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It is claimed that to be successful in WWE, a superstar requires not just talent but also good connections within the company. Unfortunately, 39-year-old released superstar Top Dolla allegedly had some powerful enemies in the company, which prevented him from succeeding, as per reports.
Top Dolla was initially released in 2021 along with his faction, The Hit Row. However, once Triple H took charge of the creative, he brought back Top Dolla, Ashante Adonis, and B-Fab on August 12, 2022. Unfortunately, the faction failed to make an impact on SmackDown despite being given opportunities. Dolla was released again in September 2023.
Top Dolla was known to stir up controversy on social media, which gained him notoriety. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported that the reason why Top Dolla, aka AJ Francis, failed in the company was because of making some 'powerful enemies.'
"Following the recent TNA debut of AJ Francis (fka Top Dolla), Meltzer mentioned that one of the reasons why he failed in WWE is because 'he did have some very powerful enemies' behind the scenes." (H/T Cagesideseats)
Triple H gave freedom to The Hit Row back in WWE
Francis noted in an interview with Busted Open that Triple H was the one who brought them back and had full confidence in them. Speaking to Alicia Atout, the TNA Superstar also said that he gave them room to 'breathe'' and was not controlling of their gimmicks.
"You know, Hunter just let us run and he knew what I was capable of, what we were capable of, and the cool thing for me is that like the boys and the girls in the back loved it, like, people loved working with us," Top Dolla said.
As previously noted, Top Dolla is the sole member of Hit Row released from his WWE contract this time, with B-Fab and Ashante "Thee" Adonis remaining under contract with the Stamford-based promotion. Meanwhile, Swerve Strickland is now a part of AEW, having never returned with the faction after their initial release.
