WWE NXT's Top Dolla: Lio Rush Was Originally Meant To Be In Hit Row

When A.J. Francis originally joined NXT, he always envisioned running with a crew. Now he has that wish, as Top Dolla in Hit Row, but originally things were meant to look differently.

Talking with Austin Creed on UpUpDownDown, Francis revealed the original plans for his crew:

“I came to NXT and originally, I wanted to do the crew with [Isaiah] Swerve [Scott] and Lio Rush. Lio got released, Swerve was doing like a mad scientist gimmick so I was like, ‘Ah, maybe I should focus on myself.’ Lo and behold, Ryan Katz, one of the creative guys says, ‘Briana raps and Tehuti’s a good worker. Y’all should work together.’ So then the three of us started working and for a year, we were doing backstage promos and vignettes and having tag team matches and all types of stuff and then in the process, I get the WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures gig to host the TV show.

“Two days after the show debuts, Hunter comes up to me and Swerve and says, ‘Hey, would you have a problem with Swerve being part of the crew?’ And I was like, ‘Nah, that’s great. Swerve raps’ and he don’t know that in my mind, Swerve was gonna be it in when I first got here anyway, you know what I’m saying? So I’m like yeah, this is great. So then lo and behold, he’s already doing the storyline with Leon Ruff which ends up with me catching him off the ladder and giving him my finisher off the barricade and the rest is history.”

H/T: POST Wrestling