WWE Money in the Bank 2020: 5 Reasons why Andrade should replace Apollo Crews in the ladder match

(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and they do not necessarily represent the views of Sportskeeda)

Apollo Crews has without a shadow of a doubt been one of the MVPs of Monday Night RAW since he moved over to the red brand following WrestleMania. The generally underutilized star immediately shone in a 30-minute masterpiece of a match with Aleister Black and has been heavily featured in the weeks that followed.

To his credit, Apollo has delivered great matches and introduced just enough arrogance into his character to make you believe he's finally ready to take that next step in his career. Alas, he suffered a knee "injury" last night on RAW against Andrade which not only cost him the United States Championship matchup, but also his spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match.

It's another blow to Apollo Crews' career, or at least it seems to be that way on paper. I think with the proper booking this could be a beneficial move for the former front man of Titus Worldwide. It all starts with WWE choosing the right replacement for him at MITB. That man is the current United States Champion, Andrade.

To be honest, not only should Andrade take Apollo's place but he should be the one to 'climb the corporate ladder' and win the Money in the Bank briefcase. Allow me to explain.

#1 The Men's MITB match needs more potential winners

Andrade just adds more credibility to the Money in the Bank ladder match right now. This is not a dig at Apollo at all by the way. Sesugh Uhaa, the man, has long been ready and deserving of a push. However, the character of Apollo Crews just isn't there yet.

It's not his fault, but Apollo's bookings over the last 4 years have done absolutely nothing to build up enough credibility to make him a realistic option to win the Money in the Bank contract.

Others in the match have the credibility to be winners, but their likelihood of actually doing it are low. Are we supposed to believe the company is going to give Rey Mysterio, who's been teasing retirement for over a year now, the briefcase? Daniel Bryan may also be at the back end of his career. He's working under a limited dates contract now and his primary focus these days is helping other talents (Drew Gulak, Bray Wyatt, and Sami Zayn) get over.

WWE management loves Baron Corbin, but his failed run with the briefcase is still way too fresh to get give him another go. That leaves Aleister Black as the slam dunk winner. Andrade's addition makes the match a lot more interesting and a bit more unpredictable. Just like Black, El Idolo is poised to make the move up to the main event scene. A move you just can't make with Apollo at this time.

#2 Build up sympathetic audience support for Apollo

As I previously mentioned, Apollo Crews has been shining on WWE TV in recent weeks. With many Superstars taking time off at the moment, Apollo has been given an opportunity and has made the most of it. Now it's time to build up that audience support.

Life isn't fair - many of us know this. After 4 years of toiling in the lower part of the card, Apollo finally gets his big break and he suffers a knee injury. Not only was he robbed of a legit chance to win the U.S. Title, but now he has to miss Money in the Bank and his shot at a life-changing contract.

That's a major bummer for him and the fan base that is starting to get behind him. Judging off the reactions of those on social media, there appears to be a groundswell of Apollo supporters starting to build. Time to ramp it up. Nothing builds support like sympathy. It helped launch Becky Lynch and Kofi Kingston on to the next level, and it can do that same for Apollo Crews.

Next week on RAW the company should rub salt in the wound and just name Andrade as Crews' replacement. Just have him flat out steal his opportunity and then have him go on to win the briefcase. That opens up an avenue for a vengeful Apollo Crews to return from injury to continue his feud with Andrade and eventually take the United States Title off him.

Crews gets his first Championship and Andrade would still have a guaranteed World Title shot, so everyone wins in this scenario. WWE does have a history of Money in the Bank winners losing big matches right before they cash in. Both Edge and Seth Rollins were losers on the same night they cashed in to win the WWE Championship. The company could do something similar with Andrade.

#3 Balance out the Men's MITB match

Admittedly, this isn't the best reason in the world, but I think the Men's Money in the Bank match needs more balance to it. Three of the four current participants are baby faces, with King Corbin the only man there for the television audience to root against. Having Apollo in the match would outweigh the forces of evil 4-1.

This Friday on SmackDown Dolph Ziggler will battle Otis for the "final" spot in the MITB match. Otis has been on a roll as of late, including getting a big win over Ziggler at WrestleMania 36. There's a good chance he ends up getting the win again this Friday to punch his ticket to the biggest match of his career, which would further throw Corbin into a seas of good guys.

Now should Sonya Deville get involved on Friday, she could help Dolph get the win, but that would still not balance things. Adding Andrade not only adds a bit more credibility to the contest, but it also evens out the forces of good and evil at 3 a piece. That would please my O-C-D.

#4 Zelina's Faction needs a big win

It's time for this group to start winning

Speaking of RAW MVPs since WrestleMania, Zelina Vega has stepped up in a major way. Whether it's been on the mic, on commentary or at ringside, Zelina is proving to be a real asset on the red brand and one of the best managers we've seen in a long time.

Vega along with Andrade, Angel Garza, and Austin Theory have been the focal point on Monday nights for the past few weeks. Entire shows have literally been built around them. That shows just how much faith the company has in all four of them.

There's just one problem though; since this group has come together, they have lost more often than they've been victorious. If they are going to have any long term staying power, that needs to change quickly.

Andrade claiming the MITB contract and an all but guaranteed World Title win is exactly the kind of clout this group needs. Especially if he ends up dropping the United States Championship at some point in the near future.

Without the briefcase, this faction may suffer the same fate as The League of Nations- a super talented group that included Wade Barrett, Sheamus, Rusev, and Alberto Del Rio, but never went anywhere.

In a recent interview with Sportskeeda's Gary Cassidy, The Celtic Warrior said the WWE had no long term plans for the group despite their potential. They were just there to help get others over. I'm hoping things are different for Zelina's group. Maybe the company can start by naming them?

#5 Bring McIntyre and Andrade's feud full circle

Andrade eventually cashing in on Drew McIntyre makes a lot of sense

For a brief moment a few weeks back, it looked as though Andrade was going to be the first big challenger for newly crowned WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre. The United States Champion was the first man to approach The Scottish Psychopath post WrestleMania and it seemed as though the company was set to build off on the history the two men had from their days in NXT.

However, by the end of the night, McIntyre defeated Andrade and was quickly attacked by his real first rival Seth Rollins. But Zelina's group has remained close by while McIntyre and the Monday Night Messiah have advanced their program. Rollins isn't likely to walk away from Money in the Bank with the WWE Championship, which makes Andrade winning the briefcase even better.

The unnamed faction of Andrade, Garza, and Theory could stalk McIntyre for weeks, if not months, until they finally take him down and allow Andrade to successfully cash in. The triple team would allow McIntyre to look strong in defeat and bring McIntyre's ugly history back. Andrade was the man to defeat Drew for NXT Championship, and it just seems fitting that he be the one to take the WWE Title off of him as well.

Edited by Atharva Papnoi