Former WWE Superstar Top Dolla says he would dominate in the XFL, if he decides to pursue a pro football career.
Top Dolla (AJ Francis) recently spoke with Muscle Man Malcolm about the possibility of restarting his football career. Prior to joining WWE, Francis played in the NFL from 2013-2018. The XFL returns in 2023, creating another opportunity for football players.
“I mean, let me say this, do I think that I could play in the XFL and dominate the XFL? Absolutely,” he said. “Go watch the tape. My last game in the NFL, I had six tackles as a nose guard. I would like to know the list of nose guards that have had six tackles in a game since I got out of the NFL. I guarantee you it’s not long.”
Football is a young man’s game. At 31 years old, Top Dolla knows he can’t take physical punishment like he did in his early 20’s.
“Let me just talk the actual facts of the situation. But, I’m also 31 years old and football is a young man’s game. So, could I do it? Yeah. Do I want to go back and have my body feel like when I was playing in the NFL? Not really, no.”
Unlike football players, pro wrestlers are able to wrestle into their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Top Dolla says football is a very different sport than wrestling.
“You got to realize, this is going to shock a lot of people, but wrestling ain’t real. Yeah you take bumps, and yeah, you do hurt, but compared to 40 plays against a 300-pound man who’s trying to kill me every play as I’m trying to kill him, it’s not the same. It’s not even close to the same. It’s different levels of body movement aching pain.”
Top Dolla is 6’5″ and 350 pounds. He usually wrestlers against much smaller people, which limits the abuse his body had to take.
“It was easier for me than it is for a lot of guys in the industry because a lot of guys are not my size so they got to take 15 bumps in a match,” he said. “… It was easy for me, but not everybody is that lucky because not everybody is the same size.”
Watch Top Dolla’s interview with MuscleManMalcolm here:
