The Black Rasslin' Podcast returns for a healthy dose of rasslin'-flavored insight and entertainment! This week, Fam, Matth, Mimi, and khal return to talk John Cena and Randy Orton running their historic feud back at WWE Backlash, Jade Cargill taking on Tiffany Stratton, that banger of a TLC match on SmackDown, the Anoa'i family on Stephanie's Places, Ryan Coogler's Sinners, Nike's dirty Air Force 1s, and so much more!
You know the routine: you can stream and download this week's episode via SoundCloud, and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify! We stream live every Thursday at 8:35PM ET on YouTube. We also encourage you to become a member of the BRPatreon, where you can get even MORE exclusive content (and merch discounts)! We'll catch you next week; tell a friend to tell their homies to LIKE, rate, comment, subscribe, and share!
The Black Rasslin' Podcast returns for a healthy dose of rasslin'-flavored insight and entertainment! This week, Fam, Mimi, DDm, and khal talk John Cena's remarks after attacking Cody Rhodes, the Street Profits winning the WWE Tag Team Championship, Chris Bey, the road to WrestleMania Vegas, NXT, and much more!
You know the routine: you can stream and download this week's episode via SoundCloud, and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify! We stream live every Thursday at 8:35PM ET on YouTube. We also encourage you to become a member of the BRPatreon,
where you can get even MORE exclusive content (and merch discounts)!
We'll catch you next week; tell a friend to tell their homies to LIKE,
rate, comment, subscribe, and share!
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.
SPOTTED: Thursday Night, Philadelphia's Franklin Music Hall transformed into a spectacle of lights, Hip-hop music, and wrestling as Walemania. For the past nine years, WaleMania has been the ultimate wrestling party to kick off WrestleMania week. Sponsored by Cricket Wireless, Hennessey, and ZOA Energy, the event was nothing short of epic, with high spirits and unforgettable moments filling the air throughout the night.
At the helm of WaleMania is the powerhouse faction—Grammy-nominated rapper/actor/poet Wale, alongside the dynamic duo curators, The Ringer's Kazeem Famuyide and Emilio Sparks—ensuring a night to remember for wrestling aficionados and music lovers alike.
— The Ringer Wrestling Show (@ringerwrestling) April 5, 2024
Among the hosts for the evening were The Masked Man Show hosts David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide, along with The Ringer's Van Lathan and Emilio Sparks. And who better to lead the charge, than the formidable female wrestler Big Swole, who commanded the stage as the night's master of ceremonies.
— Mekz • WrestleManiac UK (@WrestleManiacUK) April 5, 2024
Surprises were abound as Ronnie Singh, the face of 2K gaming company and Cornell Gunter made a special appearance, delighting the audience with giveaways of WWE 2K24. Additional stars of the night were Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford of The Street Profits, who received a thunderous welcome and chants from the crowd, foreshadowing their anticipated WrestleMania XL match alongside Bobby Lashley against The Final Testament.
In a groundbreaking announcement, WWE announcer Samantha Irvin was revealed to be the sole announcer for both nights of Wrestlemania XL—an unprecedented honor in WrestleMania history. Irvin's talents weren't limited to the announcer's booth, as she surprised the audience with a captivating performance, serenading them with her soulful vocals and mesmerizing flute skills.
Had to drop the full song!🔥 Thank you @Wale & @Kazeem for the opportunity to perform my version of “Bad Boy.” 🙏🏽 RIP to the late, great Scott Hall 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/H1s6AD3drf
But the night's true highlight was the recognition of this year's Guest of Honor, the esteemed Shelton Benjamin. Celebrated for his two-decade-long career in WWE and Ring of Honor, Benjamin was honored by wrestling icons MVP, Cedric Alexander and Bobby Lashley, who toasted to his legacy with the finest Hennessey. He and the crowd were treated to a touching video tribute, featuring heartfelt messages from industry peers such as The Good Brothers, Big E, Mia Yim and Kurt Angle.
Notable Sightings Big E delivered his trademark promo and introduced Wale to the crowd setting the stage for his entrance.
Zilla Fatu was caught enjoying the festivities of WaleMania, soaking in the atmosphere and contributing to the overall excitement of the event.
R-Truth, wrestling’s national treasure, surprised fans by stepping away from his usual wrestling persona and delivering a memorable performance, entertaining the audience in a different way.
— Papa Worm 🫡🫡➡️➡️➡️WrestleMania (@Aye_Yo_Worm) April 5, 2024
Tension rose between Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes at the event as they had a chance to exchange words on stage, adding an element of drama to the night's pleasant chaos in preparation for their main event match at NXT Stand & Deliver on Saturday.
TRICK WILLIAMS SHOWED UP TO #WaleMania AND GOT INTERRUPTED BY CARMELO HAYES!
Keeping the wheels of steel throughout the night were a lineup of talented DJs including Cory Townes, DJ Gigi Rosa, DJ Tommy Carlucci, DJ Aye Boogie and DJ Money, ensuring that the energy never waned. The evening culminated in an explosive performance featuring the legendary Philadelphia emcee Beanie Sigel (who was joined by Freeway) for a much-anticipated performance, cementing WaleMania XL as one of the most unforgettable events in the event's history. Wale, 3OhBlack, Connie Diamond, Armani White, and Young Chris also blessed the night with performances.
As the final notes faded and the lights dimmed, fans of WaleMania departed with hearts full and anticipation for the forthcoming WrestleMania XL weekend. Bound by their shared passion for hip-hop and wrestling, fans and fans alike left the event united. With WaleMania setting the bar high, where the worlds of music and wrestling would collide in an unforgettable fashion.
Be sure to check out BRP's content on our website and our Black Rasslin' Podcast Patreon for exclusive pro wrestling content.
Mimi,
aka #TheWrestlingChic is a co-host of #TheBuckle aka #TurnbuckleTalk
every Tuesday at 6:35PM ET and every Thursday at 8:35PM ET on The Black Rasslin' Podcast.
The Black Rasslin' Podcast returns for a healthy dose of rasslin'-flavored insight and entertainment! This week, Fam, Mimi, Matth, and khal have a dope conversation with the legend Shelton Benjamin about his upcoming match against Josh Alexander, his time with the Hurt Business, his upcoming appearance at WaleMania, and more! Later, the squad talks reports of Kazuchika Okada heading to All Elite Wrestling, new details on Scott D'Amore being released from TNA, injuries during NXT and AEW Rampage tapings, dirtsheet reports about Jade Cargill and Elimination Chamber: Perth, and much more!
You know the routine: you can stream and download this week's episode via SoundCloud, and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify! We stream live every Thursday at 8:35PM ET on YouTube. We also encourage you to become a member of the BRPatreon,
where you can get even MORE exclusive content (and merch discounts)!
We'll catch you next week; tell a friend to tell their homies to LIKE,
rate, comment, subscribe, and
share!
The Black Rasslin' Podcast returns with healthy dose of rasslin'-flavored poddin'. This week, Fam, Matth, and khal are talking #HipHop50, the mountain of CM Punk rumors and Jey Uso "quitting" WWE, Carmelo Hayes vs. Wes Lee at NXT Heatwave next week, that Texas Chain Saw Massacre death match, the future of WWE after Triple H and Shawn Michaels, and much more!
You know the routine: you can stream and download this week's episode via SoundCloud, and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify! We stream live every Thursday at 8:35PM ET on YouTube. We also encourage you to become a member of the BRPatreon,
where you can get even MORE exclusive content (and merch discounts)!
We'll catch you next week; tell a friend to tell their homies to LIKE,
rate, comment, subscribe, and
share!
The Black Rasslin' Podcast returns with healthy dose of rasslin'-flavored poddin'. This week, Mimi, Fam, Matth, and khal are first joined by the All-Father Darius Carter (aka No. 15 on the 2023 #BRP50). The All-Father speaks on everything, from what he calls the #PiledriverPhenomenon to what makes him unique, mixed gender wrestling, and more. Later, the squad breaks down Jimmy Uso causing Jey his Tribal Combat match at SummerSlam (and what this means for The Usos in the future), Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits, Kofi Kingston's return, Dakota Kai flying Spirit to SummerSlam, and Ricky Starks whipping Ricky Steamboat!
You know the routine: you can stream and download this week's episode via SoundCloud, and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify! We stream live every Thursday at 8:35PM ET on YouTube. We also encourage you to become a member of the BRPatreon,
where you can get even MORE exclusive content (and merch discounts)!
We'll catch you next week; tell a friend to tell their homies to LIKE,
rate, comment, subscribe, and
share!
The Black Rasslin' Podcast is getting ready for #BRPNYC2023 with healthy dose of insight and entertainment. After talking Welcome 2 NYC with Sir Wilkins, illfam79, Matth, Drip, and khal speak on Willie Mack's AEW debut, some pre-Rumble week thoughts, the passing of Jay Briscoe, and more!
You know the routine: you can stream and download this week's episode via SoundCloud, and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify! We stream live every Thursday at 8:35PM ET on YouTube. We also encourage you to become a member of the BRPatreon,
where you can get even MORE exclusive content (and merch discounts)!
We'll catch you next week; tell a friend to tell their homies to LIKE,
rate, comment, subscribe, and
share!
If you've been paying attention, you should know that The Black Rasslin' Podcast has added Davis aka Davey Boy Drip aka PG-13
to the squad as our resident stat guy. We've been keeping the stats to
the social media posts, but wanted to switch things up a bit and throw
his stats (and some additives) onto the site. Oh, this week's full
episode is live on YouTube. Press play on that and keep this window open
for his stats below; let us know if Davis is on his ish!
BRP So, There’s a PPV This Weekend (LIVE Episode) Stats
NOTE: I did not put timestamps because when we go live, we move from topic to topic too frequently.
Stat of the Week: Twenty-one years ago on September 26, D'Lo Brown defeated Mark Henry to regain the WWF European Championship at Unforgiven. This would be Brown’s fourth and final reign with the title; he shares the record for most titles.
"Charlamagne, are we live?" is a reference to the famous interview that Ray J had on The Breakfast Club back in 2011.
The Rock’s last match was at WrestleMania 32 against Erick Rowan; it lasted six seconds.
Roman Reigns-Brock Lesnar has been the main event of two WrestleManias: 31 and 34. They also faced each other two more times in 2018: at Greatest Royal Rumble and at SummerSlam.
The Rock was injured after both of his matches against John Cena at WrestleMania 28 and WrestleMania 29. The injury sustained at WrestleMania 29 did push back the filming of Hercules (2014); since then, The Rock hasn’t been allowed to be fully active in the ring due to insurance purposes.
When we recorded on Thursday, that was the three-year anniversary of John Cena-Roman Reigns at No Mercy 2017. This has been their only one on one match, on both TV and pay-per-view, so we definitely need to see that again.
What killed WCW and what Fam wanted to happen at Clash of Champions during the WWE Universal Title match: the Finger Poke of Doom.
The Samoan Swat Team consisted of Samu and Fatu, the latter went on to be more known as Rikishi, the father of Jimmy and Jey Uso. Recently, Jey said that he would like to reboot the SST.
Road Warrior Animal and Heidenreich—aka not my or anyone else’s Road Warriors—won the WWE Tag Team Titles at Great American Bash 2005, they defeated MNM. (I saw this ppv.)
SGG started appearing on Cheap Heat back in 2015. His famous “The Boy is Mine” story is the greatest moment in the show’s history. I can’t find the link because it was around the time that Grantland was being shut down, but I believe it was around fall of that year. Also that might’ve been the one where Fam’s favorite rapper makes a cameo as well.
Cody won the ROH World Title, the IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Title, and the NWA Heavyweight Title in the time between leaving WWE and starting AEW, so he "earned" his current role as a top guy, but the case I was making is that those companies had to do that because of where guys like Cody were previously. SGG makes the case that guys like Miro and Shawn Spears have left WWE to play the same role in AEW, but are complaining about being misused.
Crowbar was a wrestler in WCW, so I highly doubt WWE would use that as a name for a Retribution member. [Ed note: OK, but stranger things have happened.]
Fam, the 49ers were not trying to cheat in SuperBowl XLVII. The Ravens, on the other hand...
Since 2018, aka his first full year in NXT, Kyle O’Reilly’s record is 21-22 in all TV/PPV matches.
Ashante Adonis was formerly known as Tehuti Miles. He is a former MCW Rage Television champion, when he was known as Elijah King.
On July 1, 2018, the Street Profits started appearing on Raw, even though they were still in NXT, they held the NXT Tag Team titles during their Raw segments. They officially drafted to Raw on October 11th of that year.
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.
