A man of many names throughout his young career, Swerve Strickland has been an in-ring performer for over ten years now. A native of Tacoma, Washington, Scott’s father was a Sergeant in the U.S Army.
At one point, while his father was part of the military, his entire family moved to Germany, living on a U.S. military base while there. Scott lived in Germany until he was seven years old. Their family then relocated back to the United States after that.
The athlete we see today isn’t by accident. In fact, his interest in sports included track and field, basketball, and football. Each sport takes a great deal of focus, strength, and endurance.
Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott: Enlists in the U.S Reserve
Scott’s pursuit of wrestling wasn’t going to be immediate as he first decided to enlist in the U.S. reserve.
When Scott first decided to pursue a career in the ring, he did so at the age of eighteen. His early training and development began roughly eleven years ago, roughly a year before he began his in-ring career.
While he was doing this, Scott was still committed to the military. His early training was with Ground Xero Wrestling. Scott was immediately turning heads. It would be roughly three years before he would be seen on a grander scale as part of the National Wrestling Alliance.
Scott’s growth saw him first compete for some promotions in 2012. His time with the promotion remained until he left independent wrestling altogether.
His matches with some of today’s independent stars, such as Dezmond Xavier and AR Fox, stand out as matches fans first began to notice him. He expanded his growth and competed in multiple companies throughout the United States.
During his time in EVOLVE, Scott faced other notable NXT superstars such as Kassius Ohno, Matt Riddle, and Adam Cole.
Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott: A Return to Germany
What would happen next for Scott was an opportunity to go back to a place he called home for the first seven years of his life.
A few years back, Strickland competed for Westside Xtreme Wrestling in Germany. He never appeared to rest on his laurels either. A year later, Scott competed for AAA as part of TripleMania XXVI, where he teamed with former NXT talent ACH.
Throughout his time competing on the independent circuit, one promotion appeared to be the most special to him. From its inception, DEFY Wrestling was the house that Swerve built. He held the title for several years, in fact, helping to elevate its value and relevance.
When he left the company, he left it better than it began. Scott emerged as a key to the promotion’s success. They were, in fact, his hometown promotion. He was as invested in providing the fans of Washington a quality product as DEFY was as well.
He has competed for notable television programs such as Lucha Underground under the character name Killshot. The character’s role continued to evolve during his four seasons on the program. He originally competed as Lt. Jermaine Strickland, but as time passed, he went under a mask.
The Unmasking in Lucha Underground
It wasn’t until his loss to Son of Havoc where he surrendered his mask and showed his true identity.
Scott’s departure from Lucha Underground also led to other opportunities for him as well. He competed briefly for Major League Wrestling between his time in DEFY Wrestling, PCW ULTRA, EVOLVE, and Ground Zero Wrestling.
Shane ‘Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott Strickland was in the midst of a journey to get to where he is today. It wouldn’t have happened for him if it hadn’t been for his time competing in his home of Washington.
Swerving Regardless of the Place
Fans saw Swerve Strickland transition from Killshot to Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott in the WWE’s NXT brand from his time on the independent circuit. He was part of the NXT Breakout Tournament during his time on the brand.
A tournament that saw the likes of Cameron Grimes and Bronson Reed. Scott would also compete in the Dusty Rhodes classic as part of a tag team competing for the NXT Tag Team Championships. Scott was showing his versatility in singles, tag team, and multi-man matches.
Scott appeared to be on the cusp of holding a championship in the WWE. But while a title would have been nice, far greater things would appear to lie ahead for him.
Despite not winning the tournament, it was a springboard for something greater. He would spearhead a group that would created in his image, with Ashanti Thee Adonis, Top Dolla, and B-Fab creating the faction Hit Row. The group combined Strickland’s real-life love and passion for music along with a passion for wrestling.
By 2021, it was time for Hit Row to move brands, and the group did so as part of the WWE’s Smackdown Brand. Unfortunately, while the group would be advertised as part of the brand, the group didn’t officially compete on the show.
The reason is that the group didn’t have a chance to showcase their skills due to a number of talent releases. So while the group would eventually be brought back, the most important member of the group wasn’t because…
Swerve Strickland is All Elite
In March 2022, three months after his release from the WWE, Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott was no more, and neither was Shane Strickland. Swerve Strickland would join the promotion. It was always clear that Strickland had a menacing and cunning skillset.
It wouldn’t be long after joining AEW that Strickland would be paired up with Keith Lee. The duo Swerve in Our Glory would capture the AEW Tag Team titles. But it was also after the duo lost their titles that Strickland would betray his partnership and move in a direction not unlike his creation with Hit Row.
Mogul Embassy would embrace Swerve Strickland’s passion for music and wrestling but with a far darker and frightening edge. In a career that spans less than two decades behind him, the best appears yet to come for Swerve Strickland.
