WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Maxxine Dupri recently shared a candid recollection of her in-ring debut match on Monday Night Raw, admitting that she was so nervous she “completely blacked out”.
Dupri, who was best known for her vocal character work before WWE, entered the ring for the first time on the July 3rd episode of Raw as a part of the Alpha Academy with Chad Gable and Otis. Since that time, Dupri has gained significant experience and has now achieved championship gold, defeating Becky Lynch to crown herself the reigning Women’s Intercontinental Champion.
The Shock of a First Match on Live Television
Dupri confessed that the match felt like a terrifying plunge into the deep end, especially given her background and lack of prior in-ring experience compared to most of the WWE locker room. Her first match in front of a live audience was on the flagship show of WWE. Dupri noted that the perception that her character was simply pretending not to know how to wrestle was an honor she often encountered from WWE fans. Speaking to Huge Pop!, Dupri detailed her experience during the match:
“My favorite thing is when people would say to me, at a meet and greet, like, ‘oh, I just love how you are able to play this like character that doesn’t know how to wrestle’, and I always say, ‘I am honored that you think I’m that talented’, I wish I knew exactly what I was doing and every mistake and every moment was a joke and I was in on the joke, but no, my first match in front of an audience was on Monday Night Raw.”
She vividly recalled the overwhelming physical response her nerves caused:
“Like, that was crazy. I remember nothing. I completely blacked out. I was so nervous, I almost threw up after because I don’t think I took one single breath for four minutes straight. Like the math was probably a minute, but I’m saying four minutes, like at the time the music hit, like I stopped breathing. I was like, I don’t know what’s happening, but I have to survive this. It was crazy.”
Champion’s Victory and Addicting Energy
Dupri’s journey came full circle earlier this month when she defeated Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship at Madison Square Garden. Just days after the victory, Dupri reflected on the magnitude of the moment in a vlog shared on YouTube. She described the electrifying atmosphere and her emotional reaction to becoming champion.
“I dunno how we got here. I think I saw my whole life flash before my eyes in that moment. The sound of the crowd was the best thing that I’ve ever experienced in my whole life. It was so electric, and I think I finally understand when people are like, this is addicting. I’m fiending for it already. New York was, like, the best place for this to happen. I couldn’t be happier. I can’t believe this is real life.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Huge Pop! and Maxxine Dupri’s YouTube vlog with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can watch the vlog on YouTube.
