Swerve Strickland recently reflected on his time in WWE and revealed that getting clear answers about his character direction in WWE NXT was not always easy.
While appearing on the Kings of the Ring podcast, the current All Elite Wrestling star discussed the period when WWE was developing ideas tied to the Evolve brand and the eventual creation of the Hit Row faction.
Strickland explained that WWE had been discussing plans connected to Evolve internally long before it eventually launched.
“The birth of it was really interesting because they had their own thing going on when they were supposed to have Evolve then,” Strickland said. “That got delayed for years. I didn’t expect it to take so long for Evolve to become a thing.”
During that time, Strickland said he was actively trying to speak with Triple H about where his character was headed creatively.
According to Strickland, those conversations did not always happen as easily as he hoped.
“Triple H, me and him were just going back and forth,” Strickland said. “He was dodging me when I was coming up with creative questions and stuff.”
Strickland said the momentum behind his push changed when Stephanie McMahon reportedly took notice of his work as a heel in NXT.
“And then finally, I think it was Stephanie McMahon that really told me he was her favorite heel on the show,” Strickland recalled.
Not long after that, WWE approached him about building a faction around him, which eventually became Hit Row. The group would include Top Dolla, B-Fab, and Ashante Thee Adonis.
“They were like, ‘Hey, I think we’re going to put this group behind you. How do you feel?’” Strickland said.
At the time, Strickland admitted that leading a faction was unfamiliar territory for him. Much of his career before WWE had been spent traveling the independent wrestling circuit and working as a singles performer.
“I was independent, jumping from city to city, country to country,” he explained. “So running a group was just not my thing. I didn’t know how to.”
Despite the early uncertainty, Strickland said the dynamic eventually came together once everyone found their roles within the group.
“But the group became more like them backing me,” he said. “Then we became a real group, like all four corners together.”
Hit Row quickly became one of the most recognizable acts in NXT during its run. However, the group’s momentum was eventually cut short due to roster changes and releases that reshaped the brand.
Looking back, Strickland believes the group had strong chemistry and could have accomplished even more if given additional time.
“I just wish we had more time together with it,” he said. “But you know, things happen.”
Do you think Hit Row could have become one of WWE’s top factions if they had stayed together longer, or was their run always destined to be short lived?
