Apollo Crews warns Cristiano Ronaldo against WWE career after World Cup

The legendary footballer left Manchester United under a dark cloud after his controversial interview with Piers Morgan, and it’s unclear where the five-time Ballan d’Or winner will go next.

Asked if Ronaldo could be a success in the wrestling ring, WWE’s Apollo Crews exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘Not with me here!’

While the WWE NXT star – who prefers World Cup winner Messi to the Portuguese striker – wouldn’t bet against Ronaldo’s mindset, he pointed out that getting between the ropes is on another level of physicality.

‘Honestly, with that mentality to be a top athlete in the world on that level, I think just on the mentality alone he would’ve done okay,’ he admitted. ‘When you start the physical part, that’s a different story though, for most people.

‘But again, [he’s] a world class athlete so I wouldn’t put it past him.’

Of course, there’s been no suggestion Ronaldo is considering a WWE run – but since April 2021, fans have seen the likes of Logan Paul, Johnny Knoxville and Bad Bunny make their debuts, so anything is possible.

Former Intercontinental Champion Apollo also weighed in on the former United, Real Madrid and Juventus star’s future on the pitch.

‘It’s crazy, it’s not the way you wanna see a player, ’cause he’s 37, 38? I’ll say with confidence, I don’t think there’s gonna be any reviving of the career,’ he said of speculation about his next move.

‘He’s not gonna go to Saudi Arabia for two years and all of a sudden have a reviving of the career to come back. It’s tough to see that, the way it’s going. One of the things you don’t wanna see with such a player of high calibre.

‘But it is what it is. As long as he gets to play the game, I guess it’s good. So, it’s unfortunate.’

Back to the world of wrestling, Apollo has rejuvenated his own career between the ropes after moving back to NXT following inconsistent runs on Raw and SmackDown.

After proving his worth after this year’s revival, the former United States Champion is excited to keep pushing on and lock horns with some of the world’s top stars.

‘The amount of talent we have between Raw, SmackDown and NXT is just insane. I couldn’t even make a list of who would be number one and who would be number 10 – and the list wouldn’t be in any particular order,’ he admitted.

‘The names I can think off the top – you’ve got Ali, Ricochet, Austin Theory, Cedric Alexander, Chad Gable. Even Angelo Dawkins, Montez Ford, the list just goes on with the amount of talent and the guys – some I’ve not been in the ring with, and some I’d love to step in the ring with again.

‘From top to bottom, there’s talent.’

WWE NXT airs Tuesday nights at 1am on BT Sport 1.

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