Signed with WWE since 2015, Apollo Crews was moved from the main roster to NXT in June — an unexpected move that also led to a new character.
Ahead of tonight’s WWE NXT Halloween Havoc, I talked with Crews about the move, his Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal match with Grayson Waller, and more.
You can watch the full interview on YouTube above.
Reigniting the fire
Crews said that he was very excited to join the NXT brand because he wasn’t really doing much on the main roster at the time and was stuck in a rut. Even though he was drafted to Raw, he was mainly on WWE Main Event and wanted to do more but that it “didn’t seem like anything was gonna happen.”
He admitted he become complacent with his role, but still wanted to contribute more and was ready to take the new challenge of NXT.
“I felt like it was an opportunity for me: a fresh start, a new beginning kind of, which not a lot of people get that opportunity in life in general. It’s nice to be able to come down and have that fresh start and do something different and actually be involved on a regular basis. It’s very nice. It’s a nice change of pace, almost like a breath of fresh air,” he explained
As WWE NXT is filled with young talents barely getting their start in the business, he pointed out that their hunger and passion for the business ended up inspiring him. He said he’s become a fan again and his fire has been reignited.
“It’s nice to have that fire, for that light to be reignited and become a fan again of the sport as well. I was very excited about the opportunity and I am still excited about the opportunity,” he said.
While Crews had been part of the NXT from 2014-2016, he “didn’t get to develop that much the first time around.”
Nigerian royalty character and the accent
Prior to his NXT return, he had donned a new main roster persona focused on being Nigerian royalty. He would walk out draped in white and green, was provided guards, props, and even the seven-foot Commander Azeez who would accompany him. On top of the over-the-top presentation, he was to speak with an accent.
Crews said that he was hesitant to do the accent in front of live crowds and on TV, but that he had a job to do and decided to go all in and accomplish the task at hand.
However, now in NXT, his character is a little bit more darker. He has been shown having visions in vignettes, writing in a notebook, and even heavily bleeding from one eye — a much more different approach to the Nigerian prince he was portraying before.
He spoke about how this new character came about through a collaborative approach with the NXT writing team.
“I was just known for my in-ring work and I don’t think people really got to see that side of me — that depth and character — or really got to know who I was as a person which is what I feel is a big part of a WWE superstar’s presentation.”
Apollo Crews will face Grayson Waller on the August 30 WWE NXT show.
The match stems from a segment on this week’s NXT episode, where Crews was a guest on the debut edition of “The Grayson Waller Effect” talk show.
Crews referred to Waller as a “low-budget Miz,” and the match for next week was made official.
A pair of trios bouts are also official for next week.
In a six-person mixed tag team bout, Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen, and Fallon Henley will face Lash Legend, and Pretty Deadly’s Elton Prince and Kit Wilson.
Also set for next week, Diamond Mine’s Brutus Creed, Julius Creed, and Damon Kemp will take on Gallus’s Mark Coffey, Joe Coffey, and Wolfgang.
The announced lineup for the August 30 NXT 2.0 episode:
Apollo Crews vs. Grayson Waller
Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen & Fallon Henley vs. Elton Prince, Kit Wilson & Lash Legend
Diamond Mine (Brutus Creed, Julius Creed & Damon Kemp) vs. Gallus (Mark Coffey, Joe Coffey & Wolfgang)
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including AEW Dynamite tonight with a Casino Battle Royale and more, AEW Double or Nothing buyrate numbers, PLANT YOUR FLAG!, notes on New Japan Strong, Dragon Gate, Edge getting kicked out, your full NXT 2.0 report, and tons more!
Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez will be part of the NXT roster moving forward.
According to a report from PW Insider, both wrestlers have been officially moved to the brand. Crews appeared on Tuesday’s show from the WWE Performance Center and confronted NXT Champion, Bron Breakker.
While Azeez did not accompany Crews in his segment with Breakker, he has also been officially moved to the NXT roster. There is no word on if the two will continue to be aligned on the show or not.
Crews was originally with NXT from October 2014 until being called up to the main roster following WrestleMania 32 in 2016. He is a one time former Intercontinental Champion and a one time former United States Champion.
Azeez joined WWE in 2016 and made his main roster debut in 2018 as part of The Greatest Royal Rumble from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He helped Crews win the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 37 and the two have been aligned since.
Apollo Crews made his return to NXT last night and set his sights on challenging for the NXT Championship.
While dropping his Nigerian royalty character, Crews confronted Breakker last night when Breakker asked who was going to step up and challenge for his title. Crews said he left NXT way too soon when he was first on the brand, and he left a lot of things he wanted to accomplish on the table. Crews is now back in NXT to change history.
Crews said he’s back in NXT for as long as he wants to be.
Crews called Breakker one of the best athletes in all of WWE. Crews said that — one day sooner rather than later — they’ll be making some history together. Crews said he’ll see Breakker down the road.
Crews also returned to action later in the episode, providing backup for Solo Sikoa against Carmelo Hayes & Grayson Waller. Crews & Sikoa defeated Hayes & Waller in last night’s main event.
Apollo Crews returned to NXT on tonight’s show, seemingly accepting a challenge from Bron Breakker.
Breakker came out during tonight’s NXT and asked who wanted to step up to the challenge. Crews walked to the ring without Commander Azeez and no longer had a Nigerian accent. He said that this was the energy he missed. When he left NXT, he left way too soon and there were things that he accomplished that were left on the table. He said that one day, sooner or later, he and Breakker would make history together. The two then shook hands to end the segment.
Crews has been part of the Raw roster following last year’s WWE Draft, but has mostly appeared on Main Event. His last match was on the episode of Main Event that aired on May 30, where he defeated Akira Tozawa.
In 2021, Crews underwent a character change, embracing his Nigeriam heritage and began speaking with a Nigerian accent. At WrestleMania 37, he defeated Big E with the help of Commander Azeez to win the Intercontinetnal title. After losing the title to Shinsuke Nakamura, he was soon drafted to Raw, where he mostly worked matches on Main Event.
Crews originally was part of NXT from 2014-2016 before starting on the Raw roster following WrestleMania 32.
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Key Bank Center in Buffalo, New York, before Monday’s Raw.
Apollo Crews (w/ Commander Azeez) defeated T-Bar (5:07)
Crews got his third win in as many weeks on Main Event in a decent five-minute match.
There was some nice storytelling as they actually referenced something that happened on this show last week. T-Bar was selling his left knee, which was wrapped up, because it had been damaged in his match last week against Tommaso Ciampa.
T-Bar did a really good job here of continually selling the knee throughout, even at one stage grasping at it as he was covering Crews for a near fall. It’s a side of his in-ring work that has improved dramatically over the last year and all credit to him for doing so.
Crews used the injured knee as his focus for the match and it played into the finish. T-Bar wasn’t 100% and couldn’t follow through with some of his move set like High Jutsice.
Azeez tried to swipe T-Bar’s knee but missed, but it was enough of a momentary distraction for Crews to regroup and hoist him up for the samoan drop for the win.
Tommaso Ciampa defeated Cedric Alexander (w/ Shelton Benjamin) (7:40)
Ciampa continued his run of wins on Main Event in a really strong match with Alexander. This is one to check out if you can.
The Hurt Business have been on this show for the last few months having consistently good matches, either as singles or as a tag team and this one was no different.
The fact that there is no spot for this kind of match on Raw, is inexplicable. It also stands to reason that they should link Ciampa up with someone else so that they don’t get have to send Benjamin all the way to TV to just stand in Alexander’s corner for a match that gets very limited eyes on it.
Ciampa took the early going for the commercial break with Benjamin trying to interfere. When the ref had had enough of his antics, he sent him to the back. Ciampa waved goodbye, but it was all a rouse and allowed Alexander to get the upper hand.
There was a great little moment at the end where Ciampa had kicked out of the Michinoku Driver but was looking done for. Alexander went for the Neutralizer, but Ciampa rose quickly and slide in to hit Alexander with a baseball slide to the face. From there, Ciampa hit a running knee strike and was able to use the Fairytale Ending to get the win.
This was a really good match by the end and one that the crowd was getting into as well.
Final Thoughts:
Two good matches this week with Ciampa and Alexander having a match that is actually worth going out of your way to check out if you can. That said, all four of these wrestlers can now be considered regulars on Main Event, which is not a label that anyone wants.
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, before Monday’s Raw.
Apollo Crews (w/ Commander Azeez) defeated Greg Leslie (4:52)
Crews replaced Veer Mahaan in the spot where you squash enhancement talent each week, but this was really dull.
Since they made so many cuts in the last 18 months, there are fewer lower midcard guys for them to throw on Main Event every week and so we’re starting to see jobbers more and more on this show.
Leslie proved reasonably popular with this post-WrestleMania Raw crowd and he even had his own little chant going as they locked up.
In what ought to have been a straight up squash, Crews ended up using headlocks and wasting time trying to get heat in between moves. They sweetened the crowd noise, which is saying something considering this was the Raw after WrestleMania crowd.
Crews used a fallaway Samoan drop to get the job done and Azeez beat down Leslie after the bell for some further cheap heat. The silence when Crews got the victory said it all: they need to hit the reset button on this act.
Shelton Benjamin (w/ Cedric Alexander) defeated T-Bar (7:07)
Unfortunately, this one also dragged a little with Benjamin getting his hand raised to leave T-Bar winless in his last seven outings.
To say that Benjamin is being wasted on Main Event in 2022 is bad enough, but when you consider that he’s been wasted since late 2019, it becomes beyond a joke.
Apart from a brief Hurt Business run on Raw last year, his match history over the last three years makes for bleak reading.
T-Bar, likewise, must be wondering what he has to do to get some main roster television. He’s visibly improved, but needs to be booked as more of a big man and put over as much more of a threat than he currently is.
T-Bar took most of this one, but again relied on rest holds to further the match minute count. Benjamin kicked out of a modified Eyes Wide Shut and reversed a chokeslam attempt into a German suplex. Benjamin won after hitting a running splash to the corner, followed up with the Paydirt.
A lot of T-Bar’s recent losses have been made to look like he was unlucky, but he sold this one like he was out for the count.
Final Thoughts:
Not only was this post-Mania crowd not interested in these matches, they weren’t interested in hijacking the show either.
Both matches were entirely uninspiring and went a long way to support the argument that the doing the draft post-WrestleMania was the best time in order to freshen things up.
This week’s Main Event was taped at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina before Monday’s Raw.
Veer Mahaan defeated Apollo Crews (w/ Commander Azeez) (5:00)
This was a rematch from last week and ended with the same outcome. It was definitely a better contest than last time out and felt much pacier.
While Veer Mahaan is still undefeated and may or may not appear on Raw one day soon, Apollo Crews now only has one singles win since last August. They just aren’t pushing the act with Crews and Commander Azeez like they had been — and they looked weak again here.
Azeez got a cheap shot in early on but was sent packing far too easily at the finish. He’s such an enormous presence but isn’t being booked like he should be.
In this one and in last week’s match, Crews tried to get all his stuff into the short bout, but Mahaan had an answer for everything.
Mahaan is slowly improving and seems to enjoy being a babyface as he was here. He finished this one by pulling Crews down from the top rope and using a running splash/Thesz Press.
It remains to be seen what Mahaan’s finisher will be if and when he joins the main roster, as he’s now used three over the last few months.
Liv Morgan defeated Queen Zelina (w/ Carmella) (8:01)
This dragged a little as they were given too much time, but Zelina Vega is enjoying her gimmick and Liv Morgan looked good again here.
Not only was this the first time I can recall one half of the women’s tag team champions working a match on Main Event, this match also marked Vega’s debut on this show.
Logically, Morgan should have been given a tag partner and they could have worked a better match, but nothing tends to make much sense on this show. Carmella didn’t do much other than help Vega out of a pin late on.
Morgan recently worked the women’s Elimination Chamber match and has been up against Rhea Ripley and Doudrop of late, but this was the second time this year she has found herself on Main Event.
After the ad break, they got going into a much better pace and Morgan managed to come back and hit the Oblivion out of nowhere to get the win.
The way that Morgan powers up to quickly snap on Oblivion is really effective and is the kind of thing they could make way more of. This was a good win for her.
Final Thoughts —
Two pretty average matches this week on a show that continues to exist in a vacuum. It will be interesting to see what happens with Veer and whether post-WrestleMania we get any roster shake-ups that would bring some fresh faces to Main Event.
A pair of title matches are set for tonight’s episode of Raw.
WWE has announced that the United States Championship and Raw Tag Team titles will both be on the line on Raw tonight. Damian Priest will defend his United States title against Apollo Crews, while Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode will challenge RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) for the Raw Tag Team titles.
Priest and RK-Bro have both held their respective titles since SummerSlam. Priest won the United States Championship from Sheamus at that pay-per-view. RK-Bro won the Raw Tag Team titles from AJ Styles & Omos.
It appeared that Crews was going to answer Priest’s United States title open challenge last week. Crews interrupted Priest on the show but then declined to face him. Crews said he would decimate Priest when they do face off. Crews said he’ll show the entire world that Priest isn’t fit to be United States Champion.
Priest instead retained the United States title against Sami Zayn last Monday.
While dressed up like Orton, Riddle defeated Ziggler in a singles match last week.
Tonight’s Raw is taking place at the UBS Arena in Long Island, New York. Here’s the updated card for the show:
Non-title match: WWE Champion Big E vs. Kevin Owens
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor
Edge returns
United States Champion Damian Priest defends against Apollo Crews
Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro defend against Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode
More WWE wrestlers were drafted during the episode of Talking Smack that aired this morning on Peacock.
It was announced during the show that Reggie, Akira Tozawa, Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis), Apollo Crews, Commander Azeez, Doudrop, Drake Maverick, John Morrison, T-Bar, Nia Jax, R-Truth, and Zelina Vega have been drafted to Raw. NXT star Aliyah, Drew Gulak, Mace, Mansoor, Mustafa Ali, and Toni Storm, meanwhile, have been drafted to SmackDown.
Back in July, Aliyah had turned on Robert Stone after she and Jessi Kamea lost to Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter. Since then, she has been off NXT television, reportedly traded to the main roster for Mandy Rose, who has since returned to NXT and has aligned herself with Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolan to form Toxic Attraction.
The first night of the draft took place on SmackDown, with the second night of the draft due to take place on Raw this coming Monday. High profile brand switches include Charlotte Flair, Drew McIntyre, New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods), NXT’s Hit Row, and Jeff Hardy being drafted to SmackDown while Bianca Belair, Edge, Rey & Dominik Mysterio, and NXT’s Austin Theory are moving to Raw.
Tonight’s SmackDown takes place from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. It’s the go-home show for Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
Universal Champion Roman Reigns is set to defend his title against “The Demon” Finn Balor at Extreme Rules. Last week, WWE Champion Big E confronted Reigns, which led to Balor & Big E defeating The Usos.
On Raw, Reigns & The Usos defeated The New Day in a six-man tag match. Later that night, Reigns defeated Bobby Lashley and Big E in a non-title triple threat. Reigns will likely appear tonight ahead of his title defense at the PPV.
Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura defends against former champion Apollo Crews tonight. Last week, Crews and Commander Azeez attacked Nakamura and Rick Boogs to set up tonight’s title match.
Ahead of her match against Carmella at Extreme Rules, Liv Morgan goes one-on-one with Zelina Vega tonight. Plus, Baron Corbin hosts the debut edition of his new talk show, Happy Talk.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Becky Lynch Segment
This was a good opening segment that the fans enjoyed.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch made her entrance to start SmackDown. She got a huge pop from the fans, who gave her a positive reaction. They recapped Bianca Belair’s homecoming celebration last week, including Lynch avoiding the KOD and hitting the manhandle slam.
After the recap, the fans gave Lynch a mixed reaction but mostly cheers. There was a brief “Becky” chant. Lynch noted she had a baby, returned at SummerSlam, and beat Belair in 26 seconds but didn’t get a party. The fans popped for her accomplishments. She pointed out that Belair tried attacking her last week, so she had to embarrass her. Lynch claimed she didn’t want to embarrass Belair in front of her friends and family.
Lynch started to say that Belair had one option. Belair’s music interrupted, and she made her way to the ring. The fans broke into a loud “EST” chant. Then, the fans broke into a “Becky” chant. Belair admitted Lynch embarrassed her in her hometown. Belair wasn’t ready to face Lynch at SummerSlam, but she’s ready for Extreme Rules. Lynch noted Belair knew she had a match at SummerSlam.
Belair noted she proved how strong she is when she picked up Lynch in heels last week. She has all the same accomplishments as Lynch but did it faster. Belair promised to win the title at Extreme Rules and offered a handshake. Instead, Lynch smacked Belair, and they briefly fought. Lynch went for the manhandle slam, but Belair reversed into the KOD.
Belair posed on the stage to end the segment.
King Nakamura, Rick Boogs, and Toni Storm rocked out to Nakamura’s music in the back.
Intercontinental Champion King Nakamura (w/Rick Boogs) defeated Apollo Crews (w/Commander Azeez) to retain the title (7:46)
Nakamura and Crews had a good match. The fans popped for the finish.
Earlier today, Crews discussed losing the title and promised to regain it tonight.
Crews beat down Nakamura with forearm shots to gain the early advantage. He followed up with a hard clothesline and a press slam to the ringside area.
Back from the break, Boogs played Nakamura’s music for encouragement. Nakamura fought back and rocked Crews with a kick to the face, and followed with the sliding German suplex. Nakamura leaped off the second turnbuckle, but Crews countered with a dropkick.
Nakamura regained control and hit a knee off the second turnbuckle for a near fall. Nakamura went for the Kinshasa, but Crews hit a dropkick and Samoan Drop for a two-count. Nakamura fought back and went for the Kinshasa, but Crews rolled out of the ring. Nakamura then caught Azeez with a knee, and Boogs gave him a suplex at ringside.
The finish came when Crews went for the Olympic Slam, but Nakamura countered with an arm-drag. Nakamura then rolled up Crews to retain the title.
They recapped Roman Reigns & The Usos on Raw last Monday.
In the back, Kayla Braxton interviewed Montez Ford. Ford noted Angelo Dawkins isn’t there tonight because he’s at a friend’s wedding. He discussed Reigns and The Usos going to Raw. He insulted The Usos and Reigns and promised to win the tag title Sunday.
In Reigns’ locker room, Reigns was furious that Ford mocked them and demanded a match with Ford for later tonight. The fans popped big for Reigns vs. Ford.
Paul Heyman approached Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce. Pearce noted they wouldn’t tell Heyman if Lesnar’s going to Raw. Heyman doesn’t want to talk about Lesnar. He demanded Reigns vs. Ford for the main event. They agreed to the match. Heyman said after the match, they’ll talk about the Draft.
They recapped the Seth Rollins and Edge feud. Last week, Rollins promised to finish Edge.
In the back, Rollins noted he hadn’t heard anything from Edge all week. He believes that Edge is hurt and might never compete in a WWE ring again. Rollins demanded that Edge show up on SmackDown next week. He wants Edge to tell everyone he’s superior and not Edge lite. Rollins promised to find Edge and beat him in front of his wife and kids.
Zelina Vega defeated Liv Morgan (2:18)
Vega and Morgan had an okay match while it lasted. Vega got her first win since returning although Morgan still faces Carmella at Extreme Rules.
They recapped Morgan and Carmella’s feud. Carmella joined Michael Cole and Pat McAfee on commentary.
Morgan hit a dropkick at the ring of the bell. Morgan had the early advantage, but Vega took over. Vega slowed the pace down with a chin lock, but Morgan tried to break free. Morgan fought back and sent Vega face-first into the middle turnbuckle.
Carmella jumped off commentary and yelled at Morgan. Morgan went after Carmella, but Vega took advantage. She rocked Morgan with a kick to the head and hit a code red for the win.
Happy Talk
Baron Corbin welcomed everyone to Happy Talk. He noted he’s in such a good mood that he’s whistled a tune. Corbin noted this isn’t like the KO Show because his talk show is about happiness. He had to think of the perfect guest and introduced himself because there’s nobody’s happier.
They recapped Corbin attacking Kevin Owens last week. Corbin laughed at Owens and his attack. Kevin Owens’ music then interrupted, and he walked to the ring. Suddenly, a guy in a hoodie jumped Owens and sent him into the barricade. Micheal Cole revealed that Riddick Moss is the guy under the hood. Corbin and Moss beat down Owens and slammed him on the steps.
Kayla Braxton interviewed Montez Ford again. Ford doesn’t regret his comments from earlier and can’t wait to get in the ring with Reigns. Ford wished that Angelo Dawkins could be there.
Edge tweeted that he’ll be at SmackDown next week for the Draft.
Natalya used a side headlock, but Nikki broke free. She followed up with a dropkick for a near fall. Natalya took over with a suplex for a two-count. Nikki fought back and went for a tornado DDT, but Tamina jumped on the apron. Ripley and Tamina started brawling at ringside, which distracted the referee. Natalya blocked the DDT and rolled up Nikki, but the referee was still distracted. Nikki then reversed for the win.
After the match, Tegan Nox & Shotzi came out with their tank and shot a missile at the champions.
They recapped Rey and Dominik Mysterio’s recent problems. In the back, Rey told Dominik that he needed to listen and focus more on his matches. Dominik blamed Rey for nitpicking his matches despite telling him to succeed on his own. Rey decided to give Dominik space to find his success on his own. Rey walked off, and Sami Zayn approached Dominik. Zayn told Dominik to listen to Rey less and trust his instincts more.
Naomi Segment
This was a good segment. Naomi and Deville were good in their roles, and it didn’t go long.
Naomi made her way to the ring. They recapped her confrontation with Sonya Deville last week. Michael Cole noted Naomi doesn’t have a match tonight. Naomi pointed out she came to SmackDown to compete, but Deville won’t give her a match. The fans booed. Naomi demanded a match and challenged anyone from the back.
Deville interrupted and noted she makes the matches. Naomi then challenged Deville to a match instead. Deville claimed she’d slap the glow off of Naomi’s face, but she’s not a wrestler anymore. Naomi demanded the match and started a “Make the match” chant. Deville yelled to cut Naomi’s mic and had security take her away. The fans booed and broke into another “Make the match” chant. The fans erupted in boos to end the segment.
Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, and The Usos were on their way to the ring. The Usos ran into Otis and Chad Gable.
In the back, Becky Lynch was furious that Bianca Belair beat her down earlier. She promised to retain her title at Extreme Rules. Lynch isn’t just going to beat Belair. She’s going to break her.
Michael Cole and Pat McAfee ran down the lineup for Extreme Rules.
Non-title match: Universal Champion Roman Reigns (w/Paul Heyman) defeated Montez Ford (15:57)
Ford and Reigns worked hard and had a good match. After the match, Finn Balor attacked the heels in a good show-closing angle.
Reigns took Ford down with a shoulder tackle, but Ford fought back. He avoided Reigns with two leapfrogs and hit a standing dropkick.
Back from the break, Reigns was firmly in control as he beat down Ford. Reigns slowed the pace down and rocked Ford with clotheslines in the corner. The fans broke into a faint “Tribal Chief” chant. Ford fought back and rocked Reigns with an enziguri. He followed up with a dropkick, which sent Reigns to the floor. Ford beat down Reigns around ringside and threw him into the barricade.
Ford went to jump off the announce table, but it fell apart before he could do anything. McAfee believed his dancing on the table broke it earlier. Reigns lifted Ford in the air and slammed him down to regain control.
Back from the break, Ford fought back and hit a springboard crossbody for a near fall. Ford hit a series of flips but appeared to slip. He regained his footing and hit a dropkick. He followed up with a blockbuster for a close two-count. Reigns avoided the frog splash and hit a version of the Rock Bottom for a near fall. McAfee even referred to the move as the Rock Bottom.
Reigns went for the spear, but Ford avoided and hit a DDT for a near fall. Ford briefly ran wild and sent Reigns into the steps at ringside. The finish came when Ford went for the frog splash, but Reigns got his knees up and locked on the guillotine submission for the win.
After the match, Paul Heyman noted Reigns didn’t do enough and needs to prove to Ford, Finn Balor, and even Brock Lesnar what happens when he goes to the extreme. There was a brief and faint “ECW” chant.
The Usos ran out and pulled out a table from under the ring. Reigns beat down Ford with a chair and put him through the table at ringside.
Suddenly, the lights went out. The lights turned red, and The Demon Finn Balor appeared on top of the ring post. Balor appearing behind the heels was a cool visual. He took out Reigns and The Usos with a crossbody. Balor fought off the heels and hit a huge dive onto Reigns to end SmackDown.
Next Week: The first night of the WWE Draft features Edge returning to confront Seth Rollins.
The Intercontinental title will be on the line on tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
WWE has announced that Apollo Crews will defend his Intercontinental title against Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown tonight. Nakamura defeated Crews by disqualification in a non-title match on last Friday’s episode of the show.
As Nakamura went to pin Crews last week, Commander Azeez pulled Nakamura out of the ring to cause the DQ. Azeez tried to attack Nakamura after the match, but Nakamura fought back and threw Crews into Azeez.
Crews has been Intercontinental Champion since winning the title from Big E at WrestleMania 37 this April.
Tonight’s SmackDown is taking place at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The build to two of the top matches at SummerSlam will continue with segments on tonight’s show. Universal Champion Roman Reigns will go face-to-face with John Cena tonight, while there will be a contract signing for Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks’ SmackDown Women’s Championship match at SummerSlam.
Tonight is the second-to-last SmackDown episode before SummerSlam. The pay-per-view is being held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday, August 21.
SmackDown’s build to Money in the Bank will kick off tonight.
WWE has announced that Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews vs. Big E in a Money in the Bank qualifying match will take place on tonight’s SmackDown. Crews’ Intercontinental title won’t be on the line in the match.
Ricochet, John Morrison, and Riddle have already qualified for this year’s men’s Money in the Bank ladder match. The winner of Crews vs. Big E will take the first of SmackDown’s four spots in the match. The final Raw participant will be determined when AJ Styles, Randy Orton, and Drew McIntyre face off in a triple threat last chance qualifying match this coming Monday.
Money in the Bank is taking place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday, July 18 and will be the first pay-per-view in WWE’s return to touring. Raw’s Asuka, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, and Nikki Cross are the first four wrestlers to qualify for the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
Here’s the updated lineup for tonight’s SmackDown:
After retaining his title against Rey Mysterio in a Hell in a Cell match last Friday, Universal Champion Roman Reigns will hold a victory celebration
Money in the Bank qualifying match: Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews vs. Big E
Mixed tag team match: SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair & Cesaro vs. Bayley & Seth Rollins
A tag match featuring four wrestlers involved in the Intercontinental title picture is set for tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
WWE has announced that Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews & Sami Zayn will face Kevin Owens & Big E in a tag team match on SmackDown tonight. On SmackDown last week, Crews defeated Owens to retain the Intercontinental title.
Last week’s Crews vs. Owens match had a stipulation where Crews’ bodyguard Commander Azeez was banned from ringside. But Azeez instead attacked Owens backstage before the match. Following the match, Zayn ran down to the ring and gave Owens a Helluva Kick.
Crews retained against Big E, Owens, and Zayn in a fatal four-way match on SmackDown three weeks ago. The finish to that match involved Aleister Black, who has since been released by WWE, attacking Big E to start what was a planned feud with him.
WWE has also announced that there will be a “Ding Dong, Hello!” segment on SmackDown tonight with Seth Rollins appearing as Bayley’s guest. There was an angle on SmackDown three weeks ago where Cesaro was stretchered out after being attacked by Rollins. Bayley is challenging for Bianca Belair’s SmackDown Women’s Championship at Hell in a Cell on Sunday, June 20.
The Street Profits vs. Chad Gable & Otis is also set for tonight’s SmackDown. Plus, WWE is teasing that Rey Mysterio will be out for payback after Roman Reigns beat down Rey and Dominik Mysterio last week.
