Apollo Crews is one of the most athletic and charismatic WWE superstars on the Raw roster. He is currently the Intercontinental Champion, having defeated Big E at WrestleMania 37 with the help of his new ally, Commander Azeez. But who is Apollo Crews, and is he related to the famous actor and former NFL player Terry Crews?
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The origin of Apollo Crews’ name
Apollo Crews was born Sesugh Uhaa on August 22, 1987, in Sacramento, California. He grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where he developed a passion for professional wrestling and sports. He started his wrestling training at the age of 21 under Mr. Hughes at his World Wrestling Alliance 4 (WWA4) promotion’s training school in Atlanta. He made his wrestling debut in 2009 under the ring name Uhaa Nation, a nickname he got from his high school coach who said he was “as strong as a single nation”.
Uhaa Nation made a name for himself on the independent circuit, working for promotions such as Dragon Gate, Evolve, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. He signed with WWE in 2015 and was assigned to the NXT brand, where he was given a new ring name: Apollo Crews.
According to popculture.com, Apollo Crews’ name was supposedly inspired by two sources: Apollo Creed, the fictional boxer from the Rocky franchise, and Terry Crews, the comedic actor and former NFL player. However, there is no blood relation between Apollo Crews and Terry Crews, despite sharing the same last name.
The feud between Apollo Crews and Terry Crews over their name
In February 2018, WWE decided to drop Apollo Crews’ last name and have him go by simply Apollo. This was part of a trend of WWE shortening the names of some of its superstars, such as Cesaro, Rusev, and Elias.
This change sparked a humorous feud on Twitter between Apollo and Terry Crews, who claimed that WWE had stolen his name in the first place. Titus O’Neil, who was managing Apollo as part of Titus Worldwide at the time, tried to invite Terry Crews to join their faction and settle their differences. However, Terry Crews joked that he couldn’t use his last name anymore.
The name change was short-lived, as WWE restored Apollo Crews’ full name a few weeks later. The reason for this was reportedly due to the similarity between Apollo’s name and Nikolas Cruz, the perpetrator of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that occurred on February 14, 2018.
The transformation of Apollo Crews into a Nigerian royalty
In 2020, Apollo Crews won his first main roster title when he defeated Andrade for the United States Championship on Raw. He held the title for 97 days before losing it to Bobby Lashley. He was then drafted to SmackDown in October 2020.
On SmackDown, Apollo Crews entered a feud with Big E over the Intercontinental Championship. He failed to win the title on several occasions, which led him to embrace his Nigerian heritage and adopt a new persona. He revealed that he was descended from Nigerian royalty and that his ancestors were warriors who dominated their enemies.
He also started speaking with a Nigerian accent and wearing traditional Nigerian attire. He introduced Commander Azeez, a former member of the Nigerian Elite Guard, as his bodyguard and enforcer. He also brought back an ancient Nigerian weapon called a steel spear or kendo stick to use against his opponents.
Apollo Crews finally defeated Big E for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 37 in a Nigerian Drum Fight, a no-disqualification match that involved drums, tables, chairs, and other weapons. He became the first African-born WWE superstar to win the Intercontinental Championship.
The reaction of Apollo Crews’ family to his new persona
In an interview with Sportskeeda.com, Apollo Crews revealed that his family was supportive of his new persona and that they were proud of him for representing his Nigerian roots.
“My family loves it. My mom loves it. She’s so proud because this is something that I’ve always wanted to do,” he said.
He also said that his father was happy to see him embrace his culture and that he had always encouraged him to do so.
“My dad is very happy because this is something that he’s always preached to me about – don’t forget where you come from,” he said.
Apollo Crews also said that he felt more comfortable and confident with his new persona and that he hoped to inspire other people to be proud of their heritage.
“This is me being myself. This is me being true to who I am,” he said.
Conclusion
Apollo Crews is not related to Terry Crews, despite sharing the same last name. His name was inspired by Apollo Creed and Terry Crews, but he has no blood connection to either of them. He is, however, a descendant of Nigerian royalty and a proud representative of his culture. He is currently the Intercontinental Champion and one of the most dominant and charismatic superstars on SmackDown.
