Maxxine Dupri has a new home in WWE, and she has explained the heel turn that took her there.
On the July 6 episode of Monday Night Raw, The Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) put the WWE World Tag Team Championship on the line against The Vision’s Bron Breakker and Austin Theory. The finish saw The Vision’s Logan Paul distract the referee before Dupri stormed the ring and delivered a low blow to Dawkins, allowing The Vision to capture the titles.
Dupri then made her allegiance crystal clear, leaping into Theory’s arms and kissing him to confirm her place in the group. Speaking for the first time since the turn on Complex Graps, Dupri said a series of setbacks led her to prioritize herself.
“So much has changed, so much has happened in the past year, the past six months. I won my first title. I lost my first title. I lost a lot of opportunities. I wasn’t being given opportunities. I was continuing to be overlooked, but not by Austin, of course,” Dupri said. “I think I just came to a point where at some point, you have to choose yourself, and I chose me, and I did what needed to be done.”
Dupri made no secret of her admiration for Theory, framing her decision as a desire to run with the very best.
“I mean, have you seen him? The answer’s pretty clear, and I wanna be with the best of the best,” Dupri said. “You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with, and so I’m gonna surround myself with the best.”
Dupri also addressed her split from Alpha Academy, the group she had long been aligned with alongside Otis and Akira Tozawa, arguing that her loyalty was never repaid.
“It just got to a point where I had to choose me. I’ve been choosing them for years, and that hasn’t gotten me anywhere,” Dupri said. “Let’s not forget, all those times when Becky was getting disqualified and purposely doing things so that I couldn’t win the title, where were they? Were they ever ringside for me?”
Dupri ended that the choice ultimately came down to who had shown up for her.
“It’s not personal, it’s just about me choosing me, but no one has been choosing me. Literally no one, and Austin has chosen me, so I’m choosing him, and I’m choosing Maxxine,” Dupri said.
