Apollo Crews says he was against using a Nigerian accent on WWE television and only agreed after Vince McMahon talked him into it.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Crews explained that he pitched the idea of a character built around his Nigerian heritage in early 2021, and said he was told the first thing McMahon asked was whether he would have an accent.
“That wasn’t something I was planning on doing,” Crews said. “The idea that I had was to not portray it in this kind of way.”
Crews said he grew up imitating his father’s accent with his siblings and Nigerian-American friends, but never pictured doing it on television.
“I felt strongly about it. I went and spoke to Vince and pleaded my case against it. Obviously, I was talked into it. And I was like, ‘Okay, if I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it 100%.'”
He added that the change came together just before his first promo in the role. He was set to speak in his normal voice, then was told McMahon wanted one line with the accent, and then the entire promo.
“Ten minutes before the show started, they told me he wanted me to do the whole thing with the accent. I was like, ‘What? Are you kidding me?'”
Crews went on to briefly hold the Intercontinental Championship with the character. Since leaving WWE, he has returned to working as Uhaa Nation.