Paul Heyman "used to defend" former WWE star over diss track gimmick comparisons to John Cena

A former WWE Superstar recently revealed that Paul Heyman used to have his back when people criticized and claimed that his rapping style was too similar to John Cena's.

The star in question is AJ Francis (fka Top Dolla) who was released from the company in the September 2023 round of cuts. He was a member of the Hit Row faction on the SmackDown brand, alongside B-Fab and Ashante "Thee" Adonis.

There was a significant period where Top Dolla used a diss track persona gimmick in his promos. This drew comparisons and criticisms that the 33-year-old star's rapping persona was similar to The Leader of Cenation's during his early career.

However, while speaking to Chris Van Vliet on Insight, the former WWE star argued his approach was more about showcasing his mic skills and creativity in crafting targeted insults. Francis also revealed that The Wiseman was always a big supporter of him and always defended him when others compared his rapping gimmick to John Cena's.

"The one good thing is that Paul Heyman used to stand up for me a lot. And Paul Heyman would say they can't see the difference between what John Cena and Max Caster and what you're doing. He said this is like, not comedy, but kayfabe rap. It's rap within the wrestling room. Yours is like actual, livable, breathable hip hop. And he said because of that it makes it more real," he said. (H/T: CVV)

Check out the full episode below:

Top Dolla details a recent conversation with Paul Heyman on WWE RAW

On the 11th March 2024 edition of Monday Night RAW, the former Hit Row member was present backstage. During a recent interview with Eric Bischoff on the Strictly Business podcast, Francis explained how a conversation with Triple H eventually set up his visit to the Red brand show.

The 33-year-old star also shared that The Wiseman gave him a big hug and how The Bloodline member was extremely happy to see him at WWE RAW backstage. Top Dolla said:

"Paul Heyman literally came up and gave me a hug. He said, ‘My day has been made seeing that you’re here.’ So it’s like, I know that the people there that I worked with know how talented I am and how good I am and that I should still be there, but through no fault of my own, I’m not."

Check out the full video below:

It remains to be seen if the 33-year-old star makes his way back into WWE on the Road to WrestleMania 40.