Hit Row member had backstage heat in WWE, Vince McMahon saw him as "the star of the group" - Reports
Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, Top Dolla, and Ashante "Thee" Adonis were among the eight WWE superstars released by the company during the latest round of budget cuts.
In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Top Dolla had backstage heat in WWE as he rubbed some people the wrong way in NXT. The Hit Row member reportedly gained a similar reputation on the main roster, where Vince McMahon was a fan of his look.
Meltzer stated that McMahon saw A.J. Francis as a possible breakout star from the faction due to his size.
"While he came across well on television, he rubbed a ton of people the wrong way in NXT and was getting the same reputation on the main roster. He was the one Vince McMahon saw as the star of the group because of his size," revealed Meltzer in the Newsletter.
It was noted that WWE officials would have had no use in keeping Isaiah Scott and Ashante Adonis on their books after deciding to release Top Dolla.
While Isaiah Scott, aka Shane Strickland, was the most polished talent in the stable, Meltzer stated that the former NXT North American Champion was not WWE's "type" as the company looked to push bigger wrestlers.
"Once they decided to get rid of him, the other two likely were caught in the crossfire. Miles really wasn't going to do anything on the main roster without the group. Strickland is not their type as they are looking for bigger guys, and Francis not being with them pretty much doomed them," Meltzer added.
BREAKING NEWS- HIT ROW & MULTIPLE OTHER SUPERSTARS RELEASED twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…
What's next for the Hit Row members after their WWE release?
Swerve, Top Dolla, and Adonis will see out their 90-day non-compete clauses before entertaining offers from other companies. Isaiah Scott, in particular, should attract a lot of attention as he was a well-known independent wrestling star before signing with WWE.
Scott even reacted to his WWE departure by posting lyrics of a song on Twitter, which you can check out here.
Top Dolla also issued a statement and confirmed that he would be back in action after 90 days:
"See y'all in 90 days. #BudgetCuts We Made Something Special, and Now We Get To Again #TheCrew Ok hand @swerveconfident @TheeAdonisWWE @TheVibeBri My 3rd Album Drops 12/3 on All Streaming Platforms"
See y’all in 90 days. #BudgetCuts
We Made Something Special and Now We Get To Again #TheCrew 👌🏽 @swerveconfident @TheeAdonisWWE @TheVibeBri
My 3rd Album Drops 12/3 on
All Streaming Platforms https://t.co/4cWfmPSaQm
Hit Row was on the verge of a significant push on SmackDown before their release, and it will be interesting to see where each member lands in three months.