AJ Francis Signs New Contract With TNA Wrestling

– Per a report from Sports Illustrated’s The Takedown and Steven Muelhausen, wrestler AJ Francis has re-upped with TNA Wrestling. Francis reportedly signed a new contract to stay under the TNA banner. Terms of the deal are currently unknown.

AJ Francis joined TNA at Hard to Kill, the first pay-per-view event under the relaunch of the TNA brand. The former TNA Digital Media Champion also spoke to The Takedown to discuss his decision to remain in TNA. Below are some highlights:

Francis on why he made the decision to re-up with TNA: “TNA has taken care of me over the last year. A year ago, I wasn’t the most sought after free agent. A year ago, people thought I wasn’t going to wrestle anymore. A year ago, people thought that my wrestling career might be done. And a year ago, TNA took me in for their very first show, Hard To Kill in (Las) Vegas. That was the very first night that I interacted with Joe Hendry. One year later, Joe Hendry’s the biggest star in wrestling. He can still send me a box of cigars for that whenever he wants.

“It’s been a blessing with the fact that TNA has done so much for me in the last year. Obviously, this is a business. It’s not called the wrestling friendship. It’s called the wrestling business. I always wanted to go back to TNA. Even though over the past week, I’ve made it clear that I could go anywhere. There were feelers out for me potentially going over to AEW, maybe going back to NXT because I never really got a run in NXT, maybe go back to SmackDown. Obviously going to Netflix for Raw would have been cool too. But there was a lot of options out on the table for me. TNA just feels like the best place for me. TNA has always since the day that I got there changed people’s perception of me. My last match in TNA was for the TNA World Title, an absolute banger of a match in the main event of Final Resolution against Nic Nemeth.”

On changing fans’ perception of him: “I always knew I was a main eventer. Me not getting the opportunity to to be a main eventer everywhere I went was a travesty of justice. I always knew I was this good. People think that I got better as a wrestler this year, but I’m using all the same moves that I used in 2019 when I first started wrestling. I’m using the same running knee. I’m using the same spear. I’m using the same chokeslam. I’m just doing it with more time. You know, I had a 20-minute main event title match versus Nic Nemeth. It was my longest singles match that I’ve had, and it was my first title match that I had for the world title in any company. And went out and put on an absolute banger. It wasn’t a lack of ability. It was a lack of opportunity.”

AJ Francis on the discourse when he joined TNA: “It’s funny because a year ago when it was announced I was coming to TNA, the discourse by TNA fans was, ‘Why is he coming? We don’t need him. What’s he doing here’? And then over the last week, when I was out here saying I might be leaving, it became, please come back to TNA. We love you at TNA. It’s been great the TNA. So it’s funny, what a year could change. A year can change everything. There was never anything that made me want to leave TNA. It’s just a business, and I must do what’s best for me. And luckily, we were able to come to terms. And it works great for both sides. I love the fact that this company is growing. Just got a television deal in Canada. Trying to get a major television deal in the United States. If I had gone to AEW or WWE, even though I would be coming off the best year of my career, I would have to start over. I’m not saying start over at the bottom, but I’d have to start over from scratch. My last match was for the TNA World Title in the main event. I’m a main eventer. Coming back to TNA a year ago, I was a promo on the pre-show my first, time showing up at TNA. Now, I’m a bona fide main eventer. So imagine what we can do this year in 2025, a new TV deal in Canada, and unfortunately, Joe Hendry’s hotter than ever.”