Zilla Fatu is already chasing the NXT Championship, but WWE wasn’t the only place he could have ended up. Before Fatu joined NXT, AJ Francis was actively trying to bring him into TNA.
While speaking on The WHIP Show Podcast, Francis was discussing the work he does behind the scenes to bring talent into TNA. When Mustafa Ali’s own efforts came up, Francis made it clear Ali isn’t the only wrestler pitching names to the company: Fatu was one of his.
“Ali ain’t the only person that’s been pitching people to TNA. I tried to get Zilla Fatu to come to TNA. I tried to get Zayda Steel to come to TNA.”
Francis didn’t explain how far those conversations surrounding Fatu went or why nothing ultimately came together. He did, however, make it clear that recruiting talent is something he’s been doing beyond his own work on television. Mila Grace was another wrestler he tried to pitch, although that one came with a pretty funny problem: TNA had already beaten him to it.
“I mean, I didn’t even know when Mila Grace was signed to TNA that she was already signed to TNA. I pitched her to TNA. I do a lot of stuff trying to bring talent to TNA.”
Fatu eventually went in a completely different direction. WWE brought him into NXT, where the plan was always to let him develop rather than immediately throwing another member of the Anoa’i family into a main-roster Bloodline story.
Fatu crashed the NXT Championship No. 1 Contender’s Match between Cruz Montana and Grayson Waller on the August 11 edition of NXT, dropped Montana with a Samoan Drop and got the match thrown out. Now he’s already headed toward an NXT Championship Fatal Four-Way at Heatwave next week.
That’s a pretty different destination from the one Francis was trying to arrange. Before Zilla Fatu was wrecking people in NXT and immediately getting himself into the championship picture, AJ Francis wanted him on the TNA roster instead.
Do you think TNA would have been a better first destination for Zilla Fatu, or was going directly to WWE NXT the right move? Let us know in the comments below.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
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