WWE SmackDown: 2 Superstars who flopped and 3 who impressed – Roman Reigns’ next feud, big heel turn teased on the show (Jan 8th, 2021)

#2 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Apollo Crews

Apollo Crews could soon turn heel

Last week on WWE SmackDown, it was confirmed that Apollo Crews would have a shot at Big E’s Intercontinental Championship. Tonight, both Superstars locked horns in an interesting match that played host to a lot of subtleties. Crews finally looked like his old self – the one from early 2020 when he was delivering great matches one after the other.

He looked determined to get his hands on the title at WWE SmackDown and almost dominated Big E throughout their match, or at least until the first pinfall. Crews went for the pinfall after getting the better of the champion, but both Superstars ended up taking the pin simultaneously. The match official believed that it was a draw and handed the title to Big E.

On the other hand, Crews believed that both of Big E’s shoulders were down while one of his shoulders was up. Thus, he was angry about the referee’s decision and ended up slapping Big E. The New Day member demanded the match to continue and ended up defeating Crews to retain his IC Title on WWE SmackDown.

Despite losing the match, Crews came out looking extremely strong tonight. He looked like he could challenge for the title again, and a plausible heel turn will make him look all the more dangerous on WWE SmackDown. It will be interesting to see what’s in store for him on the blue brand.