Getting booted out of the WWE can be a harrowing experience for a talent, and Top Dolla, aka AJ Francis, recently revealed how he reacted to the news in September.
Unfortunately for the former NXT star, his release earlier this year was the second time he was shown the door by WWE, and as revealed during an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, he was initially pretty angry about the company's decision.
Having joined WWE in 2020 after a career in the NFL, Top Dolla worked very hard to accomplish his dream of being a top wrestling talent. AJ Francis recalled the day of his WWE firing and how he was annoyed that the promotion let go of him despite how much effort he'd put into his work.
AJ revealed that he and former Hit Row stablemate Tehuti Miles would go to the Performance Center and train during the time of the day when the world-class training facility was empty.
When he was informed about his release, Francis' first reaction was rage, and he disclosed how he exactly felt below:
"The day that I was released in September, I was like, furious! I was like, 'Are you f**king kidding me?' Like, after everything that I've done, after all the hard work I've put in, all the times I was the only person in the ring before SmackDown doing anything. Me and Tehuti (Miles) went to the Performance Center one day on a Monday and it was just me and him. Just me and him, doing drills, just us two. All the times I worked my a** off, that's how you feel? Cool." [02:55 - 03:31]
AJ Francis got over his frustrations of getting released from WWE within 24 hours
There is something about motivated individuals that ensures nothing dampens their spirits.
While getting cut from the WWE was a development AJ Francis was ready for, he gave himself a day to be angry before he ultimately moved on.
AJ knew that wallowing in self-pity and fury wasn't the way forward and wasted no time setting the stage for what was following in his career. The 33-year-old star is now free and is getting bookings and chances in the wrestling space at a record pace, as he noted below:
"Twenty-four hours I allowed myself to be pissed off, and after that, it was, alright, you don't want me; I'm going to show you how much you don't want me. Right? So, now, I'm at the point where I can do anything that I want, whenever I want, and I'm getting a lot of opportunities." [03:32 - 03:47]
From appearing in high-profile settings to crashing indie wrestling shows, Top Dolla is one of the recently released stars who seem incredibly focused on making WWE regret their decision. Whether he makes his way back into the company again is to be seen, but every fan needs to keep their eyes on Dolla and his next move.
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