A.J. Francis entered Major League Wrestling (MLW) and immediately set his sights on Alex Kane and the Bomaye Fight Club in hopes of sowing dissent and becoming the group’s new leader.
Francis busted onto the MLW scene and immediately called out Kane. He defeated one of Kane’s closest confidants in Mr. Thomas at MLW’s “Once Upon A Time in New York City” and now will face the former MLW Heavyweight Champion at “MLW War Chamber” in Tampa, Florida, on Friday.
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A.J. Francis, right, defeated Mr. Thomas in his first Major League Wrestling match. (MLW)
The former WWE star told Fox News Digital that his rivalry with Kane is inspired by the “Black Panther,” as the two alpha dogs battle for control of an integral group in MLW.
“I’m coming in as the outsider who is trying to make his claim for the throne. And so far, I’ve already sown dissension in his ranks and beaten his top right-hand man Mr. Thomas,” he explained. “I’ve already started to lay the groundwork for the hostile takeover of Bomaye.”
Francis said the two have bounced ideas off each other about how the match should go, but once he takes over, “they’ll actually have a leader that can give them exposure to the level that they deserve.”
He shared with Fox News Digital some of his plans for when he does take control of Bomaye – and it starts with beating Kane first.
Alex Kane carries the MLW World Heavyweight Championship. (MLW)
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“First things first, I’m going to beat Alex Kane,” he said. “Just like in ‘Black Panther,’ you got to beat the king to be the king. And after I beat Alex Kane, I think having a faction like Bomaye at my back in MLW and just in general will save me from a lot of snakes in the grass.
“I always have backup. I always have people that are not only working toward the betterment of our group but my personal benefit. It’s a very representative group and a very representative team. And I’m very much looking forward to taking over.”
Francis also teased possible additions to Bomaye.
“You know, I could bring anybody. I could bring Rich Homie Swann from TNA. I could bring old friends that I’ve worked with for years back when I was in that big three-letter company in the sky (WWE). I could bring endless people.
A.J. Francis slams Mr. Thomas in a match. (MLW)
“The good thing about working at MLW is if (MLW founder Court Bauer) likes the idea, he’s all for it. And I have a bunch of really good ideas.”
Francis and Kane’s match is far from the only one on the card.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling World TV Champion Matt Riddle will defend his title against Kosei Fujita, while Janai Kai and Unagi Sayaka will battle for the World Featherweight Championship.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.