First Class (professional wrestling)
| First Class | |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Members | A. J. Francis KC Navarro |
| Name | First Class |
| Former member | Rich Swann |
| Debut | March 14, 2024 |
| Years active | 2024–present |
First Class, stylized as Fir$t Cla$$, is a villainous professional wrestling tag team that performs in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). The tag team consists of A. J. Francis and KC Navarro. It originally included Rich Swann who was replaced by Navarro.
History
[edit]On January 13, 2024, Francis appeared at Hard To Kill under his real name, attacking Joe Hendry and marking his debut for Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling.[1] On March 14 episode of TNA Impact!, he would defeat Hendry with the help of Rich Swann,[2] with the latter turning heel and the duo dubbed themselves First Class (stylized as Fir$t Cla$$).[3] On the June 6 episode of Impact! 20th Anniversary Show, Francis won the TNA Digital Media Championship from Laredo Kid, his first title win in TNA.[4]
On the June 15 taping of TNA Impact! (aired on tape delay on June 27), Francis (in kayfabe) bought the Canadian International Heavyweight Championship, a title that was promoted in Canada for many years and had been retired since 1987. As the new owner of the title, Francis declared himself as its new champion, making himself a double champion in the process.[5][6] At Slammiversary on July 20, Francis lost the TNA Digital Media Championship and the International Heavyweight Wrestling Championship to PCO in a Montreal Street Fight, ending his reign as TNA Digital Media Champion at 62 days and his reign as Canadian International Heavyweight Champion at 35 days.[7]
On August 21, it was reported that TNA suspended Swann after his arrest for disorderly intoxication and entered into rehab.[8] Navarro would officially align himself with Francis on August 30, 2024 at Emergence joining the First Cla$$ faction replacing Swann[9] to challenge ABC (Ace Austin and Chris Bey) in a losing effort for the TNA World Tag Team Championship.[10]
First Class made their NXT debut on the June 3, 2025 episode of NXT where Francis and Navarro would interfere in the match between Mike Santana and Trick Williams by attacking Santana, helping Williams to retain his TNA World Championship.[11]
Members
[edit]Current
[edit]| Member | Tenure |
|---|---|
| A. J. Francis | March 14, 2024 – present |
| KC Navarro | August 30, 2024 – present |
Former
[edit]| Member | Joined | Left |
|---|---|---|
| Rich Swann | March 14, 2024 | August 21, 2024 |
Championships and accomplishments
[edit]- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- TNA Digital Media Championship (1 time)[4] – Francis
- Canadian International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[5][6] – Francis
References
[edit]- ^ Aguilar, Matthew (January 13, 2024). "Former WWE SmackDown Star Debuts for TNA at Hard to Kill". ComicBook.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- ^ Pizzazz, Manolo Has (March 16, 2024). "'Top Dolla' AJ Francis busy with charity work, making a friend in TNA, & booked for big match in MLW". Cageside Seats. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ Pizzazz, Manolo Has (March 29, 2024). "'Top Dolla' AJ Francis has a new team name for his partnership in TNA". Cageside Seats. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ a b "A.J. Francis gana el Campeonato Digital Media en las grabaciones de TNA IMPACT!". solowrestling.mundodeportivo.com. May 20, 2024.
- ^ a b "TNA iMPACT! on AXS TV Results: June 27, 2024". TNA Wrestling.com. TNA Wrestling. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ a b Thomas, Jeremy. "AJ Francis Proclaims Himself International Heavyweight Champion On TNA Impact". 411 Mania. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ Powell, Jason (July 20, 2024). "TNA Slammiversary results: Powell's live review of Moose vs. Joe Hendry vs. Josh Alexander vs. Nic Nemeth vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Steve Maclin in an elimination match for the TNA Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ Thurston, Brandon (August 21, 2024). "Rich Swann entering rehab after second disorderly intoxication arrest since 2022". POST Wrestling. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ Clark, Ryan (August 31, 2024). "KC Navarro Replaces Rich Swann In AJ Francis' 'First Class' Faction, TNA Impact Lineup". eWrestlingNews.com.
- ^ Sinclair, Andrew (September 1, 2024). "TNA Emergence 2024 (August 30) Results & Review". Voices of Wrestling.
- ^ https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/aj-francis-kc-navarro-cost-mike-santana-tna-world-title-match-wwe-nxt