Former WWE star AJ Francis has criticized WWE and the treatment of stars like Karrion Kross and Ashante Adonis.
Kross andAdonis recently departed WWE after their deals weren't renewed, and while Kross has been the focal point of attention, Francis wants to shine a light on his former Hit Row partner.
"You know, there's a million people that are talking about Karrion Kross. I'd rather talk about Ashante 'Thee' Adonis, [aka] Tehuti Miles. He is the most underrated, underappreciated performer, I think, that I've ever been around," said the TNA star on "Busted Open."
Francis revealed that Adonis was also not offered a deal, and touched upon Kross's revelation that WWE offered him a deal but told him that it would expire in 24 hours. He feels that isn't the right way to do business. He also explained that WWE doesn't like stars getting over organically, which he believes may have contributed to Kross's downfall.
"He also was just told they were going to bring him back. They didn't really offer him. They didn't really say, you got 24 hours. That is a crazy business tactic. You can't even negotiate or do anything about that because it's like, 'Okay, alright, you take this or you can leave.' But I feel like we're just at a point where, in this business, for some reason, and I don't know why, but for some reason, you can't have the people support you when it's not your time. And I felt like the same thing happened when I was in Hit Row. When we were in Hit Row, especially on 'NXT,' we were the hottest thing on the show. And I think, for some reason, getting over when it's not your time rubs people the wrong way."
Francis doesn't understand the logic, as he believes pro wrestling is all about getting people invested in a wrestler's character. He added that Kross was underutilized and expressed sympathy for him, noting that he, too, went through a similar ordeal as part of Hit Row.
