Top Dolla Shades WWE Rumors; Latest Buzz on Gable Steveson's Future and PPV Reveals

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

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Top Dolla Seemingly Addresses Rumors of Backstage Heat

Hit Row member Top Dolla may have responded to a recent report that he has backstage heat in WWE.

After Top Dolla and Hit Row teammate Ashante "Thee" Adonis were eliminated in mere seconds from the tag team gauntlet match on SmackDown last week, a report surfaced stating that Top Dolla was perhaps having some backstage issues.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News) said Top Dolla is "not very popular" with some people in WWE and went on to speculate that he has "some enemies on the creative team."

Top Dolla tweeted the following Tuesday, seemingly suggesting that the reports and chatter aren't getting to him:

Top Dolla, whose real name is A.J. Francis, played college football at Maryland as a defensive lineman before spending two seasons in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders.

He later transitioned into pro wrestling and debuted as part of Hit Row in NXT in 2021, but shortly after the group got called up to the main roster, every member was released.

Sans Swerve Strickland, Hit Row members Top Dolla, Adonis and B-Fab were re-signed by WWE last year, and they have been mainstays on SmackDown ever since.

Hit Row have not enjoyed much success recently, essentially serving as an enhancement team, but that is the nature of wrestling at times and doesn't necessarily have any link Top Dolla's backstage popularity.

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Steveson Reportedly Seeking WWE Approval to Return to Minnesota, Olympics

Olympic gold medal-winning heavyweight wrestler Gable Steveson made his surprise return to WWE programming Tuesday, offering to help Eddy Thorpe prepare for his upcoming match against Damon Kemp.

It marked Steveson's first televised WWE appearance since December when he celebrated Kurt Angle's birthday on SmackDown, and it was the first time he ever showed up on NXT.

According to Meltzer (h/t WrestlingInc's Ross Berman), Steveson wants to return for a final season at the University of Minnesota and compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, which Steveson has alluded to.

The issue is that Steveson reportedly has not received clearance from WWE to do so yet. A big reason why is likely the fact that he would have to step away from WWE for a significant amount of time in order to focus on the college season and preparations for the Olympics.

Steveson has already won two NCAA heavyweight national titles and took gold at the 2020 Summer Games, and winning another NCAA title and Olympic gold medal would further cement his status as an all-time great amateur wrestler.

Shortly after winning Olympic gold in 2021, Steveson signed with WWE. It seemed WWE had huge plans for him, as he showed up at WrestleMania 38 and hit Chad Gable with suplex.

Steveson's development hit a snag, though, as he underwent a heart ablation to treat Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome last year.

While Steveson has made appearances here and there, he may be starting a storyline for the first time in NXT.

Kemp is Steveson's real-life brother, so offering to help Thorpe could either be a setup for Steveson to feud with Kemp, or it could be a swerve in order to put Steveson and Kemp together.

If that happens, it is unclear how Steveson's goals of winning another NCAA title and Olympic gold medal will be impacted, although it isn't outside the realm of possibility that WWE could be willing to give him some time off after first letting him get his feet wet in the world of pro wrestling.

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WWE's Reported Strategy for Premium Live Event Announcements

WWE is reportedly taking a new approach when it comes to announcing the names, dates and locations of its premium live events.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Upton), WWE is being "strategic" about its PLE announcements, opting to announce them individually so that each show has "its own moment."

On Tuesday, Paul Heyman appeared on the Pat McAfee Show and announced that the Fastlane premium live event is returning later this year. Heyman said it will take place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The platform for the announcement was perfect since McAfee is beloved in Indianapolis after spending eight seasons as the Indianapolis Colts' punter from 2009 to 2016.

McAfee has gone on to become a hugely popular media personality since then, hosting his own successful daily show, and parlaying that into a gig with WWE.

He spent about a year as a commentator on SmackDown, and while McAfee has taken a step back from that role to pursue other interests in sports media, he is still part of the WWE family and it seems likely he will be at Fastlane in some capacity.

WWE is in the midst of a hugely successful run when it comes to ticket sales and overall interest in the product, and it is possible that its promotion and presentation of premium live events is a big reason why.

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