Top Dolla, aka A.J. Francis, was a member of the group Hit Row. However, he was much more than that for the company. He was the host of WWE’s show on the A&E Network, Most Wanted Treasures. He also is a rapper who has released albums and music videos.
Mick Foley appeared on the Most Wanted Treasures show with A.J. The WWE Hall of Famer has now said that he thinks it was a mistake on WWE’s part to let go of the Hit Row member.
Foley recently appeared on The Wrestling Inc. Daily. He commented on AJ’s potential by comparing it to his own rise to stardom when the company allowed for his story to be authentic.
Foley said, “I’ll throw a name out, AJ Francis. To me, AJ was money. Big powerful guy, a wealth of charisma, he’s got a rap album out. I asked AJ if WWE took issue with some of the lyrics. AJ has got some strong opinions, he’s a proud black man he makes that case known with his lyrics. I think it’s a great album, he has an incredible knack for putting words together, great promo guy. He said, ‘I don’t even think they know I have an album.’
Foley went on to add, “My career took off when Bruce Prichard overheard me talking to Shawn Michaels about this childhood dream I had to be Dude Love. Bruce went to Vince and said, ‘this guy has a much more interesting real-life story than the one we’re featuring, the fictional story.’ So, when I did the sit-down interview with Jim Ross, that’s when things really took off for me in WWE. Because, Vince became aware of everything I had to offer. I just think if you have someone in developmental and you’re paying him and you’re looking for stars of the future and you’re not aware of all the assets they bring to the table. You’re doing a disservice to the talent and the company.”
Mick Foley continued to add on to this statement on Twitter:
Top Dolla responded to Mick on Twitter and also updated fans on how many days he had left in his non-compete clause: