Isaiah 'Swerve' Scott On Music Influencing His Ring Name, His History In The Military

With a standout presence in the NXT Cruiserweight division, Isaiah "Swerve" Scott enjoys the freedom to express his love for music and wrestling with his high flying offense. In his interview, this week on WWE's The Bump, the "Swerve City" host explained how meaningful music and wrestling have on his overall career.

"Music and wrestling have always gone hand in hand with me. It always comes full circle for me," Isaiah Scott mentioned. "I've always based my look, my swag, my style, my being – it's all based around music. I used to watch music videos and wrestling at the same time, and I asked myself, 'How do I put these two things together?' That's where 'Swerve' came from – GOOD Music [and it's produced song] 'Mercy.' I'm just glad to bring those two worlds together."

In April of 2019, Scott joined fellow indie rivals Kushida and Angel Garza as part of the newest performers in WWE. He said the moment he saw these two, he was excited about what kinds of matches he could have with them each.

"Honestly, it was fun. It wasn't as much pressure. I was like, 'Ah man, I've performed with these guys before,'" he indicated. "I've wrestled Kushida in Ireland, and I've wrestled Garza in Chicago before, so we knew each other coming in. It was like, 'Hey, you're here? Hey, you're here? Well this is going to be entertaining!' I don't feel pressure as much anymore. Instead, I feel the excitement, drive, and motivation to go out there with my cohorts."

Scott got his opportunity just last year to face Garza during the pre-show of NXT TakeOver: WarGames. He mentioned that his goal that night was to impress the higher up's in NXT.

"I was ready for it. I don't look at opportunities now, especially opportunities like this as, 'Oh man, this is my chance, this is my opportunity.' Moments like this, I think, 'Yeah, I can do this,'" he stated. "I want to look management in the eye and be like, 'Yeah, you picked the right guy for this.' Then, I want to go back and go, 'I told you.'

"Of course, I'm very fortunate of the opportunity. I want to work hard and bring those opportunities, but I want the staff and management to know that, without a shadow of a doubt, they're going to get exactly what they asked from me while also exceeding those expectations."

At NXT TakeOver: 31, Scott wanted to continue his momentum by challenging Santos Escobar for his NXT Cruiserweight Championship. Although he came up short, his new goal is to climb the ranks one-by-one to gain higher title opportunities.

"Once again, Escobar is someone I've faced all around the world, so we have a rapport with each other," he added. "Once again, this was a moment to prove to management how big this opportunity was for me. I always feel like there's something higher to achieve – that's what keeps me going. Yes, I didn't win that match, but I knew that the next time, I am winning. I always want more; the ceiling is high but I'm going to keep climbing and climbing."

The aerialist admits that not only does music play a profound part in his hybrid style, but it's also his background in the United States Army Reserve that gives him the tools to proceed through the trials associated with trying to be a face that stands out in a sea of top-tier talents in WWE.

"At this point, I don't look to wrestling as much as influences anymore," he admitted. "At one point, I did like [Johnny] Gargano; we matched a lot of our bodies to do the same things. Ricochet is another one. I'd say Aleister [Black], [Kyle] O'Reilly, these are guys I came up with. I'd say, now, I look elsewhere, like on Instagram, YouTube and the media. Stuff like that. They also stem from my military Combatives Course back when I was 18 or 19, fighting in sand pits in the military. I take all of these things and I grasp all of them together."

You can watch Isaiah Scott's full interview here. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE's The Bump with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.