Apollo Crews Reveals Gruesome New Character Trait On WWE NXT

Apollo Crews debuted a unique new gimmick on the 9/20 episode of "NXT 2.0."

During the closing stages of the Grayson Waller vs. Oro Mensah match, Crews abruptly appeared at the ringside area with a bloody-looking tear coming down his cheek, spooking Waller in the process, and causing enough of a distraction for Mensah to hit a lariat on Waller for the pinfall victory.

Waller had previously targeted Crews' eye during their match on August 30. After getting poked in the eye by Waller, Crews rolled out of the ring to get checked on by the trainers midway through the match. As Crews continued to sell an eye injury, Waller would eventually pick up a pinfall victory with a Stunner. After the match, Waller continued to attack Crews' eye before hitting his finishing move. The angle was seemingly done to write Crews off WWE TV.

The Crews vs. Waller rivalry began on the 8/9 episode of "NXT 2.0," where the brash Aussie approached Crews and accused him of taking a spot from one of the younger wrestlers in WWE's developmental show. Waller mentioned how the rest of the locker room was afraid to hit Crews with the truth, but he was not. "You are not welcome here," Waller told Crews as the two men exchanged words. Crews would react with a smile, while informing Waller that he was not going anywhere, implying that his move from the main roster to "NXT" was not a temporary one. 

It remains to be seen if the bloody tear is actually a part of Crews' new character. The veteran wrestler has been part of the "NXT 2.0" brand since early June. While he initially confronted "NXT" Champion Bron Breakker, Crews has been in feuds with the likes of Waller, Giovanni Vinci, Xyon Quinn and Roderick Strong since his arrival in "NXT 2.0."