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Apollo Crews didn’t want to use Nigerian accent in WWE, was ‘talked into it’ by Vince McMahon

Live coverage and related reports for Apollo Crews didn’t want to use Nigerian accent in WWE, was ‘talked into it’ by Vince McMahon.

AI Story Summary

What happened?

The article reports that Apollo Crews didn’t want to use a Nigerian accent as part of his WWE heel character but says he was "talked into it" by Vince McMahon. Crews briefly used the accent during a January 2021 heel turn, which included a new presentation with Trick Williams and references to his Nigerian ancestry, and the decision generated backlash and accusations of racial stereotyping. The gimmick led to a short Intercontinental Title run and did not produce a sustained push.

Key Takeaways

  • Apollo Crews reportedly resisted using a Nigerian accent for his WWE character.
  • Vince McMahon is said to have convinced Crews to adopt the accent.
  • The accent debuted during Crews' January 2021 heel turn and was used prominently on SmackDown.
  • The presentation included Trick Williams and a character called Commander Azeez.
  • The accent and character drew jokes and accusations of racial stereotyping.
  • Crews briefly held the Intercontinental Championship but the gimmick did not lead to long-term momentum.

AI Timeline

January 2021

Apollo Crews turned heel, referenced his Nigerian ancestry and briefly used a Nigerian accent while quoting his grandfather; Trick Williams appeared as part of the presentation.

Following SmackDown appearance

Crews delivered an entire promo using the accent, which increased attention and criticism over the portrayal.

Backlash

The accent and character prompted jokes and accusations of ethnic and racial stereotyping.

Title run

Crews had a short Intercontinental Championship run tied to the gimmick.

Late 2021

Crews and Commander Azeez were drafted to Raw, but the gimmick did not produce sustained storylines or momentum.

Model: gpt-5-mini•Generated: Sep 24, 6:00 PM

Sources Covering This Story

Cageside Seats

Timeline

Sep 24, 5:49 PM

Apollo Crews didn’t want to use Nigerian accent in WWE, was ‘talked into it’ by Vince McMahon

Cageside Seats • WWE

In January 2021, with WWE running out of their “ThunderDome” set-up a year into the pandemic, Apollo Crews turned heel for the first time in his time with the company. It was a feud with then Intercontinental champion Big E, and started promisingly enough, with Crews showing a new attitude and referring to his Nigerian ancestry. Apollo briefly used a Nigerian accent while quoting his grandfather on his first night as his villainous character (which also featured an unannounced Trick Williams as a member of his “elite Nigerian guard”). But when Crews next appeared the following Friday on SmackDown, he delivered his entire promo that way. It led to jokes, concern about returning to wrestling roots in ethnic and racial stereotypes, and charges of racism. It also didn’t do Crews any favors in the long-run. He briefly held the IC title, but that was really the gimmick’s only program. Crews (and his sidekick/head of his , Commander Azeez) were drafted to Raw in late 2021, and then Apollo

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