‘Top Dolla’ AJ Francis re-signs with TNA as a bona fide main eventer

“Top Dolla” AJ Francis has re-signed with TNA.

What a difference a year makes. Francis started his TNA career in a pre-show promo in January. By the time December rolled around, Top Dolla was in the main event challenging for the TNA World Championship.

The contract news was first reported by Steven Muelhausen of The Takedown on SI. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Francis explained his reasons for re-signing in an interview with The Takedown.

Francis: “It’s been a blessing with the fact that TNA has done so much for me in the last year. Obviously, this is a business. It’s not called the wrestling friendship. It’s called the wrestling business. I always wanted to go back to TNA. Even though over the past week, I’ve made it clear that I could go anywhere. There were feelers out for me potentially going over to AEW, maybe going back to NXT because I never really got a run in NXT, maybe go back to SmackDown. Obviously going to Netflix for Raw would have been cool too. But there was a lot of options out on the table for me. TNA just feels like the best place for me. TNA has always since the day that I got there changed people’s perception of me. My last match in TNA was for the TNA World Title, an absolute banger of a match in the main event of Final Resolution against Nic Nemeth.”

“TNA, in one year, took me from someone that people pretended couldn’t wrestle to a bona fide main eventer to the best big man in the business. If TNA could do that in one year, imagine what they could do in another year where I start the year as a bona fide main eventer. I’m very much happy with the decision to take my talents back to TNA.”

Francis has goals of gold for 2025. Top Dolla became a double champion, aka Dolla Two Belts, in 2024 with the TNA Digital Media Championship and the International Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. Moving forward, Francis wants to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship with KC Navarro. First Class can be a legit duo in the model of power big and speedy small. When Francis debuted in TNA, he was interrupted by Joe Hendry, which turned into a feud. If Hendry is able to win the TNA World Championship, then that rivalry could come full circle with Francis aiming to take the title from Hendry. Dolla even had fighting words for X-Division champion Moose in a potential clash of the titans.

Francis: “And if Moose don’t act right, I’m going to take the X Division title from him, because it’s not I don’t like what Moose is doing. Moose keeps bullying these little boys, Moose keeps picking on these guys that are 175 pounds when they got two bricks in their pockets, right? He needs to fight a real man. Somebody his size. Moose knows that when we were in the NFL, he couldn’t block me then, and he knows that if we had a wrestling match, he can’t beat me now.”

No matter what happens with Francis in 2025, there is one thing nobody can take from him. Top Dolla is still the Cheez-It champion.

In my opinion, sticking with TNA is the right move for Francis. Dolla calling himself a bona fide main eventer fits his arrogant character, but it is not hyperbole in a TNA ring. Francis possesses a charismatic aura in the Impact Zone. He has a legit shot at becoming a credible world champion. There is work still to be done to reach that level, but he has moved well past the days as a punchline.

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