5 Signs that Apollo Crews will be the next United States Champion

Apollo Crews has been on the best run of his career recently after moving to RAW post-WrestleMania 36. He had a great showing against Aleister Black, who he narrowly lost to. He would defeat MVP to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match last week. This week on RAW, MVP praised Apollo Crews and picked him to be the winner of the match.

Unfortunately, that won't come to fruition as he's been pulled from the Money in the Bank ladder match. How did it happen? It all started with the opening match of the night, where Crews, Aleister Black, and Rey Mysterio defeated Zelina Vega's trio of Andrade, Angel Garza, and Austin Theory.

Crews pinned Andrade to win the match for his team, setting up a United States Championship match later that night. He would have the best match of his five-year run in WWE, coming close to winning the United States title on multiple occasions.

However, it was a knee injury he sustained mid-match that turned out to be too much, forcing the referee to stop the match and call it a win for Andrade. Crews was seen crying backstage in crutches, showing more character development than he had in almost 5 years.

As a result of the injury, he's out of the MITB ladder match. Despite this, there are signs that he is set to be the next United States Champion:

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article belong to the writer and doesn't necessarily represent Sportskeeda's stand.

#5 He's been made to look great even in defeat

It was too much for Apollo Crews to handle

One of the clearest signs that Apollo Crews is getting a big push is the fact that WWE has gone of their way to protect him. The referee stoppage was a good way to keep the title on Andrade while not having Crews get pinned.

Even though he lost clean against Aleister Black, he looked far better than Bobby Lashley did against The Dutch Destroyer the night before at WrestleMania 36. The narrative is that Crews was about to win it before his knee gave in.

#4 His confidence as a character is growing

Apollo Crews has begun to show parts of a character

If you were to ask anyone what Apollo Crews' problem was over the last few years, the answer will always be his character and promo work. He's a phenomenal athlete, but being a great in-ring talent in WWE doesn't mean much when you don't have a strong character.

Bray Wyatt is the perfect example of how a good character always trumps a great wrestler. That's been the department where Crews has needed most work done and from the look of things, that's finally happening as well.

Perhaps the live reactions to the promos may have hindered his confidence, but he's already become a much better talker in the empty arena shows, further proving that promos have gotten better without an audience.

As long as Crews can have good character progression and get the audience invested in him, then big things are going to come. Winning the United States title could be a part of his growing story arc.

#3 The best match of an otherwise forgettable United States title reign

Andrade as United States Champion is great, but there's no denying that his reign as Champion has been a bit lackluster. Granted, it's been plagued by a 30-day suspension and a small injury that pulled him out of WrestleMania, but even so, there hasn't been too much happening with the United States title.

It had been a while since he had an actual title feud, but this could be the start of a big one. Andrade is one of the best in-ring performers in the company, but there weren't too many opponents in the past months who could get the best out of him.

Apollo Crews is showing his biggest strengths and that could help et him over. It's a bit surprising that Andrade didn't have a match this good as the United States Champion, but it's good that he managed to set a benchmark for future title matches.

For all we know, his next title match could be his last as United States Champion.

#2 Zelina Vega's faction has been on a losing run

Zelina Vega's faction has had an increasing presence on RAW for the last three weeks. Last week alone, Vega appeared on six different occasions throughout the show - something that's rarely seen.

Her presence was felt tonight as well as she was in the opening segment of the show for the third week in a row. Unfortunately, as much TV time as her faction has been getting, the reality is that their record isn't great. Last week, all three members Andrade, Angel Garza, and Austin Theory competed, with the United States Champion being the only one to get a win.

Even in the opening match on RAW, her team lost. Andrade was on the verge of losing to Apollo Crews before he won by a technicality. If this losing run of theirs continues, then it's a matter of "when" and not "if" Apollo Crews will the United States Championship.

With that said, having a faction lose constantly won't do well for them in the long-run.

#1 The Paul Heyman effect

Paul Heyman reportedly pushed to get Apollo Crews on RAW, according to Sportskeeda's own Tom Colohue. He said:

There are definitely a few people who wanted to see him pushed. Paul Heyman wanted to get a hold of him on RAW. He got him and we saw a great match with Aleister Black and he's had a match with MVP now. While I don't think this is his last chance, this is definitely his best chance"

Apollo Crews has been added to the list of Paul Heyman's personal projects and he's benefiting the most from the empty arena shows. The timing of it all worked out well and Heyman couldn't have asked for a better time to start utilizing Apollo Crews. If he continues to do well, we can see Crews getting a consistent push the way Drew McIntyre and Aleister Black are.

While he's a long way from reaching that level, many believe that he has the potential to break the proverbial 'glass ceiling'. It's going to be interesting to see how Paul Heyman utilizes Crews in the long run.

Edited by Alan John