|
A. J. Francis
Anthony Joseph Francis (born May 7, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and former football player. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former one-time TNA Digital Media Champion and Canadian International Heavyweight Champion. He also makes appearances for its partner promotion WWE, on its NXT brand as well as performing on the independent circuit. He is best known for his previous tenures in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Top Dolla, where he was a member of Hit Row from 2020 to 2023. He also makes appearances for Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he is a member of World Titan Federation. Francis played college football for the Maryland Terrapins. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and also played for the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins. Professional football career Miami Dolphins (first stint) After going un-drafted in the 2013 NFL dr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
University Of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland. It is known as the biggest university in the state of Maryland. UMD is the largest university in Maryland and the Washington metropolitan area. Its eleven schools and colleges offer over 200 degree-granting programs, including 113 undergraduate majors, 107 master's programs, and 83 doctoral programs. UMD's athletic teams are known as the Maryland Terrapins and compete in NCAA Division I as a member of the Big Ten Conference. A member of the Association of American Universities, The University of Maryland's proximity to Washington, D.C. has resulted in many research partnerships with the federal government; faculty receive research funding and institutional support from many agencies, such as the National In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by businessman Leonard Asper. Founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, following the end of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 2001, the promotion was initially known as NWA: Total Nonstop Action (NWA-TNA) and was affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) governing body. The promotion dropped the "NWA" brand from its name in 2004, becoming Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. TNA continued to use the NWA NWA World Heavyweight Championship, World Heavyweight and NWA World Tag Team Championship, Tag Team Professional wrestling championship, championships until this agreement ended in 2007; after which, the company would create its own TNA World Championship, World Heavyweight and TNA World Tag Team Championship, World Tag Team cham ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Practice Squad
In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scout team by emulating an upcoming opponent's play style. Because the players on the practice squad are familiar with the team's plays and formations, the practice squad serves as a way to develop inexperienced players for promotion to the main roster. This is particularly important for professional gridiron football teams, which do not have formal minor league farm team affiliates to train players. In addition, it provides replacement players for the main roster when players are needed as the result of injuries or other roster moves, such as bereavement leave. National Football League History During the 1940s, Cleveland Browns coach Paul Brown invented the "taxi squad", a group of promising scouted players who did not make the roster but we ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area and has a national audience. As of 2023, the ''Post'' had 130,000 print subscribers and 2.5 million digital subscribers, both of which were the List of newspapers in the United States, third-largest among U.S. newspapers after ''The New York Times'' and ''The Wall Street Journal''. The ''Post'' was founded in 1877. In its early years, it went through several owners and struggled both financially and editorially. In 1933, financier Eugene Meyer (financier), Eugene Meyer purchased it out of bankruptcy and revived its health and reputation; this work was continued by his successors Katharine Graham, Katharine and Phil Graham, Meyer's daughter and son-in-law, respectively, who bought out several rival publications. The ''Post ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 through April 27. Eric Fisher was chosen first overall by the Kansas City Chiefs, becoming the fourth offensive tackle ever to be selected with the top pick since the first common draft in 1967. Players who attended high school in 39 of the 50 states were selected in this draft; Florida and California led with 27 draftees each. South Carolina contributed the most drafted players on a per capita basis with 13 players, or one of every 355,798 residents of the state. Among colleges, Florida State led with 11 players selected. A record 11 players from countries other than the United States were selected (Ghanaians Ezekiel Ansah and Edmund Kugbila, Tongan Star Lotulelei, German Björn Werner, Englishman Menel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pro Day
The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order relative to its record in the previous year, which means that the team with the worst record is positioned first and the Super Bowl champion is last. For teams that had the same record, their position in the draft order for each round rotates in some way amongst the teams with tied records. From this position, the team can either select a player or trade its position to another team for other draft positions, a player, or players, or any combination thereof. The round is complete when each team has either selected a player or traded its position in the draft. The first draft was held in 1936 and has been held every year since. Certain aspects of the draft, including team positioning and the number of rounds in the draft, have be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Undrafted Free Agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present but who is allowed to solicit offers from other teams. In some circumstances, the free agent's options are limited by the league's rules. Free agency was severely restricted in many sports leagues, instead clubs had a reserve clause which allowed them to retain players indefinitely. Usage Association football In professional association football, a free agent is either a player that has been released by a professional association football club and now is no longer affiliated with any league, or a player whose contract with their current club has expired and is thus free to join any other club under the terms of the Bosman ruling. Free agents do not have to be signed during the normal transfer window that is implemented in some ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and the highest professional level of American football in the world. Each NFL season begins annually with a NFL preseason, three-week preseason in August, followed by the NFL regular season, 18-week regular season, which runs from early September to early January, with each team playing 17 games and having one Bye (sports), bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, seven teams from each conference, including the four division winners and three Wild card (sports), wild card teams, advance to the NFL playoffs, playoffs, a single-elimination tournament, which culminates in the Super Bowl, played in early February ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
College Football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, first gained popularity in the United States. Like gridiron football generally, college football is most popular in the United States and Canada. While no single governing body exists for college football in the United States, most schools, especially those at the highest levels of play, are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA. In Canada, collegiate football competition is governed by U Sports for universities. The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (for colleges) governs soccer and other sports but not gridiron football. Other countries, such as Organización Nacional Estudiantil de Fútbol Americano, Mexico, American football in Japan, Japan and Korea American Football Association, South Korea, also host colle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Major League Wrestling
Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as "Hybrid Wrestling", with its roster featuring a mix of different wrestling styles. The promotion originally ran live events until 2004, with these events seen on the television series, ''MLW Underground TV''. MLW returned to promoting events in July 2017, and resumed weekly television programming with the premiere of ''MLW Fusion'' in April 2018. History Formation (2002–2004) Following the closures and acquisitions of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) by the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as the WWE) in 2001, Major League Wrestling (MLW) was founded in 2002. Shortly after its founding, the promotion spent three months moving their headquarters from Philadelphia to New York Cit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hit Row
Hit Row was an American professional wrestling stable consisting of Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, Ashante "Thee" Adonis, Top Dolla, and manager B-Fab. They performed in WWE on the NXT and SmackDown brands. After their release from WWE in November 2021, they have worked the independent circuit under the name The HitMakerZ. In August 2022, the stable returned to WWE without Scott. Top Dolla was released from the group in September 2023 due to roster cuts. In February 2024, B-Fab aligned herself with Bobby Lashley's new stable The Pride, and Ashante was announced to be forming a new tag team with Cedric Alexander, privately disbanding Hit Row. History WWE (2020-2021) NXT (2020–2021) In October 2020 at TakeOver 31, Isaiah "Swerve" Scott faced Santos Escobar for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship and during the match, Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza attempted to interfere on Escobar's behalf but were thwarted off by Ashante "Thee" Adonis, who entered to save Scott. However, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Independent Circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. Independent promotions are essentially viewed as a minor league or farm system for the larger national promotions, as wrestlers in "indie" companies (especially young wrestlers just starting their careers) are usually honing their craft with the goal of being noticed and signed by a major national promotion such as WWE, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) (which also owns Ring of Honor (ROH)), or Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in the United States, Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (which is owned by WWE) or Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre in Mexico, or New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Dragongate, All Japan Pro Wrestling, World Wonder Ring Stardom or the CyberFight promotions in Japan. It is also not uncommon for veteran wrestlers who have had past tenures w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
