WWE SmackDown Star Returns After Over 13 Months Away

WWE

A WWE SmackDown star has returned to action for his first match on the show after over 13 months away due to injury.

In January 2025, Apollo Crews suffered an injury during a match on SmackDown against Johnny Gargano.

This injury kept Crews out of action and off TV until 2026.

Crews has had a handful of matches on WWE Main Event and in AAA – as well as an NXT dark match last week that saw him team with Elijah Holyfield – but tonight he made his return to the ring on mainline WWE TV.

Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov were set for a match for Hayes’ United States Championship when they were interrupted by Solo Sikoa and the rest of the MFTs – Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, Talla Tonga and JC Mateo.

Sikoa and the MFTs ambushed Hayes and Dragunov in a five-on-two situation, before the numbers were evened up by Matt Cardona, Apollo Crews and Shinsuke Nakamura.

WWE SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis then came out and announced the brawl would become a 10-man tag team match, marking Crews’ first match on SmackDown since the aforementioned bout against Gargano over a year ago.