Buying or Selling Apollo Crews Having Long-Term WWE US Title Run

Over four years into his main roster run, Apollo Crews is holding gold in WWE for the first time. He's had to overcome his fair share of obstacles since signing with the company in 2015 but is finally enjoying the fruits of his labor. However, the real work has only just begun for him as United States champion.

Crews defeated Andrade for the star-spangled prize on the Memorial Day edition of Raw. Prior to that point, WWE had done little with the Georgia native after arguably calling him up from NXT too quickly in April 2016.

In the ring, his skills are second to none, but his inconsistent pushes and lack of character development over the years have held him back from reaching the next level. As the new U.S. champion, he has the opportunity to live up to his potential at long last, assuming the powers that be don't tire of him before then.

It's high time the United States belt stopped being treated as an afterthought and started meaning something again. That could be a real possibility with Crews in possession of it and him being booked as a strong titleholder.

Then again, fans have had high hopes for many former champs who ultimately fell by the wayside for any number of reasons.

In order to determine whether the WWE Universe should be buying or selling on Crews as a long-term United States champion, several aspects of his reign should be addressed, including the likelihood of him evolving as a character and who he can work with.

Crews qualifying for the men's Money in the Bank ladder match before suffering a staged injury in April was a puzzling move on WWE's part. He was quickly catching fire, yet all of his momentum went to waste once he was temporarily sidelined for no real reason.

It was reported at the time that Crews was in line for a heel turn and that losing his spot in the Money in the Bank main event was part of the plan. When he returned to the ring in mid-May, though, he showed no signs of going rogue and instead remained a babyface.

What's interesting is that he vehemently declined joining MVP's stable last week on Raw before cheating to beat Shelton Benjamin later in the night. Despite his refusal to be managed by MVP, it looks like WWE may be starting to turn him anyway.

It's difficult to determine what works and what doesn't when there aren't any actual crowds, but a heel run wouldn't be the worst thing for his career. In fact, it may allow him to develop a personality that fans haven't seen from him up to this point.

The updated entrance music was a step in the right direction, but he is going to need more than that to feel fresh again compared to who he was a year or two ago. Turning heel could be his best bet in that respect.

If nothing else, it could prolong his reign as United States champion.

The United States Championship has long felt like an afterthought. That's because of how it's been portrayed for several years now, with the holders rarely being booked to look strong.

In other words, the title has been made to look like a glorified prop with no real meaning. That was especially the case with Andrade, who lost far more matches than he won when it came to non-title action.

There isn't a point to being the U.S. champion if it isn't going to elevate the Superstar holding it whatsoever or vice versa, which is why Crews must prove to be the exception. On the bright side, he hasn't been pinned over the last month and has done exceptionally well in the role on all fronts.

Then again, it's going to take more than a few wins over Angel Garza and Shelton Benjamin for the belt to be considered a coveted prize again.

The chances of the U.S. title reaching the levels it was once at are slim. John Cena came closest to doing that, but his last run with it was five years ago, and Crews is nowhere near that same level.

Holding the gold for more than a few months will help, but he needs to continue to be featured prominently on Raw so that it will mean something when he eventually loses it. If not, his reign will be forgotten like the rest of the former champs.

Luckily for Crews—regardless of whether he's positioned as a babyface or a heel going forward—Raw boasts a ton of talent on its roster, and virtually anyone would make for fun contenders to the United States Championship.

One upside to him being overlooked for so long is that he hasn't really feuded with anyone on the roster, so everyone he works with is something new for fans. That includes Kevin Owens, who he has unfinished business with from when their match got interrupted on June 1.

If not, then Bobby Lashley is an option as well since Crews just turned down MVP's invitation to join their stable. The All Mighty could be looking to collect gold in the form of the star-spangled prize, assuming Shelton Benjamin doesn't want a rematch with the champ after getting beaten by him last week on Raw.

Seth Rollins, Humberto Carrillo, Angel Garza and Aleister Black would all be perfect opponents for Crews at some point and would give him great matches. The higher the profile of the people he beats, the more seriously fans will take him as champion.

If WWE can stretch out each of these potential programs and not have Crews run through them on a weekly basis, he could well have a lengthy stint with the strap ahead of him.

A six-month title reign is better than holding gold for a measly 30 days, but it's more a matter of how that time is spent that determines whether the run was worthwhile.

Andrade is a prime example of this, as he reigned as United States champion from December to May yet didn't have many memorable title defenses to his credit. On paper, it was impressive he held the belt for so long, but the quality of the reign was far from great.

The same can be said about Shinsuke Nakamura, who essentially had a stranglehold on the strap for the entire second half of 2018. In that time, though, he only defended the title against Jeff Hardy, R-Truth and Tye Dillinger.

That isn't to say Crews' U.S. title reign should be on the shorter side, but WWE needs to ensure the next few months of his championship run are filled with quality content, including high-profile matches, compelling feuds and strong mic work.

The length of his reign won't make much of a difference if he's losing a lot or if his appearances on Raw are far and few between. If he falls into the same booking pattern as other midcard champions before him, his time with the title will be deemed a failure.

WWE has done a commendable job so far of booking Crews like an actual star for the first time since he arrived on the main roster. It's even better that the United States Championship has been benefiting from his recent resurgence, too.

Where the company goes from here with him is the question, but based off how he's been handled for the last month as champion, there is reason to believe his reign will wind up being a resounding success.

Plenty of people could be in the spot Crews currently finds himself in, but the fact that WWE went with him specifically would seem to indicate it is finally starting to see him for the top talent he is. He has proved he can deliver in the role and rise to the occasion whenever necessary.

All in all, fans should be buying on Crews as a long-term United States champion. He has all the tools necessary to do well with the title, provided the company holds up its end of the bargain and keeps him in a prominent spot on the show.

The strong start to his title run is an encouraging sign for those hopeful that Crews would get his just due once he captured the championship. At the rate he's going, he could be the best thing to happen to the belt since John Cena made it matter again all those years ago.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.