Hit Row Moves To SmackDown, Austin Theory Returns To RAW In 2021 WWE Draft

Hit Row is moving to WWE SmackDown.

NXT’s breakout stable, which consists of f Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Ashante “Thee” Adonis, Top Dolla, and B-FAB, was selected by the blue brand on the first night of the 2021 WWE Draft.

Scott currently holds the NXT North American Championship; it’s unclear whether he’ll carry the championship with him on SmackDown, as the draft changes won’t kick in until October 22.

Hit Row’s rapid rise has been remarkable, as the group debuted on NXT this past May. With the stable constantly gaining momenntu around him, Scott dethroned NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed on the June 29 episode. Since then, Hit Row has remained one of the most prominent parts of NXT.

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The members of Hit Row weren’t the only NXT stars who moved to the main roster in the draft. WWE RAW selected Austin Theory, who had a brief run on RAW in 2020 before he went back to WWE NXT.

During his initial run on the red brand, Theory debuted on the March 30, 2020 episode alongside Angel Garza. He went on to become one of Seth Rollins’ “disciples”, but he disappeared from the show after the June 22 episode.

Theory resurfaced on the August 26 episode of WWE NXT, and he later aligned with Johnny Gargano. Theory was featured as a member of The Way, though he was absent for several weeks leading up to the InDex wedding. He returned for this ceremony, but it was a one-off appearance.

Theory has been competing on dark matches at SmackDown tapings in recent weeks, and he also competed on an episode of WWE Main Event.