Big spoiler for 36-year-old ex-WWE champion ahead of RAW; returned after absence

A former WWE champion who recently returned to the ring after an absence, lost his match ahead of RAW tonight.

Apollo Crews has been off WWE RAW and SmackDown for a while, although he did have one appearance at the Andre the Giant Battle Royal before WrestleMania. Except for that match, and another singles match against Andrade on March 4, the star has been off regular WWE TV for the better part of a year. He last competed at the SummerSlam Battle Royal in 2023.

The absence of a regular feud has seen the star competing mainly on Main Event instead.

Dr. Chris Featherstone of Sportskeeda was at WWE RAW this week and reported that he returned ahead of the show in a losing effort.

Now, after a two-week absence following the Andre The Giant Battle Royal, he returned to face Ivar on this week's taping of Main Event. He ended up suffering another loss, as the giant star hit him with the World's Strongest Slam to finish him. It was a high-flying match, defying the fact that Ivar is not particularly the sort of star who usually suits the style.

The stars gave it their all in the match

---

Apollo Crews has continued training during WWE absence

While he's not been the biggest star in the company and has not seen enough success in recent months, Crews has continued training even during his absence from the ring.

The former Intercontinental Champion posted videos on his Instagram regularly, where he revealed that he was going through intense training to make sure that he stayed in shape.

As such, it remains to be seen if he gets more involved with active storylines during televised shows. Right now, it's been a long time before he's had a real feud as part of their regular programming.