AJ Francis Reveals Why He Chose to Stay With TNA

Francis was recently a guest on the Ariel Helwani Show. During the conversation, Helwani asked him about why his talks with AEW didn’t reach fruition. Notably, Francis was in talks with AEW president Tony Khan about potentially signing with the promotion. However, in his words, they didn’t have enough time to put forth an offer.

“No, they couldn’t because I re-signed on the last day of my TNA deal,” he said. “Because I liked where I was at. What I’m doing now in TNA, nobody else saw it a year and a half ago. I did, Tommy Dreamer did. But nobody else saw this a year and a half ago from me. I know what’s coming down the road.”

He mentioned that he was able to do everything that he wished to do with TNA. This also proved to be a major decisive factor in his decision not to proceed with his conversations with AEW.

After his release from WWE in 2023, Francis made his debut in TNA on January 13, 2024, appearing on Hard to Kill with an impressive performance against Joe Hendry. He followed his debut with an equally intriguing performance battling Nic Nemeth in December for the TNA World Championship at Final Resolution in Atlanta. He won the TNA Digital Media Championship in June from Laredo Kid and also bought the Canadian International Heavyweight Championship, thereby raising himself to the stature of a double champion.

This decision to stick with TNA was not one that was motivated by money. According to Francis, it has a lot to do with loyalty and with the respect that the promotion gives him as an athlete.

“I was making enough money from TNA, and they gave me more money too. Yeah, I could’ve probably got more elsewhere. But I’m in a good spot. I’m in a good spot on the card. I’m actually treated with respect. I’m not used as a joke. I’m used in big opportunities,” he said.

“Big Enough To Protect My b*lls”

The recent four-way ladder match saw its host of injuries. However, one could say that the one that made every man in the vicinity flinch was when Francis fell through the ladder, visibly landing on his nether regions. This, in turn, left fans concerned about the possible injuries from the fall.

Francis, however, quickly took to X with a ‘humble’ brag of sorts. He told fans that his *eggplant emoji* (nope, we aren’t getting demonetized) was big enough to protect his crown jewels.

But we’d beg to differ because unless that eggplant was forged in the chasms of Asgard, there is no way he was unscathed after that fall. Does Francis have a secret Asgardian weapon in his arsenal? Or is he trying to hide his injuries? Only time will tell.