Maxxine Dupri has had one of the more interesting upbringings in the WWE, not to mention extremely fast. It wasn’t an overnight success for Dupri to win over the fans but their support is gradually shifting.
The audience can discern hard work and seize an opportunity when they see it. Dupri had a fast upbringing but took criticism from the audience like no other, which not many can do.
Dupri never complained but made herself better in the ring. Everyone can see it, as her matches have consistently improved.
Let’s look at Maxxine Dupri’s career and see how she grew, unlike any other wrestler.
Struggle to Start
Finding Maxxine Dupri in NXT may be difficult before her WWE debut. This is because she began in NXT under the ring name Sofia Cromwell. She spent her time in NXT in 2022, working with Von Wagner and Robert Stone.
She was featured in backstage segments and accompanied Wagner to the ring.
The same year, on the July 22, 2022 edition of SmackDown, Maxxine Dupri made her main roster debut as a manager for The Maximum Male Models. She was the manager for Mace and Mansoor and worked alongside her ‘brother’ Max Dupri, now known as LA Knight.
The Maximum Male Models gimmick was easy for fans to see through. It was portrayed as purely a comedy segment, and overall, the run didn’t last long.
By May 2023, Dupri was joining the Alpha Academy and finally finding her place on the main roster. Slowly, she began transitioning from a managerial role to an in-ring performer.
Constructive Criticism
Even though Dupri struggled at the beginning of her WWE career to find a gimmick, she found one in the Alpha Academy. Dupri didn’t have her first singles match in the company until a year after her debut.
In July of 2023, Maxxine Dupri made her in-ring debut on the July 31, 2023 Raw against Valhalla, picking up her first victory.
Even though she won her first match, her first few months of wrestling in the ring were rough. Watching some of her early matches, you can see some botches or how she looks uncomfortable performing some of the moves.
It makes sense why she was struggling initially, considering that she has no wrestling background and moved up quickly to the main roster without having a televised match. Because of this, she only ever received feedback from the audience on her promos rather than her in-ring work.
There is no question that Dupri is athletic; she has a fantastic physique. But it takes more than being just an athlete to be a successful professional wrestler.
It is known that wrestling fans have no shame in expressing their opinion. Many took to social media to express their views on Dupri, some in a friendly manner, while others, not so pleasant.
However, Dupri used this to her advantage.
Improving
Going through this experience showed everyone the potential that Maxxine Dupri has. When receiving criticism from the fans, Dupri didn’t address it verbally but physically.
She never complained or lashed back at a fan on social media but improved her in-ring performance. While it is not publicized, seeing her improvements, we can imagine that she has consistently been working on her in-ring skills.
The other week on the September 2 edition of Raw, Dupri competed with Otis and Akira Tozawa against Ivy Nile and The Creed Brothers. Even though this wasn’t a singles match for Dupri, she has shown exponential growth in the few minutes she was featured in this match.
She radiates confidence and delivers her moves with more purpose rather than hesitation. Dupri looks to have a long career ahead of her, with the audience already behind her, and she is only 27 years old.
Only some people can take criticism and capitalize on it like Dupri did. This shows that not only can she grow more as a wrestler, but she is also putting in the time to do so.
Fans will fight for the wrestlers they believe in and, from what I see, they believe in Maxxine Dupri. She earned the WWE Universe’s respect by working to get better without expecting anything to get handed to her.
It will be exciting to continue to watch the evolution of Maxxine Dupri.
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