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At WWE Payback, Apollo Crews put his US Title up against another member of The Hurt Business. Sadly for Crews, it was the Unstoppable Bobby Lashley who emerged victorious at the end of the night. Though Crews put up a good fight, he couldn't avoid the Full Lashley.
On this night, Bobby Lashley captured the WWE United States Championship, the first title he'd won in his first run with the company over a decade ago. It was an important win, not only for him but for The Hurt Business, as they've been chasing the title for quite a while.
Why did WWE decide to make this switch tonight? Well, it all starts with Bobby Lashley's character change over the past several months.
#5 Bobby Lashley needed some WWE gold following his reset this summer
Let's be honest, shall we? Until May, Bobby Lashley was not being used to his full potential. WWE brought him in and immediately neutered him. His finisher was a stalling suplex. His first feud involved men dressing up like his sisters. He spent the majority of his time in the Intercontinental Title picture.
There was a lot that went wrong with Bobby Lashley in his second WWE run. However, one thing that the company did that began printing money immediately was putting him with MVP. The Hurt Business has put life back into Bobby Lashley, making him the unstoppable powerhouse that fans knew he could be.
His feud with Drew McIntyre was great because of this, and we got to relive their incredible IMPACT Wrestling feud a few years ago. Unfortunately, Lashley failed to win the WWE Championship. There was a silver lining, though, as we finally ended the Lashley/Lana story which was not well-received by the fans.
Lashley continued to dominate the RAW roster along with The Hurt Business. Still, he needed to pick up some gold. The 24/7 Championship is beneath him. Drew McIntyre is currently in a feud with Randy Orton. It only makes sense to put the US Title around his waist.
#4 The Hurt Business needed the WWE US Championship more than Apollo Crews did
This is more of a follow up from the previous point, sure, but it really needs to be said. As dominant as The Hurt Business has been, they haven't had much to show for it. Sure, Shelton Benjamin has held the WWE 24/7 Championship a few times, but like Bobby Lashley, an athlete at his caliber is above that.
A group that has Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin and a mouthpiece like MVP really should be doing better. Unfortunately, they've been made fools of a few times. Benjamin, specifically, has been played like a fiddle by the WWE 24/7 Champion division.
There was also the possibility of putting the WWE RAW Tag Team Titles on them, but that never came to fruition either. WIth MVP failing to successfully pick up the new United States Championship that he himself paid for, The Hurt Business was seriously lacking in impressive victories. RAW Underground massacres don't count.
Considering that, giving one of their members a WWE Title that can't be lost while they're sleeping in a hotel room was a necessity. With the United States Championship, The Hurt Business seems more legit.
#3 Apollo Crews has already proven himself to the WWE Universe
Prior to his run as WWE United States Champion, Apollo Crews had an underwhelming career in the company. Barely any wins on the main roster, and a short run in NXT which failed to earn him any accolades, Crews looked to be just another underperforming Superstar with a ton of potential.
That all changed when he captured the US Championship from Andrade. Since then, Apollo Crews has put on some of the best matches of his career. In fact, from May-August, Apollo Crews had an impressive 9-3 record, with the losses only coming thanks to some underhanded tricks by his opponents.
It was almost impossible to beat Apollo Crews clean. He'd also held the title for three months, which isn't too bad for his first rodeo. With victories over the likes of Andrade, MVP, Shelton Benjamin, and Angel Garza, he's proven that he's not a flash in the pan.
Apollo Crews may have lost his WWE United States Championship, but he's now leagues ahead in his career than he was prior to winning the belt. He'll be fine without it, and he may even get it back from Lashley in the coming months.
#2 It's time to shake up the WWE US Title picture
Apollo Crews has been the WWE United States Champion for three months. While it's been a pretty solid run for him, the competition that he's faced has been limited. We've only seen Crews face off against the same five men, leading to a lot of repeated matches.
It's a serious problem that WWE has. The main roster, RAW specifically, is full of rematches that the WWE Universe sees week in and week out. As great as those matches may be, it's important to change things up.
Putting the title on a heel, especially Bobby Lashley, frees WWE up to try out some fresh new matchups. Rey or Dominik Mysterio, Keith Lee, even Ricochet, Cedric Alexander, and Mustafa Ali could get another shot at Lashley. While those last three wouldn't exactly be "new" matchups, they would definitely be fresh with the title now on Lashley.
There's a lot that we could get from this title change. WWE needs some fresh faces in the division, literally. This is the first step in making that happen.
#1 WWE needed a reason to give Apollo Crews an attitude adjustment
For those that didn't see the match at WWE Payback, after The Hurt Business set up for a photoshoot, Apollo Crews attacked Bobby Lashley from behind. Now, though MVP and Shelton Benjamin were near ringside, they didn't really interfere in the match, and Crews went after Bobby Lashley out of pure frustration.
Apollo Crews has been putting on a smile and continuously getting one over The Hurt Business. He wasn't able to do that tonight, and it sparked something in Crews. The former WWE United States Champion was angry. He was downright miffed. It's thanks to this that we could very well see a new Apollo Crews in the coming months.
His confidence had evolved into arrogance as of late. Now, Apollo Crews needs to make some changes in order to get back his WWE US Championship. What does that mean? What will we see emerge from Apollo Crews going forward? It's hard to say, but considering what happened following the match tonight, Crews has a bad side, and it might be just what he needs to elevate himself to the next level.
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