Things are going pretty well for Bobby Lashley, who is a pillar of the incredibly popular stable The Hurt Business on Monday Night Raw and just this week became WWE Champion as well. It’s been a long journey to this point, however, and he had to get through some questionable storylines and booking decisions to get here. The same can be said for Apollo Crews, who also had his own journey to make through the crowded field until he got some of the spotlight in a feud with the Hurt Business before breaking out in a feud with Big E on SmackDown, complete with a promising character change. That potential is why Lashley originally wanted Crews to be a part of the Hurt Business, but it didn’t end up working out that way (via Fightful).
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On the most recent episode of Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast, Lashley revealed Crews was on his team wishlist. “When we started the Hurt Business, we wanted Apollo first. ‘Apollo, you need that. You’re too pretty and too nice. You gotta be hated. You gotta have some grit.’ We tell Cedric, ‘Be as dirty as you can,’ and Cedric is dirty. Apollo needs that too,” Lashley said.
It ended up not coming to pass, but Crews did feud with the Hurt Business for a substantial time in 2020 before moving to SmackDown. During that same podcast, Lashley revealed an earlier conversation he had with Crews, who reached out to Lashley for some advice during a stretch where he was struggling a bit in WWE.
“Before I even came back, Apollo sent me a DM — I didn’t even know Apollo — and was like, ‘I have a couple of questions to ask you. Did you ever get frustrated when you were here?’ I was like, ‘You’re talking to a man that’s not in and wants to get in. You’re in the greatest place you can be and you’re an amazing talent, that can’t be denied. Just stay there. Maybe it’s not your time right now. Eat catering, have a good time, whenever you have an opportunity, do the best you can and you won’t be denied.’ It takes time, sometimes,” Lashley said.
“When I came back, I was like, ‘You can have me beat Roman, go after Brock, and do main event matches or you can make me suffer and pay some dues. I don’t mind either.’ That’s what I told [Apollo], ‘Don’t mind it. Anytime you have the opportunity to get in the ring, just do it and when you do it, they’ll find a place for you,” Lashley said. “Keep bugging them. Tell them you’ll do this and that. Keep throwing things at them. Maybe, sooner or later, something will stick. The greatest thing you have going for you is how talented you are and how much respect everyone has for you. That won’t be denied. You’ll eventually be in a big position. Stick in there.’ When I got in and had the opportunity to work with him, I was like, ‘Apollo is a cool dude.”
Now things are working out for both superstars, so it looks like the advice worked.
Are you excited for what’s in store for Lashley and Crews? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things WWE with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
