3 WWE NXT Stars Who Could Be Called Up After WrestleMania 32

WWE.com

Apollo Crews

Wait, Apollo Crews just got signed in Apr. and debuted in Aug. at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. He’s only had a handful of matches and doesn’t even have an NXT Championship reign on his résumé. Why should he get called up?

Let’s break it down.

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Crews has the look that the executives drool over. He stands 6′ 1”, 240 LBs but looks bigger than that. This can be put up against most of the other main roster stars and even beat them out in the size department. So that’s one thing.

The athleticism for the former EVOLVE star is off the charts. One wouldn’t expect it from someone of his build, but it’s a spectacle to see and we probably haven’t seen greatest potenttial of it in the ring.

The same goes for Crews’ in-ring ability—it’s incredible. We saw a glimpse of it during his match against Tyler Breeze at NXT TakeOver: Respect but were provided a larger preview during his NXT Championship match with Finn Balor last week. If given 15-20 minutes, Apollo will put on a bout that fans won’t be able to take their eyes away from.

What’s great about Crews is he has all this going for him in almost 3 months on TV and is starting to grow his character.

Before his NXT Championship match, the former Uhaa Nation had a few vignettes where we had the chance to learn about him. Fans got to see his background and how he worked his way through the wrestling industry to get to NXT.

Then came the title match itself. Crews got taken out by Baron Corbin, who caused a disqualification. This was due to Corbin being put over the top rope last in the No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal the week before. It was the first sign of vulnerability from Crews, so fans were given a chance to build sympathy for him. We hadn’t seen Apollo face any type of adversity since arriving at Full Sail.

Then came this week’s episode of WWE NXT. Corbin was set to face Tye Dillinger until Crews came out before the bell rang and beat the daylights out of his new foe.

This was the first sign of aggression out of Crews and it was awesome to see. He had that happy-go-lucky “I’m just happy to be here” smile for the first few months, which was fine, but something had to change eventually, and it did.

Afterwards, Crews cut this backstage promo voicing his frustrations with Corbin that was excellent.

"That friendly @ApolloCrews smile turns SOUR as he explains why he attacked @BaronCorbinWWE! #ApolloNation#WWENXThttps://t.co/9waLpULt5D — WWE NXT (@WWENXT) November 12, 2015"

If Crews continues to build on this through the winter, he should have no problem getting a call up to the main roster after WrestleMania. He doesn’t need the year-plus (or even two) that others have warranted along with an NXT Championship reign probably being unnecessary.

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It would be hard for WWE to not give Crews the push he deserves. There’s too much to like in him and his potential to headline shows, maybe even a WrestleMania, is something to be excited for. Officials should be anxious for his call-up.