Apollo Crews says his NXT run has been a fresh start, and it has reignited his passion.
Crews previously competed on NXT after he signed with WWE in 2014. He moved up to the main roster in 2016. During his time there, he won the WWE United States Championship and the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Crews returned to NXT this past June, and he has been feuding with Grayson Waller ever since.
In an interview with Denise Salcedo, Crews shared his thoughts on his move back to NXT. He expressed his excitement and noted that he wanted more than what he had been doing. Crews stated that the return felt like the opportunity for a fresh start and expressed that it has been a nice change of pace.
"I was very excited because up to that point I really wasn’t doing much. I had come to RAW and did the show Main Event which airs on Hulu and I was just kinda like ‘I wanna do more.’ But it didn’t seem like anything was gonna happen. I became complacent, but I was like ‘I wanna contribute more.’ The idea came up about going back to NXT and I was ready to take it on, head on. 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 so 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," Crews said.
Crews continued by describing how working with young talent has helped him find his passion again. He recalled how he was in a rut, but his time on NXT has been reinvigorating. Crews stated that he remains excited about his work on NXT, as it has reignited a fire within him.
"There’s a lot of young talent out here that I get to work with that’s so hungry, so passionate. They have everything ahead of them so it’s nice to see and it helped me find that passion again and that motivation for myself as well. I was kinda going through a rut, like, I am gonna go to work, do my job, and I am gonna fly home and I got stuck in that rut. It’s nice to have that fire, that light to be reignited and become a fan again as well of the sport as well. I was very excited about the opportunity and I am still excited about the opportunity," Crews said.
When asked about his new character, Crews stated that he enjoys having the ability to do something different. He pointed out that, in the past, fans haven't gotten to see who he was as a person. He also made it clear that the loves the idea behind his character.
"I love the idea, I love that I get to do something, so different then anything else I was able to do here. 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 get to know who I was as a person. Which is what I feel is a big part of a WWE Superstar’s presentation. I feel people are drawn to people they can relate to," Crews said.
Shawn Michaels recently described his booking philosophy for NXT. His comments are available here.
During the media call ahead of NXT Halloween Havoc, Michaels described how he's trying to avoid wrestling cliches with Veer and Sanga on NXT. Check out his comments here.
Click here to check out the card for NXT Halloween Havoc, where Crews will face Waller.
