With the latest batch of free agents now clear from their WWE ‘non-compete’ clauses, we are in for an exciting few days. One man who has been making moves is Isiah ‘Swerve’ Scott, who has already set up matches for Defy Wrestling & Progress Wrestling. However, his first contact with a major promotion came when Swerve would answer Jay White’s open challenge at the latest NJPW Strong tapings.
Isiah Swerve Scott Refuses To Join Bullet Club
During an event dubbed ‘NJPW Rivals’, the leader of Bullet Club had called for an open challenge. Jay White has been doing this commonly, having previously had Christopher Daniels and Jay Lethal step up. This time, he wanted a free agent to challenge him – and Swerve was up to the challenge.
Now going under the ringname SW3RVE Strickland, he would be unsuccessful in his challenge against Jay White. He would also turn down an offer to join BULLET CLUB. SW3RVE has been teased for an AEW debut, and will potentially be the third member of the House of Black faction, joining Brody King and Malakai Black.
Shane Haste & Mascara Dorado Are Back In NJPW
At these same tapings, we’d also see two names return to NJPW. First was Mascara Dorado, who was last seen in NJPW in 2016. He wrestled under the name Gran Metalik in WWE, and is still considered to be one of the top luchadors in professional wrestling. Dorado is going to be a star in the Junior Heavyweight division if he focuses on NJPW 100% – but is likely to split his attention between Mexico, NJPW and various indies like GCW.
Shane Haste also made his NJPW return, aligning with JONAH and Bad Dude Tito. Known as Shane Thorne or SLAPJACK in WWE, he was previously a core member of The Mighty Don’t Kneel faction with JONAH, with CHAOS member Mikey Nicolas also being a former member. Mikey has stated that reuniting with Shane is one of his hopes going forward – and they’d be a huge asset for NJPW’s tag team division.
Do you see SW3RVE Strickland signing with NJPW? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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