MVP then started a feud with the United States Champion Apollo Crews, after MVP would offer him his services but Crews turned him down. During the storyline, MVP proclaimed himself the real United States Champion when he unveiled a new belt design. At The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, Crews did not appear for their scheduled match, so MVP declared himself as the champion. However, MVP faced Crews two times, one at "Raw" and the other at SummerSlam, failing both times. At Payback, Lashley defeated Crews to win the United States Championship. On the September 7 episode of Raw, Cedric Alexander joined The Hurt Business when he betrayed Crews and Ricochet during a six-man tag team match, attacking them and helping The Hurt Business win the match. At , he was present when Alexander and Benjamin won the Raw Tag Team Championship. In early 2021, MVP suffered a leg injury and began using a crutch to move around, taken him out of in-ring action. He was present when Bobby Lashley won the WWE Championship on the March 1 episode of "Raw".