TNA Wrestling held a set of TV tapings on Saturday and Sunday from Newport, KY, where they taped upcoming episodes of their AXS TV program, which will air in the coming weeks.
This portion of tapings continues the buildup to the upcoming Slammiversary pay-per-view event in July. In a title bout, it also featured AJ Francis, formerly known as Top Dolla in WWE.
After playing as a defensive lineman in the NFL, he signed with WWE in 2020 before being paired with Hit Row in NXT the following May. The group was called up and placed on SmackDown in October 2021.
The company released Francis, Ashante “Thee” Adonis, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, and B-Fab in November 2021. They weren’t gone for long, as WWE brought back Francis, Adonis, and B-Fab for a run on SmackDown the following August. Francis was let go this past September, while Adonis and B-Fab remain signed to WWE. Francis would later join TNA Wrestling.
At the tapings, Frnacis beat Laredo Kid to win the TNA Digital Media Championship, marking his first championship reign in TNA. This also marked the end of Kid’s reign after holding it since TNA Rebellion on April 20, 2024, where he beat Crazzy Steve.
