A.J. Francis, Former NFL Defensive Lineman, Teases WWE Debut (Exclusive)

A.J. Francis is ready for the next chapter in his life. The former NFL defensive lineman signed a contract with WWE in January 2020, and his experience on TV led to him being part of the new WWE show WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures. But when will he make his debut on Raw, SmackDown or NXT? PopCulture.com recently caught up with Francis, and he said he’s not sure when he’ll be seen on WWE TV — but he’ll be ready when the time comes.

“I could be on SmackDown Friday and I wouldn’t know until Thursday night,” Francis said on our PopCulture @Home series. “So you never know in this business, you never know how it’s going to work out. So hopefully soon, cause I’ve been waiting in the wings a while and there’s a lot of talented performers in this business and I think I’m one of them. So I’m waiting for my opportunity just like everybody else.”

One of the things that has helped Francis is he’s able to work closely with WWE Legends such as Mick Foley, Kane and Ric Flair because of WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures, which airs on A&E. When asked if the legends have given him advice about his career, Francis said: “All of these legends are already established and they’re already superstars and they’re already in the Hall of Fame, they don’t gain anything from the young guys, not taking the information from them. So they go out of their way to ensure that I would sit down and talk to them about the moves that I do and how I could get more out of the things I did. and simple techniques in the ring that they use that they think I could be able to implement it.”

Francis went on to say he has been able to get in the ring and train with the likes of Booker T and Sgt. Slaughter. , “It’s cool to get that hands-on experience with guys that have done everything there is to do in this business,” Francis said. Francis looks like he’s on his way to do big things in WWE after playing in the NFL for five seasons. He signed with The Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent from Maryland in 2013 and spent time with the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants and Washington Redskins (now Washington Football Team). In his career, Francis tallied 20 tackles in nine games.