up in the redraft, they’re two main eventers in NXT.  At worst, they should be reunited as a dominant tag team who kills it on whatever show they go to. They should have a good showing on the main roster, but who knows with the booking.

Joe: The good news is that WWE has a far better track record with guys who stay in NXT for a long time as opposed to guys who get quick callups, so hopefully they have a plan for them. If they actually did a better job with 205 Live, these guys would be ideal for that show before bumping up to heavyweight, but if you’re pushing a tiny white guy, I feel like Finn Balor and Daniel Bryan are taking most of the opportunities. But yes, they have been awesome, and I really hope the WWE allows them to continue to be awesome.

18-19. Joe selects Carmella and No Way Jose

Jonah: I underestimated Carmella, and she’s a good pick here.  She’s super annoying as a heel, so annoying that I didn’t think it was possible for her to be a face, but she’s proved herself as a good face.  She’s not excellent in the ring, but she’s passable. She has a good character and she’s entertaining. It’s a solid pick. I thought they were making No Way Jose a guy who was fun outside the ring but could get it done in the ring at the end of his NXT run.  On the main roster they’ve decided to not have him wrestle or be on TV, which seems to be hurting his popularity. If you don’t have anything for the guy, leave him in developmental and let him get better, doesn’t seem like rocket science to me. No Way Jose has to drop in the redraft, but at least he’s got potential.

Joe: Yeah, I really have nothing to add to your analysis of either of them except that Carmella is undefeated in matches where a friend cosplays as her opponent.

20. Jonah selects Elias Samson

Joe: Man, I should have paid attention to what I saw in person instead of what I saw on TV with this guy. Elias was always great at house shows, because he would just tear apart the Largo crowd in his songs, but they never let him do it on NXT, and he was super bland. Then, he got a sudden call-up to the main roster and they gave him full reign, and it’s clear that the WWE thinks he has a bright future. This was an excellent pick, and it really wouldn’t be a shock if you told me he had one of the five best WWE careers of anyone on this list.

Jonah: Yeah, super happy with this pick.  He’s probably in the US/Intercontinental Championship picture, and I could see him winning it at Wrestlemania.  He’s super over, and has actually transitioned to a face, which seemed difficult for him. His heat in Seattle was legitimately the biggest heat any person has had since the Attitude Era.  He’s nothing special in the ring, but he’s good enough. He will have a successful career, unless the WWE screws it up royally, which they probably will. Still a good pick here, he moves up a few spots in the redraft.

Joe: I actually think you are underselling this pick. If you had the choice of Elias or Ciampa or Gargano, don’t you have to go with Elias? He’s done it on the big show and gotten over with what the WWE has given him. He’s shown the biggest trait in being a star and that is being so good at being a heel that the crowd can’t help but cheer for you. I almost feel like we need to come together for a rankings at the end of this thing to really find out where guys should go.

Jonah: I probably am underselling Elias a bit.  He’s entertaining as hell. He’s got a good shot at being a future world champion.

Previous Installments:
Picks 1-10

The Ultimate WWE NXT Fantasy Draft

With Smackdown moving to a live show on Tuesdays, there are plenty of rumors about an upcoming brand split for the WWE. Instead of waiting for the WWE to pull off a disappointing draft routine, the ultimate tag team, Lukewarm Jonah and Hott Joe, came together this past week to have an old fashioned WWE Fantasy Draft. Our goal is to create the best possible roster to create a successful, moneymaking product.

We knocked out the main roster in parts one, two, and three, with a review added at the end. But this week, we focus on NXT. With 73 superstars, there is plenty of guys to go through, so we'll break it down to two parts with a review to follow. Let's kick it off with part one. Since I had first pick for the main roster, Jonah selects first for NXT.

1. Jonah selects Finn Balor
The number one pick in an NXT draft is very tough.  There’s a few people who are guaranteed superstars.  I went with Finn Balor for his ability to work both face and heel, a great look, great matches, and that sweet entrance music and awesome entrance.  On my show I’m paying Marvel and DC whatever they need so Finn can cosplay as actual characters instead of being Venom but being called a demon.

2-3. Joe selects Shinsuke Nakamura and Bayley
I feel like I kind of lucked out in not having the first pick in the NXT draft. I think the first three people taken are all on about the same level as they are all hopefully going to blossom into huge stars on the main roster. I think Jonah made the right pick with Finn, because it seems like people are starting to underrate him just because he's been around for a while. Still, I get chills every time Shisuke Nakamura comes out, because he does the weirdest shit, but it is just so damn cool. God bless him. And Bayley is the perfect wrestler to market to children. She sends a positive message, and honestly, if you somehow hate Bayley, you're probably just a less ambitious Hitler. I don't like to drop the Hitler bomb, but yeah, you're basically shitty Hitler if you don't like Bayley.

4-5. Jonah selects Samoa Joe and Asuka
Fucking Joe.  Nakamura and Bayley were in the discussion for number one overall pick.  Nakamura is pure electricity, and Bayley will be the female John Cena for the next decade.  My consolation prizes aren’t bad though.  Samoa Joe is already a recognized star by most wrestling fans.  He’s back to being a motivated monster now that he’s on a real wrestling show.  The guy’s a main eventer as soon as he goes up to the main roster.  Asuka is awesome.  She’s a great wrestler, her strikes and submissions are incredible, and she is very unique.  She has plenty of charisma, she just needs to work on her English, but really, crowds eat her up even if she doesn’t speak.

6-7. Joe selects American Alpha
I knew Jonah could go one of two directions with his next picks, and I'm super happy he went the way he did. It's the way that made the most sense, but I'm deeply in love with American Alpha. Strictly wrestling wise, they are probably the second most fun people to watch just behind Nakamura, and even that's close. Gable is the most naturally gifted chain wrestler since Kurt Angle, and I will gladly take Tiny Kurt Angle anytime. Also, Jason Jordan has found the perfect niche for himself as the hot tag extraordinaire that will do every imaginable suplex to every imaginable thing in sight. They are that perfect mix of dominant tag team that is not so physically imposing that they also can't put people over, but yes, they should rein over the tag division for decades. That's right, decades.

8-9. Jonah selects Hideo Itami and Austin Aries
Fucking Joe again.  I couldn’t pass up Samoa Joe, so I didn’t have the opportunity to take American Alpha.  It’s a hell of a pick.  But again my consolation prize is pretty damn awesome.  Hideo Itami has been forgotten a bit since he’s had a long term injury, but when he comes back he’s going to make a big impact.  He’s Kenta damn it.  Austin Aries has it all, but it hasn’t all been put together yet in NXT.  It will be soon, because he works best as a heel.  He’s a cocky prick, that’s a tough face gimmick to get over.  Once he gets rolling, he’s an easy promotion and someone you can put in the ring with anyone and expect great things.

10-11. Joe selects Alexa Bliss and Tye Dillinger
I feel like Hideo Itami was the last elite talent left on the board, because I just don't see how well Aries translates to the main roster. And by him going that route, that left me with not one, but two Perfect 10s in Alexa Bliss and Tye Dillinger. Dillinger is so over right now, and that is with him still rarely winning matches. I have gotten to see him a lot at the NXT house shows in Florida, and he put on an excellent match with Andrade "Cien" Almas and a really good match with former WWE employee, Alex Riley. Dillinger isn't going to be a World Champion, but he can be a vital cog to make guys look great. And Alexa Bliss is not only very attractive, but she's got insane charisma and is becoming much better at the technical wrestling side of things. It doesn't get much better than locking down both Perfect 10s.

12-13. Jonah selects The Revival
Fantastic old school tag team.  Their gimmick will work great, they’ve been putting on classic matches as well.  They’re no American Alpha, but no one is.  They are however the next best thing, perfect heel team that should be around for a decade.

14-15. Joe selects Nia Jax and Mojo Rawley
So things really start to fall off quickly with the NXT roster. Like, thank god they only have to put on an hour of television a week, because even though that hour always leaves me wanting more, they just don't have the depth to pull it off. Nia Jax has a lot of value, because she's basically the monster of the women's division. It will always be easy to sell a feud with Nia Jax involved. She's still progressing in the ring, but that's what NXT is there for, and there's no reason she shouldn't be able to keep getting better. Then there's Mojo Rawley. He's also getting better, but I still don't know what you do with him. For a guy that big, he never really physically dominates guys like you'd like to see. Still, you should see him in person at small NXT shows; there is nobody better at interacting with children. Like, he puts Bayley to shame. Okay, he probably barely beats out Bayley, but still, he is so pumped up to take selfies with children and sign whatever they want. It's really impressive, and that adds to his value.

16-17. Jonah selects Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa
We decided Gargano and Ciampa were a team, and I was very happy to get them here.  Two big time prospects who, for now at least, are working better as a team than as singles.  They’re both talented enough and have a good enough look to go far either together or on their own.

18-19. Joe selects Carmella and No Way Jose
So I like Ciampa, but I'm super low on Johnny Gargano, as he is basically a sheet of plain white paper to me. The crowd seems to like him more than I do, but I was happy Jonah jumped on those guys. I used the opportunity to further bolster my Women's roster with Carmella who is your classic white meat babyface and can also pair with Enzo and Big Cass when she gets the callup. Then I got No Way Jose, who I'm still unsure of. He's fun; I know that much, but it's too early to really see where we can expect him to go from here.

20-21. Jonah selects Elias Samson and Angelo Dawkins
I like the Carmella pick, but I’m happy to get Elias Sampson here.  He has a good look, his wrestling has been fine, and I absolutely love the heel gimmick of douchebag with a guitar.  If you can’t relate to this heel gimmick, then you probably are a douchebag with a guitar, and everyone else hates you.  Angelo Dawkins is my next pick for a breakout guy in NXT.  He’s been there a long time, he’s young, has great size, and a great amateur background.

22-23. Joe selects Andrade “Cien” Almas and Adrienne Reese
Very happy that Jonah went that way, as I can now start stealing up guys who haven't made their TV debut yet. I wrote about both of these wrestlers a couple weeks ago, and Adrienne Reese is going to turn some heads when she makes her debut. Top rope flipping stunner is all you need to know. and Andrade "Cien" Almas got his first vignette a couple weeks ago, and oh man am I excited for his debut. Basically, if this draft would have happened a month later, he wouldn't have made it out of the top 10. Trust me, you will love Andrade Almas.

24-25. Jonah selects TM61
This was a steal.  I wanted Sampson, so I had to take another singles wrestler last round, but here I get another tag team that has been hugely successful around the world.  These guys will be future stars in the tag division, it’s basically a guarantee.  One final thing to remember, the mighty don’t kneel.

26-27. Joe selects Patrick Clark and Tino Sabbatelli
Well, first off, I'd just like to tell Jonah that he's a piece of shit for taking TM 61 from me. I knew I had to take Almas before the Australians, but it still hurts, and oh, would you look at that? There is a monumental dropoff at this point. Is this too early for Patrick Clark? Well, I would have said so a month ago, but then I saw his new tights that feature his face, a bald eagle, and the White House, and I am ALL IN on hated American, Patrick Clark. Tino Sabbatelli isn't a great talker, and he's not real great in the ring either. That said, he's got the best body in the WWE, and maybe the best body in WWE history. So at least he's really good at working out. After typing this out, I'm wondering if Jonah just put me on tilt with that TM 61 pick.

28-29. Jonah selects Billie Kay and Peyton Royce
Joe had been taking too many NXT women, so I’m happy to get Billie Kay and Peyton Royce.  They’ve shown that they can put on good matches even though they haven’t been winning.  They’re good looking, talented women’s wrestlers.  Very valuable to the future.

30-31. Joe selects Mandy Rose and Liv Morgan
Jonah took two ladies who are good looking and talented wrestlers. I took two ladies who are great looking and still figuring it out in the ring. Liv Morgan has shown a lot, but Mandy Rose is green as grass right now. Still, even she has a lot of natural charisma. I'm increasing my stable of hot chicks, and I definitely wouldn't mind a heel women's stable with these two and Alexa Bliss. I'm officially no longer on tilt.

32-33. Jonah selects Sawyer Fulton and Rich Swann
Sawyer Fulton is big, young, and a two time all American amateur wrestler.  Tons of potential.  Rich Swann has already made a name for himself around the world.  He’s incredibly talented, and once he actually gets some time he will get very over.

34-35. Joe selects Blake and Murphy
This is stupid low for these guys, so I'll take it. I know they're no longer a tag team, but they're serviceable wrestlers, and now that they are on their own, they can get a chance to shine. They might show to be a couple of dullards, but there's a reason they've been on the main show for so long, and I think they can start to show that. Also, one time at a house show, they both clearly decided they were going to oversell everything, and it was awesome. It raised my opinion of them.

And that wraps up part one. We'll be back with the second half later this week.

The Next Big NXT Superstars

NXT is an amazing place. It's grown in popularity a tremendous amount, but it's still not that popular when compared to WWE's main roster shows. Still, everyone who has given NXT a chance prefers it over WWE, because they put on consistently compelling shows, and their special events are always off the chain. With that, NXT has evolved into something different. They've found success in taking stars from other places and transitioning them into immediate stars in NXT. Don't get me wrong, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and Shinsuke Nakamura are all admittedly awesome, but I kind of miss the days of WWE slowly building up new superstars. Luckily, there is some serious promise on the way.

With NXT traveling around the world, the house shows that I go to in Florida occasionally lack the top notch talent that everyone knows. At first, it is a bit of a bummer, but there are still a few wrestlers who truly stand out (and Tye Dillinger is there, so that always helps) and make it easy to see their potential. That's why I'm going to give you the inside scoop on the next big superstars in the WWE. I'm pretty sure none of these wrestlers have been on TV, but all of them are super awesome. And since I am a man of equality, I found a women's, men's, and tag team wrestlers that are about to break out in a big way.

Adrienne Reese
Since I'm a gentleman, I'll go ladies first. Reese is a spit-fire who is solid all around in the ring. I've gotten to watch three matches with her. She was good in one and great in two others. The most recent one against Peyton Royce was the best I had seen from either one. Her in-ring work is there, and she seems to be progressing in her in-ring charisma. But what is really going to make her a star is her finish. I mean, the Stone Cold Stunner was sweet, but Reese jumps off the top rope, and does a flip into a Stunner. It is totally sweet, and people are going to freak out about how awesome she is. Get on the bandwagon now.

Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste
These Australians made a name for themselves in Japan as TMDK (The Mighty Don't Kneel), and although I had heard about them, I had never actually seen any of their matches before seeing them at a couple NXT house shows. They're awesome, as Nicholls is one of the most charismatic performers I have seen. He's complimented by his tag team partner who is also very good in the ring. Both matches I have seen had Nicholls being the primary wrestler, so I have only seen a limited amount of Haste. But they're a very entertaining team, and they wrestle with personalities, as opposed to wrestling, with personality thrown in between moves. It makes a huge difference. And they even passed my wife's test as they instantly became her favorite tag team after one match. The only issue they are going to have is being white guys, because that means they will get USA chants anytime they face off against a foreign tag team, despite also being a foreign tag team, and yes, I did see this happen already.

Manny Andrade
Although he hasn't gotten the hype of some other WWE signings, Andrade has torn it up internationally as La Sombra, and it's clear that he has everything necessary to succeed in the ring. I've seen Andrade in two singles matches, and they are two of the best matches I have seen at any NXT house show. In the match I saw last week, Andrade took on Tye Dillinger in the main event, and they tore it up. It was a super fun back-and-forth match where there were a ton of near finishes because both guys just kept doing awesome things. It ended with Dillinger getting a rollup with handful of tights for the win, but both guys got a standing ovation at the end of the night. The other match was the best NXT house show I have ever seen against Sami Zayn, and you can read about that one here. My only real concern with him is that they are dressing him up with no shirt, suspenders, and a goofy hat which makes him look like a bad guy, but he wrestles best as a babyface. The guy has everything you need in the ring, so learning English is the only thing that will slow him down from becoming a huge superstar.