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A. J. Francis

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A. J. Francis
Francis with the Washington Redskins in 2017
Born
Anthony Joseph Francis

(1990-05-07) May 7, 1990 (age 34)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Maryland
Ring name(s)A. J. Francis
AJ Francis
Suga Bear
Top Dolla
FRAN¢[1]
Dolla
Billed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)[1]
Billed weight330 lb (150 kg)[1]
Trained byBubba Ray Dudley
D-Von Dudley[1]
DebutOctober 25, 2018[1]
American football career
No. 96, 99, 64
Position:Nose tackle
Personal information
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:337 lb (153 kg)
Career information
High school:Gonzaga College
(Washington, D.C.)
College:Maryland
Undrafted:2013
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:20
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Websiteajfrancis.me

Anthony Joseph Francis (born May 7, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and former American football player, currently performing as a freelancer – predominantly for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is the current TNA Digital Media Champion in his first reign, and holds the Canadian International Heavyweight Championship, also in his first reign.

He also makes appearances for Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he is a member of World Titan Federation, and also performs on the independent circuit. He also worked for WWE as Top Dolla as a member of the stable Hit Row.

Francis played college football at Maryland. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and also played for the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins.

Professional football career

Miami Dolphins (first stint)

After going un-drafted in the 2013 NFL Draft, Francis signed with the Miami Dolphins on April 30, 2013.[2]

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots claimed Francis off waivers on September 1, 2013.[3] He was released on September 7, only to be signed to the team's practice squad three days later.[4] Francis remained on the practice squad until being re-signed by the Dolphins in November.

Miami Dolphins (second stint)

On November 27, 2013, Francis was signed off the Patriots' practice squad.[5]

Francis was put on injured reserve on August 27, 2014.[6] On November 14, 2015, he was waived by the Dolphins.

Seattle Seahawks

On November 16, 2015, Francis was acquired off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks.[7] On November 24, he was released by the team,[8] but signed to the practice squad two days later. On November 30, 2015, he chose to be promoted to the active roster in Seattle rather than re-signing with the Dolphins to their active roster. On March 8, 2016, Francis signed his one-year exclusive-rights tender deal to return to Seattle.[9] He was waived on May 9, 2016.[10]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On May 17, 2016, Francis signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[11] He was waived by the Buccaneers on September 3, 2016.

Francis signing autographs at 2017 training camp.

Washington Redskins

On October 12, 2016, Francis signed with the Washington Redskins.[12] He was promoted to the active roster on November 29, 2016.[13] He was waived on December 10, 2016, and was re-signed back to the practice squad.[14][15] Francis signed a futures contract with the Redskins on January 2, 2017.[16]

On September 2, 2017, Francis was waived by the Redskins.[17] He was re-signed to their practice squad on October 18, 2017, and was promoted to the active roster the next day.[18][19] He was waived on October 25, 2017.[20] He was re-signed on November 21, 2017.[21]

Francis was waived on April 30, 2018.[22] After his release, Francis publicly stated he was grateful that he was no longer a part of team due to the organization's lack of appreciation for him and adding his view that the team's mascot was racist.[23][24]

New York Giants

On May 2, 2018, Francis signed with the New York Giants.[25] He was released on September 1, 2018.[26]

Professional wrestling career

WWE (2020–2021)

See also: Hit Row

Francis signed with WWE in January 2020.[27][28] Francis made his wrestling television debut on the May 4, 2021, episode of NXT where he aligned himself with Isaiah "Swerve" Scott by helping him defeat Leon Ruff in a Falls Count Anywhere match, establishing himself as a heel in the process.[29][30] The following week, Francis was introduced as Top Dolla and formed a new stable, Hit Row with Scott, Ashante "Thee" Adonis, and B-Fab.[31][32] Despite Top Dolla being drafted to SmackDown along with the rest of Hit Row as a part of the 2021 WWE Draft,[33] B-Fab was released on November 4, and the rest of Hit Row were released 15 days later due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[34]

Independent circuit (2021–2022)

Following his release from WWE, it was announced that Francis and the rest of Hit Row, minus Scott, would begin wrestling on the indies, under the team name, The HitMakerZ.

They would reunite at MCW’s Spring Break event, where Francis and Miles defeated Boom Hayden and Clay Jacobs.

At Game Changer Wrestling’s For The Culture event, Francis and Miles would lose to the team of Shane Taylor and O’Shay Edwards.

Return to WWE (2022–2023)

On the August 12, 2022, episode of SmackDown, Top Dolla made his unannounced return to WWE with Hit Row where he and Adonis (accompanied by B-Fab) defeated two local competitors.[35] On the December 16 episode of SmackDown, Top Dolla and Adonis won their first main roster championship opportunity for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship by defeating The Viking Raiders and Legado Del Fantasma in a triple threat tag team match but failed to defeat The Usos for the championship.[36][37] On the January 6, 2023 episode of SmackDown, Top Dolla was defeated by Ricochet in a Royal Rumble qualifying match. After the match, Hit Row attacked Ricochet.[38] Hit Row were drafted to the SmackDown brand in the 2023 WWE Draft.[39] On September 21, Top Dolla was again released from his WWE contract along with a host of other WWE superstars.[40]

Return to the independent circuit (2023–present)

In December 2023, Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) announced Francis' return to the promotion at Look At Me on January 26, 2024.[41][42]

At the GCW Holiday Special, Francis would attack Joey Janela. This would lead to a match between the two at Look At Me, which Janela won.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2024–present)

On January 13, 2024, Francis appeared at Hard To Kill under his real name, attacking Joe Hendry and marking his debut for Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling.[43] On March 14 episode of TNA Impact!, he would defeat Hendry with the help of Rich Swann,[44] with the duo now called First Class.[45] Francis won the TNA Digital Media Championship, his first title with TNA, during the June 6, 2024 television episode.

On the June 27, 2024 episode of Impact!, Francis became the (storyline) owner of the Canadian International Heavyweight Championship, a title that had been promoted in Canada for many years and had been retired since 1987, but revived in TNA. As the new owner of the title, Francis declared himself as the new champion, making himself a double champion in the process.[46][47]

Major League Wrestling (2024–present)

On February 17, 2024 at Burning Crush, Francis made his debut for Major League Wrestling (MLW) debut in a pre-taped vignette, calling out Alex Kane and was revealed as the newest member of the World Titan Federation. On night 2 of Intimidation Games, Francis made his MLW in-ring debut, defeating Mr. Thomas.

National Wrestling Alliance (2024)

On March 2, 2024, Francis made his debut for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) at Hard Times, defeating Bryan Idol in a no disqualification match.

Music career

On October 13, 2017, dropped a music video on his YouTube channel by the name of Olympic Gold featuring an artist by the name of J-Lew and the song is actually featured on A.J. Francis debut album by the name of "O.T.A" that has made it on ITunes / Apple Music.[48][49] On March 15, 2022, A.J. Francis was featuring in a music video by the name of Digits alongside music group Swerve City which has former Hit Row member Isaiah "Swerve" Scott in it.[50]

On March 6, 2023, Hit Row was partially fully reunited as a music video was dropped where it was musical artist Monteasy featuring A. J. Francis (aka FRAN¢ / aka Top Dolla), Rich Latta, Swerve Strickland (aka Swerve The Realest / aka Isaiah "Swerve" Scott former member) & Briana Brandy (aka B-Fab) dropped a music video by the name of Price Went Up.[51][52]

On July 21, 2023, three members of Hit Row by the names of B-Fab, Top Dolla and Ashante "Thee" Adonis dropped a freestyle single by the name of Barbie Barz.[53][54]

Other media

Other digital appearances
  • In April 2021, Francis began starring in the A&E series WWE's Most Wanted Treasures as the historical expert where he travels with WWE Legends as they search for lost memorabilia from private collectors, museums and occasionally other WWE Legends.[55]
Video games
  • Top Dolla, alongside his Hit Row members Ashante "Thee" Adonis & B-Fab (as a Manager; and probably Non-Playable), made their video game debut in WWE 2K23 as DLC characters in the Steiner Row Pack DLC bundle.[56]

Personal life

Francis speaking at an Uber event in 2015

In April 2015, Francis went viral for signing up to be an Uber driver in the off-season, while playing for the Miami Dolphins.[57]

Francis said that he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in December 2022, with his blood sugar level at 626 mg/mL.[58]

Championships and accomplishments

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Cagematch profile".
  2. ^ Prewitt, Alex (April 30, 2013). "A.J. Francis signs with Miami Dolphins, gets engaged on same day". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 7, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  3. ^ Nogle, Kevin (September 1, 2013). "AJ Francis claimed by Patriots". The Phinsider.
  4. ^ REPORT: PATS SIGN A.J. FRANCIS BACK TO PRACTICE SQUAD
  5. ^ Beasley, Adam (November 27, 2013). "Miami Dolphins sign defensive tackle A.J. Francis". MiamiHerald.com. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  6. ^ "Dolphins place three young players on IR, opening up roster spots". Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
  7. ^ "Seahawks Make Roster Moves". Seahawks.com. November 16, 2015. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  8. ^ Boyle, John (November 24, 2015). "Seahawks Re-Sign RB Bryce Brown and Promote WR B.J. Daniels from Practice Squad; Waive DT A.J. Francis and Place LB Nick Moody on IR". Seahawks.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  9. ^ Henderson, Brady. "Seahawks waive Jesse Williams; A.J. Francis signs ERFA tender". 710Sports.com. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  10. ^ "A.J. Francis". Footballdb.com. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  11. ^ Smith, Scott (May 17, 2016). "Bucs Add A.J. Francis to DT Corps". Buccaneers.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  12. ^ "10/12: Redskins Make Roster Move". Washington Football Team. October 12, 2016. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  13. ^ Czarda, Stephen (November 29, 2016). "Redskins Sign Defensive Lineman A.J. Francis To Active Roster". Washington Football Team. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  14. ^ "12/10: Redskins Make Roster Moves". Washington Football Team. December 10, 2016. Archived from the original on December 11, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  15. ^ Czarda, Stephen (December 13, 2016). "Redskins Sign Linebacker Nick Moody, Place Anthony Lanier On Injured Reserve". Washington Football Team. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017.
  16. ^ "Redskins Sign Nine To Reserve/Future Contracts". Washington Football Team. January 2, 2017. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  17. ^ "9/2: Redskins Make Roster Moves". Washington Football Team. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017.
  18. ^ "10/18: Redskins Make Roster Move". Washington Football Team. October 18, 2017. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  19. ^ Czarda, Stephen (October 19, 2017). "Redskins Place Jonathan Allen On Injured Reserve, Sign A.J. Francis To Active Roster". Washington Football Team. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  20. ^ Czarda, Stephen (October 25, 2017). "Redskins Sign Offensive Lineman Tony Bergstrom". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  21. ^ Czarda, Stephen (November 21, 2017). "Redskins Place Four On Injured Reserve, Sign Four To Active Roster". Washington Football Team. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  22. ^ Williams, Charean (April 30, 2018). "Washington cuts six players, including A.J. Francis, Montori Hughes". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  23. ^ Allen, Scott (May 3, 2018). "'So grateful that I'm out of there': Former Redskin rips team and 'racist' logo". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  24. ^ "A.J. Francis says Redskins' logo 'racist' after he joins Giants". ESPN.com. May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  25. ^ Eisen, Michael (May 2, 2018). "Giants sign veteran QB Alex Tanney, DT A.J. Francis". Giants.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018.
  26. ^ Eisen, Michael (September 1, 2018). "New York Giants announce 53-man roster". Giants.com.
  27. ^ Kelly, Omar (January 14, 2020). "Former Uber-driving Dolphins player A.J. Francis signs with WWE to become pro wrestler". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. South Florida, Florida: Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  28. ^ Melok, Bobby (January 14, 2020). "Mercedes Martinez, Jake Atlas and more report to WWE Performance Center". WWE. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2021. Anthony Francis is a 6-foot-5, 330-pounder with five years of NFL experience under his belt. The former defensive tackle played for the Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins.
  29. ^ Garretson, Jordan (May 4, 2021). "WWE NXT results, May 4, 2021: The Way dethrone Shotzi & Ember as NXT Women's Tag Team Champions in jaw-dropping Street Fight". WWE. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  30. ^ Currier, Joseph (May 4, 2021). "AJ Francis and Anthony Henry debut on NXT". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  31. ^ Garretson, Jordan (May 11, 2021). "WWE NXT results, May 11, 2021: Raquel Gonzalez, Kushida retain gold after fierce challenges". WWE. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021. Flanked by Top Dolla, Ashante "Thee" Adonis and B-FAB, Isaiah "Swerve" Scott introduced the NXT Universe to Hit Row, putting the rest of the black-and-gold brand on notice.
  32. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (May 11, 2021). "Isaiah 'Swerve' Scott Officially Introduces Hit Row On WWE NXT". Fightful. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  33. ^ Powell, Jason (October 1, 2021). "10/1 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of the first night of the WWE Draft, Belair vs. Sasha Banks, Edge returns, fallout from Extreme Rules". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  34. ^ "Eight more WWE stars released, including John Morrison and all three members of Hit Row". Wrestlingnews.co. November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  35. ^ Powell, Jason (August 12, 2022). "8/12 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Gunther vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the Intercontinental Championship, Liv Morgan and Shayna Baszler contract signing for WWE Clash at the Castle, Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah vs. Xia Li and Shotzi in a WWE Women's Tag Title tournament match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  36. ^ Miller, Gregory (December 16, 2022). "Hit Row face The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles". WWE.
  37. ^ "SmackDown results, Dec. 23, 2022: Strowman & Ricochet deck the halls with Imperium in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight". WWE. December 23, 2022.
  38. ^ Aramboles, Angel (January 6, 2023). "Hit Row turned heel during WWE Friday Night SmackDown". Wrestling News | WWE and AEW Results, Spoilers, Rumors & Scoops. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  39. ^ "SmackDown results, April 28, 2023: Find out who was drafted in Night One of the 2023 WWE Draft". WWE. April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  40. ^ Jenkins, H. (September 21, 2023). "WWE Releases Top Dolla From His Contract". Ringside News. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  41. ^ @GCWrestling_ (December 14, 2023). "*TAMPA UPDATE* Just Signed: AJ FRANCIS returns to GCW on 1/26 in TAMPA!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023 – via Twitter.
  42. ^ Tessier, Colin (December 14, 2023). "AJ Francis (Top Dolla) Announced For GCW Look At Me". Wrestlezone via Yahoo Entertainment. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  43. ^ Aguilar, Matthew (January 13, 2024). "Former WWE SmackDown Star Debuts for TNA at Hard to Kill". ComicBook.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  44. ^ Pizzazz, Manolo Has (March 16, 2024). "'Top Dolla' AJ Francis busy with charity work, making a friend in TNA, & booked for big match in MLW". Cageside Seats. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  45. ^ Pizzazz, Manolo Has (March 29, 2024). "'Top Dolla' AJ Francis has a new team name for his partnership in TNA". Cageside Seats. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  46. ^ a b "TNA iMPACT! on AXS TV Results: June 27, 2024". TNA Wrestling.com. TNA Wrestling. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  47. ^ a b Thomas, Jeremy. "AJ Francis Proclaims Himself International Heavyweight Champion On TNA Impact". 411 Mania. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  48. ^ Francis, A.J. "FRAN¢ - Olympic Gold feat. J-Lew (Official Music Video)". YouTube.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  49. ^ Francis, A.J. "FRAN¢ - O.T.A. - Videos". YouTube.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  50. ^ City Podcast, Swerve. "Swerve City - Digits feat. FRAN₵ (Official Music Video)". YouTube.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  51. ^ Unknown, Swerve City Podcast. "Monteasy - Price Went Up feat. FRAN¢, Rich Latta, Swerve The Realest & Briana Brandy (Music Video)". Www.youtube.com. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  52. ^ Unknown, SP3 (March 7, 2023). "SWERVE STRICKLAND, TOP DOLLA & B-FAB FEATURE ON NEW MONTEASY SONG 'PRICE WENT UP'". Wrestletalk.com. Retrieved March 8, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  53. ^ Brandy, Briana. "Barbie Barz X Hit Row 💕🅱️💅🏽🔝💵🅰️🅰️💕". Instagram.com. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  54. ^ Skudder, Jake. "WWE Superstars appear in Barbie-themed photoshoot ahead of movie's release". Fightfans.co.uk. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  55. ^ "Top Dolla says he's still under contract for WWE's Most Wanted Treasures, plans to return for season 2". April 21, 2022.
  56. ^ Lara, James (March 6, 2023). "WWE 2K23 Season Pass, DLC Wrestlers and Release Dates Revealed". Mp1st.com. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  57. ^ "A.J. Francis, Dolphins defensive tackle, moonlights as an Uber driver". ESPN.com. June 9, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  58. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (December 16, 2023). "AJ Francis (Top Dolla) Explains How Botched Dive Saved His Life | Fightful News". Fightful. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  59. ^ "ACW Battle Kingdom 2022 matches". cagematch.net. July 31, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  60. ^ "A.J. Francis gana el Campeonato Digital Media en las grabaciones de TNA IMPACT!". solowrestling.mundodeportivo.com. May 20, 2024.
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