United States championship match
Apollo Crews faces the toughest challenge of his months-long battle with The Hurt Business at Payback on Sun., Aug. 30.
The Road to Payback
Honestly, for the story thus far, I’d start with the preview we just published last Saturday for Crews’ defense against Montell Vontavious Porter at SummerSlam. That’s got most of how we got here. Apollo beat MVP on the Kickoff show last Sunday, then escaped when Porter’s associated Shelton Benjamin & Bobby Lashley ran in to do the post-match beatdown things heels love to do.
He also outsmarted, laid out, and evaded the group when they tried to get the drop on his after he beat Lashley in an arm wrestling match on last week’s Raw.
The All Mighty’s Full Nelson is the move that took Apollo out earlier in this program, so that’s one reason to think this one might end differently than all of the champ’s other defenses against the group. But if Crews can avoid that move the way he’s avoided the numbers game, it might be time for The Hurt Business to head back to Raw Underground (where Bobby did quite well last week, I might add).
What’s at stake
It feels like “piss or get off the pot” time with regards to MVP, Lashley & Benjamin. Are they going to be a force to be reckoned with? Will they ever recruit a new member (seriously, Crews shot them down and they’ve been trying to convince Cedric Alexander to sign up for weeks to no avail)? If Bobby can’t capture the red, white and blue belt, the group might have a short shelf-life.
The champ’s had a hell of a year, but he’s spent so much of it in this program, it’s hard to imagine what else WWE might have planned for him. Whether it’s as a long-reigning U.S. titleholder or something else, it’s about time we find out.
Maybe we will after Payback? No matter what the future holds for Crews or The Hurt Business, we’ll be right here to tell you about it.
Poll
Who will win?
This poll is closed
-
24%
Apollo Crews
(94 votes) -
75%
Bobby Lashley
(297 votes)