Hit Row is back, and Top Dolla is excited to show everyone what they can do.
Alongside Ashante “Thee” Adonis and B-Fab, Top Dolla appeared on the August 12 episode of WWE SmackDown. In doing so, they appeared on WWE TV for the first time since their releases last fall.
During an appearance on Busted Open Radio, Top Dolla was asked what it felt like to be back in WWE, and he stated that the group should never have been gone, but they have hit the ground running. He also noted that this return is like the birth of a baby, as Hit Row was released roughly nine months ago.
“Feels like we should never have been gone. It feels like we picked up right where we left off. Mark obviously is one of the people that instilled , after we got released, instilled a lot of confidence in me because he saw my ability. Guys like Mark, guys like MVP, guys like Edge, Mick Foley, Booker T, these guys would reach out to me and talk to me after we got released the first time and would just let me know that I was on the right track and that we were doing something that was special and just to keep my head down and keep grinding and you’ll get another opportunity, and that’s what we did. Nine months, we made a baby, came back, and the baby was born.”
When asked about how his return came about, Top Dolla recalled his conversations with Triple H, who told him that he didn’t know what happened during Hit Row’s previous run, but he had a clean slate now. The powerhouse looked back on how he stopped wrestling after his release, but once Triple H took over, the door opened, and he’s thankful for the opportunity that he has been given.
“In the conversations I had with Triple H, he was like, man I don’t know what happened before, and to be honest with you, I don’t care. It’s a new place. I want you to understand that you have a clean slate, there’s no hard feelings on this side, and I hope that you come with no hard feelings on your side,” he said. “To me, it was just like a breath of fresh air because it was like I was down, man. When we got released, I was like, Hit Row was hotter than anything in wrestling, period. I don’t care who you are. You can get your feelings hurt if you want to, but Hit Row was hotter than anything in wrestling, period. When we got released, I felt like I had something great and it just turned into ashes in my hand.
“It was like, it made me stop watching wrestling for the first time in my life. I’m 32 years old and I went eight months without watching wrestling at all, like nothing. I saw the last 10 minutes of the Royal Rumble, that was it. That was the only wrestling I saw for like nine months. So what killed me was, if I watched wrestling, I would just see like, man, Hit Row should be in that spot right now. That’s what we should be doing right now. It killed me, but when Hunter took over, it’s like the skies opened up and we had our conversation, and it was just amazing. I could not be more grateful. I told Triple H thank you. He probably thinks that’s the only word I know because I told him thank you like six times yesterday, like six times throughout the day.”
Top Dolla also pointed out that Triple H could have brought back any number of the talents who have been released in recent years, and he’s grateful that he picked Hit Row.
“It was just a really cool process because Hunter didn’t… there’s a million people Hunter could have brought back,” said Top Dolla. “The list is literally hundreds of people long that are talented performers that have been released in the last five-ish years that are still young and able to do these things. There’s a million people he could have brought back, but he called us, and to me, that made me feel really, not just special but like grateful. That’s why I will sing his praises to the high heavens because he didn’t have to do that.”
"When Hunter took over it's like the skies opened up."
Following the return of #HitRow on #Smackdown Friday night, @AJFrancis410 joined @TheMarkHenry and @AndreasHale to discuss the process of their return and his relationship with Triple H ? pic.twitter.com/PTvrVXMPhs
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) August 13, 2022
RELATED: Top Dolla, Ashante ‘Thee’ Adonis, And B-Fab Of Hit Row Return On 8/12 WWE SmackDown
