Report: Former Talents Being Brought Back For WWE SmackDown

Two former WWE talents look set to return to the company. 

PWInsider first reported before Fightful Select confirmed that Top Dolla (AKA AJ Francis) and Ashante Thee Adonis are planned to be at tonight's SmackDown taping in Raleigh, North Carolina. If they will appear on the show has not been confirmed but they are slated to at least be backstage. 

Several former WWE Superstars have been brought back to the company since Triple H took over as head of creative in late July. Dakota Kai made her return to the company at the July 30 SummerSlam pay-per-view and Karrion Kross, Scarlett, and Dexter Lumis have since appeared on Friday Night SmackDown or Monday Night Raw, with Kross even being pushed straight to the main event picture. 

Adonis and Top Dolla were previously together in Hit Row in 2021 with B-Fab and Swerve Strickland. PWInsider noted there is no word on if B-Fab is also returning to the company. Strickland is currently under contract with AEW and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team Champions with Keith Lee. 

Hit Row were a popular stable on WWE NXT and they were called up to the main roster in the 2021 WWE Draft. They were cut soon after, though, and all of Hit Row had been released by November. 

The group without Strickland have reunited on the independents twice, performing as The HitMakerZ over WrestleMania 38 weekend.