Apollo Crews, who now goes by his independent name Uhaa Nation, has opened up about his release from WWE and the behind-the-scenes story of the Nigerian accent gimmick he was given in 2021. Crews was released by WWE on April 24 after 11 years with the company, and he discussed both topics in a wide-ranging interview with Chris Van Vliet on the Insight podcast.
The Release
According to Fightful, Crews had largely been competing on WWE Main Event in the lead-up to his release, though he did appear in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the SmackDown episode before WrestleMania. Crews told Van Vliet that he expected to be let go on April 22, suggesting he had already begun to anticipate the news before WWE informed him. NoDQ reported that Crews said there had been other points throughout his career when he expected to be released, indicating this was not the first time he braced for that possibility during his run with the company.
The Nigerian Accent Gimmick
Crews also revisited the origins of the Nigerian Royalty character he adopted in 2021, six years into his WWE tenure, after turning heel by attacking Big E. According to Fightful, Crews was against using a Nigerian accent for the role and said he was told just ten minutes before a promo that he needed to use the accent. F4W Online reported that Crews discussed his family’s Nigerian heritage during the interview, noting that his father, who was traditional, never forced the language on him or his siblings growing up. Crews also recalled pitching the character concept to Vince McMahon, who immediately asked whether he could speak with a Nigerian accent.
