Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott thinks Hit Row can stop WWE being ‘too traditional’ and praises ‘uniqueness’ in wrestling

Hit Row is making waves in NXT (Photo: WWE)

Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott has high hopes for Hit Row and he thinks they can have a profound impact on the WWE landscape.

The NXT North American Champion leads the black and gold brand’s hottest faction alongside B-Fab, Top Dolla and Ashante ‘Thee’ Adonis, and he’s excited to be bringing something new to mainstream pro wrestling.

He exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘We’re doing something that’s so unique and different that it’s gonna take a little bit for people to catch on and look back on and be like, “Man, I really appreciate this, I really should have liked this and got into it a lot more when it was happening”, rather than like, “Man, that was a great time in wrestling”.

‘I implore people who are fans of sports entertainment, pro wrestling, whatever it is – appreciate the things that are going on now that are new and really try to digest and get into that a little bit more, and not jump on something just because it’s new.

‘”It’s not traditional” – we’re too stuck in tradition. If we’re too traditional, we don’t move anything forward and we don’t change the game for the better.’

Swerve pointed out that NXT bosses are giving him and his teammates the ‘creative freedom and control to experiment’ with their act, even if he thinks it could be some time before they’re truly appreciate for what they’re doing.

Swerve won the gold from Bronson Reed (Photo: WWE)

‘That’s what happens with television shows in general – Breaking Bad didn’t start getting its praise and love and support until, like, season four or three. That’s how it goes,’ he said.

‘Then when it’s here, it’s gone the next. “Wow, we really miss something, we really wish we’d had something like this again”. That’s what Hit Row is right now!’

Of course, the group already has plenty of admirers as the faction have taken NXT by storm, including making waves with their cypher a few weeks ago which showed off another format for cutting promos.

‘That was something that could have gone wrong in many different ways,’ he admitted. ‘We’re having a lot of fun doing it [being in Hit Row], creative control is all on us – what we say, how we say it, the look into the camera.

‘No one tells us how to dress, no one tells us what to say. Sometimes, some of our lingo goes over their heads and they’re like, “Oh, we gotta check back to see if that can be approved!” It’s been fun, it’s been good time!’

Swerve thinks a willingness to push the boat out goes far beyond Hit Row and even past NXT as a brand, as he pointed to several things on Raw and SmackDown that he’s loving.

‘WWE across the board is trying something new – Nikki A.S.H. is something that’s very different and new, I’m appreciative of it! Baron Corbin has been a king for about two years and now he’s trying something different,’ he laughed.

‘That’s unique! Doing a GoFundMe on TV is great! That’s amazing! I’m into that! The Bloodline is doing something new and unique! Reginald with the 24/7 Championship, I’ve never seen an athlete quite like him!’

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He also gave a shout out to Matt Cardona – formerly Zack Ryder in WWE – for recently defeating Nick Gage in a deathmatch for the GCW World Championship, and called on fans to discover their ‘love for certain things’.

He said: ‘We’re getting a lot of unique things going on if you stop and appreciate, man. Form your own opinions on certain things! It’s cool to follow forums as well, that’s always cool to be involved in a group capacity, a community of people that love this business like we do.

‘But also, find time to find your own opinion and love for certain things, and not what the crowd is always saying…

‘There’s a lot of different, unique things that are going on [in WWE] and I think it’s time as a fanbase we support and give it a little bit of time, give nourishment. Watch these plants flourish!’

*WWE NXT airs Tuesdays at 1am on BT Sport 1.

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