WWE released popular group shortly after Vince McMahon said "the plans are to get you guys over"
Hit Row member AJ Francis, also known as Top Dolla, has revealed that Vince McMahon initially wanted the group to “get over” on WWE SmackDown.
Francis formed the faction alongside Ashante “Thee” Adonis, Briana Brandy (B-Fab), and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott in May 2021. Five months later, the four-person group moved from NXT to SmackDown as part of the 2021 WWE Draft.
Speaking on Casual Conversations, Francis said McMahon did not have any specific long-term ideas in mind for Hit Row on the blue brand:
“It [WWE’s plans] was literally when I asked Vince, I said, ‘What are the plans for us?’ He said, ‘The plans are to get you guys over.’ All right, cool, that’s cool. I’m down with that. But to be like, ‘You guys are working towards a feud with The New Day.’ No, they didn’t [promise a New Day feud].” [1:02:48-1:03:04]
Francis and Scott defeated Daniel Williams and Dustin Lawyer on the October 22, 2021 episode of SmackDown in Hit Row’s only main-roster match. Brandy received her release on November 4, while the other three Hit Row members were let go by WWE on November 19.
AJ Francis’ relationship with Vince McMahon
#HitRow has arrived to #SmackDown 💸 https://t.co/PjQWTfAnak
Many past and present superstars have mentioned in media interviews how it is important to form a relationship with Vince McMahon.
Due to his short amount of time on the SmackDown roster, AJ Francis added that he rarely spoke to the WWE Chairman:
“To be honest, to say that I had a relationship with Vince would be a lie. I really only talked to him three times ever. All three times that I talked to him it went great. We had no problems. There wasn’t really any issues. It was just he’s running a billion dollar corporation, so his time with people is limited.” [1:03:09-1:03:33]
Francis presented A&E show WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures before he debuted as an in-ring competitor in NXT. The former football player is contracted to host more episodes of the show, but he is not sure if he will be needed.
Please credit Casual Conversations and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.