AJ Francis isn’t letting the past stay quiet when it comes to his relationship with former Hit Row member Swerve Strickland.
Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, Francis opened up about where things stand with Strickland—and why he felt the need to speak up after things went south earlier this year. Francis insisted he’s never the one to bring Swerve up unprovoked. If the name comes up, it’s always someone else pushing the topic.
“Ask him! You won’t find any interview where I brought him up first. You won’t find one.”
He revealed they were on solid terms until a surprising shift following a specific interview from Swerve dropped. Just a week earlier, everything seemed normal.
“Yeah, we were cool—until a couple of months ago, apparently. We were cool a week before his interview came out. I saw him at Chris Bey’s benefit show, and everything was cool. This was in April—everything was fine.”
But once the interview surfaced, Francis felt he had to set the record straight.
“Then the interview came out, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m just gonna clear the record. I’mma just say what actually happened, let’s talk about what happened.’ And I haven’t talked about him since—unless somebody brings him up. It’s okay. We haven’t talked. We don’t talk.”
Francis and Strickland made a splash together in WWE’s Hit Row faction, but it’s clear their friendship has cooled off significantly. Whether the two ever hash things out remains to be seen—but for now, the door appears closed.
Do you think AJ and Swerve will ever reconcile? Or has this friendship truly run its course? Drop your thoughts below.
What do you think caused the real rift between AJ Francis and Swerve Strickland? Sound off in the comments.
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