Swerve Strickland Feels Triple H Missed Opportunities In WWE NXT Because Of Focus On "Core Guys"

While Swerve Strickland, then Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, would eventually achieve success in NXT, forming Hit Row and winning the NXT North American Championship in 2021, the former Killshot had already been with WWE for two years before he received a prominent push. 

Speaking about his WWE run on the Getting Over: Wrestling podcast, Swerve admitted he doesn't think Triple H truly invested in him until he had to with Hit Row. 

This was common in NXT, Strickland believes, as he noted the brand had missed opportunities because of The Game's focus on his "core guys." 

"I feel like he liked me and he respects my talent and my ability. But I don't feel like he ever truly bought in and invested until I made him have to with Hit Row. He's one of those guys like, he has those talents on the show that he knows and he's well-acquainted with and it's hard for him to deviate from those guys. When he's set on someone, he's set on them. Anybody who says that he doesn't, like, I wouldn't call it picking favourites, but if somebody says he doesn't have his core guys, you're one of the core guys. You know what I mean?" Strickland said. 

"They're like, 'What do you mean, he's great'. I'm like, 'no sh*t.' But there's a lot of like, to this day I feel like he missed out on Matt Riddle being a world champion because he was focused on core guys. I feel like there was times he missed out on a Bianca Belair because he was focused on his core girls. You know, there's a lot of missed opportunities with certain areas because he was so focused on certain people and you kind of have to because he's running a product that, on a weekly product, you kind of want to go to your go-getters. You know, your guaranteed guys."

Strickland would move to the main roster in the 2021 WWE Draft along with the rest of Hit Row but all four members of the faction ended up being released before the end of November. 

Swerve has since signed with AEW and he made his in-ring debut on last week's episode of Rampage.

H/T to Wrestling Inc.