Another round of WWE cuts took place back in September following the TKO merger, and as of yesterday the released talents officially became free agents. Matt Riddle confirmed he’s heading to MLW while Mustafa Ali was announced for several upcoming independent dates in 2024.
On Thursday night another released WWE star made their surprise return to wrestling when AJ Francis (formerly known as Top Dolla in WWE) appeared at the Game Changer Wrestling Holiday event. Francis attacked Joey Janela then removed a mask to reveal his true identity.
@AJFrancis410 has arrived at #GCWHoliday to attack Joey Janela and let him know he's a bad man!
LIVE ONLY on #TrillerTVplus ➡️ https://t.co/nvDKNilpzz pic.twitter.com/oEjv0sNuKm
— TrillerTV powered by FITE (@FiteTV) December 22, 2023
AJ Francis first signed with WWE in 2020 and he went on to make his TV debut with the NXT brand in 2021. He was called up to SmackDown as a member of Hit Row in the 2021 WWE Draft, but all four members of the group were later released in November of that same year. Francis made his surprise return to SmackDown in August of 2022 and he made infrequent appearances on the brand up until his release a few months ago.
Are you looking forward to seeing what AJ Francis does in GCW? Sound off in the comments below.
