Swerve Strickland On WWE Release: “I thought I was on top of the world–then, twenty-four later, I wasn’t.”

Swerve Strickland reflects on his WWE release.

Back when Hit Row had their first run with WWE, they were more than just a three member group in NXT. The original faction also featured Swerve Strickland, who had a decent run in NXT before eventually being released by the company in November of 2021.

Strickland would land on his feet after his WWE release, but that does not mean he went through it without issue.

While speaking to SI.com, Strickland explained how he reacted to his WWE release, noting that he felt on top of the world prior to his release with his main roster callup.

“I thought I was on top of the world–then, twenty-four later, I wasn’t,” said Strickland. “I had to tell my family that. That wasn’t easy. I needed time so I was not angry at myself or embarrassed, which I was for a 48-hour spell. I had to give myself a couple days to absorb it, feel it, understand it–see all the different corners and dimensions. Then I got to work.”

“I’ve always been able to reflect the negative energy back into positives,” said Strickland. “After the release, I looked for new windows to open. I flew to Los Angeles and spent 14 days there, and I reconnected with contacts.

“I had the time to get on the ground and meet people. That’s where I met [artist] Flash Garments, and we got in the studio and we made ‘Big Pressure’. Without the WWE release, I don’t make ‘Big Pressure’. I don’t go to the Grammys. I don’t meet Prophet, an incredible producer. I don’t have this epiphany to create Mogul. That’s when all of that was created.”

Swerve Strickland

Strickland is currently scheduled to face off with Bran Danielson on tonight’s AEW Dynamite with a match for the TNT Championship on the line.

Elsewhere in the interview, Swerve noted that he wanted to be the one to seal Bryan’s legacy.

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