WWE NXT Faction Called Up to SmackDown During WWE Draft

By Nick Valdez

A WWE NXT faction has been surprisingly called up to Friday Night SmackDown during the WWE Draft! The first two rounds of the WWE Draft for the year have been full of surprises. These surprises have ranged from big brand shifts, to some decisions that have been received less than well by fans, but this newest surprise is sure to excite fans of the WWE NXT 2.0 brand as an entire faction has been called up to the FOX show and will likely go on to make a big impact on the main program in the coming months. 

As part of the third round of the WWE Draft 2021, WWE NXT faction Hit Row has been drafted to Friday Night SmackDown. This includes the entire four member crew of current NXT North American Champion Isiah "Swerve Scott, Ashante "Thee" Adonis, Top Dolla, and B-FAB. They are the first members from the NXT brand to be called up to either Raw or SmackDown as part of this year's draft overall, and will likely come as a big surprise to those who had been enjoying their work on the NXT and NXT 2.0. shows. 

It'll be interesting to see how NXT 2.0 handles Hit Row moving onto SmackDown. Since the Draft does not take effect this year until after the WWE Crown Jewel pay-per-view, there is time for Swerve to defend and probably lose the North American Championship. His entire gimmick thus far has been how he refuses to defend it and thus raise the opportunity to lose it, so now he'll be forced to do so as he and Hit Row prepare themselves for a whole new network. Here's the breakdown of the rounds for the WWE Draft 2021 Night One thus far: 

First Round

  • SmackDown: Roman Reigns, Charlotte Flair
  • Raw: Big E, Bianca Belair

Second Round

  • SmackDown: Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods (The New Day) 
  • Raw: Randy Orton and Riddle (RK-Bro), Edge

Third Round

  • SmackDown: Happy Corbin, Madcap Moss, Hit Row
  • Raw: Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley, Keith "Bearcat" Lee

How are you feeling about Hit Row being drafted to SmackDown? Excited to see what the NXT faction can do with the blue brand? Who else from NXT are you hoping to see get drafted next? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! 

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