AEW superstar Shane “Swerve” Strickland recently spoke with WhatCulture Wrestling about a wide range of topics, including his initial reaction to being released from WWE, and how it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, not just for himself, but all of Hit Row. Highlights from the interview are below.
On Hit Row’s release from WWE, and how it was a gut punch:
“It was like a gut punch at first, the first couple weeks were. Honestly, after Briana was let go from the group, it kind of was like, wow, you might as well let it all go. Seeing the direction the companies going in right now, it just doesn’t fit Hit Row and we don’t fit the company.”
Calls the release a blessing in disguise:
“The way they did it was like, okay, you let us go but it was like a blessing in disguise, it should’ve been an even split because we don’t fit anywhere where their product is trying to give and what they’re trying to push toward the future.”
Talks the paradigm shift in WWE:
“It was natural. We literally were friends, we went shopping together and hung out, all four of us, and spent hours just joking, laughing, writing stuff. It got to a point where they would just come up to us with a microphone in front of the SmackDown thing, and say, ‘You’ve got a minute to talk about this,’ AJ would come over here, Briana would come over here, Tahooty would come over here. It was just like all off the top of our heads, just flowing. It was the paradigm shift of where the company was going. Now they want young talent, 20-25 years old, we don’t fit that.”
(H/T and transcribed by Wrestling Inc.)