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Former WWE Superstar AJ Francis (fka Top Dolla) has given his thoughts on WWE's new Next In Line program. The Next In Line program looks to find the next crop of WWE's wrestling stars from outside the world of professional wrestling.
Through the NIL program, WWE will scout college-level athletic talent as they graduate from their respective universities and teach them the wrestling business from within the company system. It's a stark contrast from WWE's developmental policy for most of the 2010s, which was to hire independent wrestling talent with notoriety or name value.
A former pupil of WWE's developmental system, AJ Francis gave his thoughts on the new program during a recent interview with Eric Bischoff and Jon Alba. On the Strictly Business podcast, Francis said he loved the idea of the initiative, but wishes it would've been an option for him when he first signed for WWE.
He also noted that future talent should have promo skills, because that's where the real money is made in wrestling:
"The guys that make money are the ones that are wizards with the wand. So are these athletes going to be able to do that part is the part that matters to be. Because you can be the best athlete in the world. You can be the best wrestler in the world. But if you can’t talk on the mic, you’re just a placeholder till the next guy shows up," he said. (H/T: WrestleZone)
What else has AJ Francis (Top Dolla) gotten up to in WWE?
As well as being a member of the Hit Row faction on NXT and SmackDown, AJ Francis had another role in WWE.
Francis is the host of WWE Most Wanted Treasures, a reality TV series airing on A&E where wrestling personalities travel the United States in search of memorabilia.
The series was renewed for a second run of 24 episodes in March 2022, with Francis confirming that he will return as host.
It will be interesting to see if Top Dolla will return to the reality series, or if WWE will replace him given his release. You can read more about Hit Row by clicking here.
