Why Did WWE Release Hit Row?

By Connor Casey

Hit Row was unquestionably one of NXT's hottest acts throughout the first half of 2021, which is why it came as no surprise that the group was drafted to the SmackDown roster during the 2021 WWE Draft. Unfortunately, the four were only with the Blue Brand for a few weeks before B-Fab was let go, followed by Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, Ashante "Thee" Adonis and Top Dolla weeks later. Scott, now going by Sw3rve The Realest since his 90-day "No Compete" clause, opened up about the group's departure during a K&S WrestleFest virtual signing this week. He compared them getting cut to a football team with too much talent at one position. 

"It's almost kind of like, we went to a product that already had New Day and Usos and stuff like that," he said. "So you can't have three starting quarterbacks, in their mind, you know? You already have your franchise quarterback but you also drafted, you have two backup quarterbacks that are first-rounders. So it's like, we've got to trade him off to, you know, Tennessee. We can send them another team that needs a quarterback because there's already three starting quarterbacks there."

"If it was the case of just like, myself getting released, and they were there, I'd still feel better about that because I know I can go anywhere and be pretty okay. Like, do my own thing," he later added. "I just felt bad for my team, and I'm always going to feel like that. You know what I mean? For Ashante, the most, because that's all he ever wanted to be, a WWE wrestler. Like he went through a lot, you know? With like his military life and he told that story on The Bump episode we were on. Talking about being bombed over there and being overseas and getting shot at and getting concussions from bombs going off and going through true wartime and getting that trauma. So all he ever wanted to do when he came back was like, push hard and be in the WWE. So that's where my heart went to, him primarily and our group. So if I could sacrifice myself being released for them to just stay there and do their thing, then I would."

Reports have popped up that Sw3rve has generated interest from other companies like AEW. Stay tuned for more details on the future of Hit Row's members as they become available. 

h/t Wrestling Inc.

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