10 WWE Releases That Actually HELPED A Wrestler
3. Swerve Strickland
As Isaiah 'Swerve' Scott in WWE, the future Swerve Strickland led his NXT stable Hit Row to SmackDown in the fall of 2021, but the hip-hop oriented group wasn’t long for the blue brand.
Within weeks of their call-up, all 4 members of the faction were released from WWE. It was an absolutely baffling move to cut an act before they even had a chance to succeed or fail.
Strickland wouldn’t waste much time, returning to DEFY Wrestling briefly before signing with AEW less than 4 short months after his WWE release. It’s fair to say that Swerve’s first year or so was a bit uneven (Swerve in Our Glory tag team with Keith Lee, Mogul Affiliates with Parker Boudreaux and Trench etc), but he really began to find his footing once he was paired with Prince Nana and discovered his wrestling soulmate in Hangman Page.
Page and Strickland would have a rivalry and eventual mutual respect that elevated both wrestlers, created iconic moments and cemented their respective statuses as main-event stars. Swerve became the first black AEW World Champion in 2024, holding the title for 4 months. His tag match alongside Will Ospreay vs The Young Bucks at All In Texas last year remains one of the best matches of 2025 too.
Today, Strickland is a shadow of the skinny guy leading a stable of NXT call-ups to the WWE main roster. He’s undeniably a cool, sinister, dangerous megastar who could easily be plugged back into a top title feud at any given moment.
Being released was probably the best thing that could've happened to Swerve.