Anyone can entertain, but only some are capable entertainers. Among those who are capable, the exceptional ones can make their audience feel their performances. Making your audience feel your craft and taking them on an emotional rollercoaster places you in that upper echelon. A duality, if you will, of entertaining and evoking emotions.
Charisma is defined as “a personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure.” It can also be defined as “a special magnetic charm or appeal” (shout out to Merriam-Webster). Montez Ford embodies both definitions. He possesses unique qualities that elevate him to the status of an upper-echelon entertainer. Singing, rapping, dancing, acting, modeling, all while being a pro wrestler. A damn good one at that.
It’s been ten years since his second tryout, nine years since he signed, and seven years since The Street Profits (alongside Angelo Dawkins) won their debut match on NXT. Ford being signed in 2015, having a match on TV a year later, being repackaged with a tag partner, and getting their “debut” win another year later is a testament to the type of performer we’re discussing.
As the Street Profits, Dawkins and Ford have enjoyed a fair amount of success. They’ve won tag titles in Evolve once; and in WWE once each on NXT, Raw, and SmackDown. They’ve also consistently ranked in the top 50 of the PWI tag team rankings yearly since 2020. Their entrance is one of the most popular on the roster. While they’ve enjoyed some success at every stop, it’s been almost four calendar years since they’ve held tag team gold. They’ve been in and around the tag team title picture, but not having another run with a championship makes some fans weary.
During the Road to WrestleMania last year, Ford competed in the men’s Elimination Chamber match. Given the spotlight, he did his usual and crushed it. He looked like a star among other stars. The moment wasn’t too big for him. He relished in it. From the gear to their entrance to his performance in the match, Ford screamed star. This wasn’t new to him.
Montez knew from an early age that he was destined for something special. Many began to question if this was his moment. A strong performance on a major stage can get the people talking: is it time to push Montez Ford as a singles star? The whispers grew louder. More people were seeing what some had seen for a while. It wasn’t lost on either of them. Take this exchange with Emilio Sparks and the Profits at this year’s WaleMania in Philly, for example.
Emilio Sparks started by mentioning that there had “been a lot of talk on the internet” in regards to the Street Profits not breaking up, but going off and doing “some solo stuff?” Dawkins kicked things off, uttering “my boy Tez right here” before someone in the crowd shouts “WWE CHAMP!” Dawkins, quickly, says, “you damn right,” stating that he will support his brother for life. Tez spoke it plainly: “I ain’t throwing no shade at nobody; Trick and Melo? Split. Usos, and they blood. Split. The Street Profits? No matter the situation, we here. Ain’t none of that turning on brother stuff, this my brother. Not just in the ring, but outside the ring, and that’s how its gon be,” finishing up his thought by saying “ain’t nothing happening. Because nobody wins when the family feuds.”
Dawkins recognizes and acknowledges [Ed note: Heh.] Ford’s potential. How could you not? Don’t sleep on Dawkins. He’s a very talented guy who’s upped his game in recent years. He heard the talks and silently kept improving. But Montez is still a different animal. Notice how Dawkins gave Tez his props after acknowledging the crowd. Notice how Tez also closed his statement. “Nobody wins when the family feuds” is a line Jay-Z used in "Family Feud." Fitting he used a Jay-Z lyric. Another of his lyrics came to mind when I saw this quote:
And I ain't even want to be famous
N****s is brainless to unnecessarily go through these changes
And I don't even know how it came to this
Except that fame is the worst drug known to man
It's stronger than, heroin
When you could look in the mirror like, "There I am"
And still not see what you become
I know I'm guilty of it too but not like them
Montez has been very gracious about his rise to stardom. Does he dream of one day becoming a WWE champion and headlining a WrestleMania? Yes. He’s said as much in interviews and acknowledged it’s been something he’s wanted to be since childhood. However, unlike most traditional tag teams, he’s set on Dawkins being along for the ride, and so is Dawkins.
It isn’t a far-fetched idea. The New Day—whose ten-year anniversary was in July this year—proved each team member could see individual successes without the team disbanding. Kofi Kingston and Big E won the WWE Championship, and Xavier Woods was King of the Ring. The fact that so many were/are calling for a “Barbershop Moment” between Tez and Dawk shows a belief in the old way of doing things. A team can stay together and support each other in pursuing their individual goals, or they can mutually agree to part ways without a bitter breakup and feud, especially when both guys want to stick together.
It’s admirable to see Montez wanting to go after his childhood dream, while not wanting to leave his brother behind. Dawkins wants to see Montez as WWE champion, and he also has some aspirations of his own. While they enjoy being The Street Profits, they also want the smoke as singles stars.
If it wasn’t clear before, doing a reality show with his uber-talented wife Bianca Belair made it crystal: Montez is a star now and is ready for the spotlight outside the ring. He’s long since proven himself in the ring and on the mic. Few wrestlers can match his speed, strength, and athleticism. Mix that with his charisma and personality, and he becomes the perfect wrestler.
Montez recently expressed his frustration about The Street Profits losing momentum. “All these things are running, we have a WrestleMania win, and then boom, it just stops,” Ford told Daily Mail. “And it’s been this constant stop and go and stop and go and stop and go with the Profits where we’ll get momentum and then the momentum will stop, then momentum will start again, and the momentum will stop. And for us, that’s frustrating, because it’s hard to get behind a team whose momentum starts and then it shifts again.” Ford also spoke candidly about a singles run and what that would mean for him in a number of aspects. “This is the crossroads that I’m at right now in life. Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be WWE Champion. Now I’ve got the dream job I wanted, been with this tag team, and it’s been fantastic, but I’ve also made a lot of changes and adjustments to try to be successful within this tag team, and I’m now at the point where I’ve done everything to be successful, I’ve tried to do something for a long time, and there’s still no success. Is it time to adjust to a new era, a new mode, a new mindset, or do I need to start getting rid of people?”
What stood out to me was Ford discussing the need for a change. The line “change the people I’m involved with” was used; could we see a Street Profits breakup, allowing Tez to go solo? Or are we going to see a new faction formed? Could we see Montez somehow transition into solo wrestling, but Dawkins eventually supports his brother? Could Dawkins turn on Montez? Thinking about the booking options for the Street Profits has me feeling like that scene in Step Brotherswhen Brennan and Dale made their bunk bed; there’s room for so many activities.
Another change was recently proposed by two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T. On a recent episode of his “The Hall Of Fame” podcast, Booker made a suggestion: "Get rid of that damn cup. That might help," Booker said. "[Ford is] one of my guys, man. I like him. He's an extraordinary talent, but you gotta know how to break out. You gotta know how to make your own breaks." (h/t Wrestling Inc.) While getting rid of the cup could symbolize a heel turn, as it suggests Ford being more serious in his presentation, he didn’t mention getting rid of his tag team partner. If anyone can speak to going solo after a successful tag run, it would be Booker. Could this be a bit of foreshadowing here from Booker?
Operating in the duality of loving what you’re currently doing but wanting more is one thing. Having the ability to compartmentalize those two emotions and continue to move in a way that feeds both is a testament to the type of man Montez Ford is. Not many of us can hide our selfish desires while still feeding our sense of duty to others. When it happens in the workplace, it gets complicated. Add in the personal relationships involved, it could get downright nasty. Somehow. Montez Ford handles it well. The duality of a man.
Lately, Montez is done hiding his frustration, as is Dawkins! Those two promos were perhaps the best ones The Street Profits have cut in their entire WWE run. Craziest part is they were both done on the same day. They both showed a seriousness not often seen and demonstrated what Montez is capable of when given a mic and told to express himself. No doubt in my mind he can draw money using his promo skills. His in-ring ability has been showcased and will continue to improve. He’s got the look. Now we’re waiting for WWE to let him flourish in the next phase of his career.
If you listened to last week's podcast, you should know our feelings about The Mixxie Boys Street Profits. Welp, tonight was the night we were all waiting for: the official NXT debut of Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins' Street Profits team, and in typical fashion, the "sultans of swag" kept it super mixxie during their entrance.
You can't front; their chemistry was there, and they showed off their skills in an easy win.
After their win, Dawkins let the world know that their celebration not only happens pre-match, but it happens post-match and after the match...just in case you were wondering.
