Apollo Crews discusses his return to NXT and previous his title match against Bron Breakker.
Crews debuted on NXT in 2015 and had a relatively short run on the brand before he was called up to the main roster in 2016. Over the next few years, he competed on Raw and SmackDown at different points, and he won both the WWE United States Championship and the Intercontinental Championship.
Crews' main roster run stalled earlier in 2022, leading to his return to NXT in June. Since then, he has been a featured member of the roster. Crews defeated Grayson Waller in a Casket Match at NXT Halloween Havoc 2022, and this win pushed him to the top of the title picture. He will challenge Bron Breakker for the NXT Championship at NXT Deadline.
Speaking with Graham "GSM" Matthews on WrestleRant Radio, Crews looked back on his return to NXT and the journey he has been on in recent months. He noted that he didn't gave a problem with proving himself rather than getting a title shot right away. Crews also made it clear that he has been having fun, and he named his Casket Match as a specific highlight.
“I’m the type of individual [that] if I have to show that I’m deserving of something, I’m okay with that because that’s what I’ve done my whole life. It’s nothing new. It’s been a fun ride, though. Casket match was something different and something that I really enjoyed doing, and got the victory out of that, which set me up for this match this Saturday," Crews said.
Crews went on to compare himself to Breakker and noted that they're both very athletic. He stated that he respects the champion, and he jokingly pointed to their fishing trip on the December 6 episode of NXT as proof that they don't have heat. Crews made it clear that winning the NXT Championship would be the icing on the cake for his NXT return.
"It’s insane because I’m facing someone who I can say is very similar to me, as far as in-ring abilities, right. [He’s an] extremely athletic guy, powerful. I’m strong, quick, agile. He’s done a lot in such a short amount of time, which is insane to see. All respect to Bron Breakker, no heat there. Went fishing, enjoy his company, but I feel like for me, it’s weird. I don’t feel any pressure, but there’s a lot that I have to prove. I’m coming back, I said this is what I want to do, and it has to be done. I feel like this is the icing on top of the cake. This will make the return to NXT complete, and looking forward to fulfilling that. The feeling of being champion, you never forget what that feeling is like of winning a title. I’ve won two here, and I remember what the feeling is both times, and I look forward to feeling that feeling again and accepting everything that comes with being champion. It’s something that I’ve never had the chance to accomplish the first time around," Crews said.
Crews then described how, prior to his return to NXT, he had been struggling to believe in himself, but his confidence has been restored. With that in mind, Crews stated that he's looking forward to showcasing his skills and winning the gold at NXT Deadline.
"I feel like there was a a certain point where every time I got to the ring, people knew that, okay, this guy’s gonna lose, right. [laughs] It’s like man, how do you change that? In a world where the way that people respond to you is such an important thing, how do you change that? How do you make them believe in you again? I feel like it’s just not losing that belief in yourself, and that’s one thing that I struggled with for a while is the belief in myself. I’m like, 'Okay, if I don’t believe in myself, why should anybody else?' I think it comes back to having that belief in yourself and knowing what you’re capable of, how good you are, and going out there and showing it time after time, and that’s what I’ve had the opportunity to do here these last six months. It’s like okay, here’s something. Now I’m gonna go out there and crush any expectation that you had. You might have had an expectation here, but I’m gonna go up here just because that’s what I’m gonna do. So I look forward to doing that again this Saturday and not just that, but coming home with the gold as well," he said.
Carmelo Hayes recently discussed the subjects Shawn Michaels has had to reign him in for. Check out his comments here.
Click here to see what Shawn Michaels had to say about the New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) returning to NXT.
Check out the card for NXT Deadline here.
