5 NXT Champions who failed to win gold on the main roster
WWE NXT has earned a stigma over the past few years for their superstars that are called up. No matter what the individual accomplished during their time on the black and gold brand, Vince McMahon and the main roster had a tendency to chew them up and spit them out. It has become one of the more frustrating aspects of the company.
Despite this reputation, superstars like Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Big E have been able to take success in NXT to the main roster, winning the WWE and Universal Championships. It just seems way too often that the call-ups fail to capture who they were in developmental on Raw and SmackDown.
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Just this past month, WWE released three former champions in NXT. It has happened a few times over the past two years unfortunately. As the 2.0 era has settled in, it seems like a great time to remember the former champs who failed to win gold at the next level. In this article, let's take a look at the five NXT champions who failed to win a title on the main roster.
5) Former NXT North American Champion Isaiah Swerve Scott
After defeating Bronson Reed Tuesday night, your new NXT North American Champion is Isaiah “Swerve” Scott https://t.co/WU1aNB1R2l
Isaiah Swerve Scott put his name on the map on the independent scene, MLW and Lucha Underground. The former Shane Strickland signed with WWE in 2019 and debuted for NXT in the first Breakout Tournament. Despite losing to Cameron Grimes in the first round, Scott impressed the fans and management by becoming a mainstay of the brand over the next two years.
Isaiah Swerve Scott was used sparingly early on before finding a place in the Cruiserweight Title scene. He had a showstealer with Santos Escobar at NXT TakeOver 31, but Swerve came up short. It wasn't until he became involved in a feud with Leon Ruff that Scott started to break out. Top Dolla, B-Fab and Ashante the Adonis helped Scott pick up the win in the blowoff to this rivalry.
This was the catalyst for the creation of the Hit Row stable. The group immediately became a weekly highlight of NXT. Their hip hop styling and freestyle verses were a hit and made them widely popular with the fanbase. Isaiah Swerve Scott defeated Bronson Reed in June to win the NXT North American Championship. Hit Row was firing on all cylinders.
The faction was called up to the main roster in October and was expected to receive a huge push. However, B-Fab was released from WWE on November 4th, while the rest of the group were released 14 days later. It was tragic for a stable that has so much potential to succeed.