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.
The Black Rasslin' Podcast returns for a healthy dose of rasslin'-flavored insight and entertainment! This week, Fam, Matth, Mimi, DDm, and khal return (with some special guests) to crown a new Disputed BRP Predictions Champion and maybe have some light rasslin' talk, but mostly we we celebration the BRP Founders day, Khal's birthday.
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Ed note: This is an op-ed that friend of the pod Jermaine from Sucio Sportz sent over. These are his thoughts and views, and he allowed us to share them with you. Shout out Bad Liquor Drinkin' Jermaine!
Have you ever sat in silence, but the noise in your own head drowns it out? Read that line again and let it sink in. We’ve all been there before, and if you haven’t sat in a quiet room and been consumed by the thoughts racing around in your mind, consider yourselves lucky. Me? I experience this far too often. It’s become a common thing.
You fall asleep sometime between here and there. You wake up at an odd hour. The second that first thought crosses your mind, curtains. You spend the next hour or more wondering about a myriad of things. The lack of sleep leads to other issues. You wonder why you snap and have a short fuse? The chest pains from exhaustion. Feeling sleepy and not being able to sleep. The misery.
Every so often, you find a respite. Something that helps put your mind at ease. Something that brings you to your happy place. Your happy place could be a thing you’re into. For some, it’s video games. For others, it’s sports. I’ve been into both of those. Video games (sports games mainly) have been a part of my life since I first held an Atari controller. Sports is a different thing.
I’ve been into sports since before I could speak. They’d sit me in front of a game on TV, and baby me would be mesmerized by sports. I even gave inaudible commentary. Once I could talk, it got worse. Or better, it depends on who you ask. I’d get told to be quiet or else plenty of times. I guess that’s why I got into sports media all these years later. It was injected into my veins early on. Once I got that first high, I couldn’t let it go.
My aunt Charlene would tell this story about me watching the Saints. They had drafted the stud running back from South Carolina, George Rogers. If you want to know my age, Google that info and draw a conclusion. I’m not telling y’all. [Ed note: I was going to call you old but soon realized Rogers got drafted the year I was born. We old.] Anyways…I was barely able to speak many understandable words, but I knew to say “GO BIG GEORGE” any time a Saints player did anything! I vividly remember gathering around the floor model TV set to watch the Celtics vs. Lakers in the NBA Finals. Couldn’t stand Orel Herschiser for what he did to the Bash Brothers in the World Series. Aging myself. #IYKYK
The one sporting event that grabbed my attention and became my happy place was pro wrestling. It could provide what other sports couldn’t: a consistent result that made you feel a way, but also kept you on your toes and could bring you on a rollercoaster of emotions. Back then, wrestling was simple. Faces and heels went along traditional lines. My Uncle Michael introduced me to it. We grew up like brothers because of the 10-year age gap. He was my mom’s youngest brother, and I was the first grandkid.
I, in turn, introduced it to my little sister and brother. Eventually, I got my cousins on board as well. My little brother Chris cried for hours when my dad took me and one of my cousins to a live event and he wasn’t able to go with us. I believe we saw Andre the Giant that night. Elementary-aged me thought it wouldn’t get any better than that. So glad I’ve been proven wrong many times over since.
The first live pay-per-view I watched on TV was WrestleMania VI. Terry vs Warrior was the main event. Looking back, my favorite match was Demolition vs The Colossal Connection. I used to rent tapes to watch wrestling. Video Joe off the Westbank Expressway. I had to have good grades and behavior, or else. Talk about motivation. I could tell you who won the matches, or who won the games. Other kids bought/borrowed funny books from book fairs and the library. I bought the sports almanac, wrestling books, and other sports/wrestling-related materials. I borrowed sports biographies and fiction from the libraries.
Whenever my family got together, either side, we talked shit. A LOT of shit! Everybody played sports, even the women. Hell, some of the best shit-talkers were the women, again, on both sides of my family. You had to be quick and have good comebacks. I learned from sports and wrestling. They taught me to have that bravado or confidence in myself, but also that I had to back up whatever I said. I struggled and took some Ls, but the story is still being written. The latest chapters are more like when that light bulb goes off and that wrestler finds that gimmick or thing that works. Or when that player finally lives up to the potential he had when originally drafted.
Life will throw things at you that you may not feel prepared to handle. When that happens, you go to what gives you comfort. Wrestling. In February of 1997, when Chris was killed, I had the Monday Night Wars to keep me company. A couple months later, my grandma had a heart attack and stroke. This is when the cooking with Uncle Mike started. Cooking has been my other comfort. The Montreal Screwjob was later on that same year. It was a shock to the system, entertainment-wise, after dealing with my grandmother’s heart attack and stroke. However, it kept me going.
The next few years were on autopilot. Stone Cold kicked off his new era in early 1998. He was the top guy in WWE at that time. WCW was still going strong, but started to grow a little stale. The nWo storyline that carried them was jumping the shark. Also jumping the shark was my time in New Orleans. Lost my scholarship to Tulane (2.4925 instead of a 2.5) and was about to get into some serious trouble. Shout out to the NOPD officers who harassed me throughout ’98 and ’99.
Later on, I dealt with more death, the pandemic, more death, a divorce, being a single parent, financial struggles, mental health struggles, being a parent with kids who are hurting, more death, and life just lifing like a motherfucker! However, during some of those dark days, I stumbled across a tweet from Krista B of Those Wrestling Girls. It was something to the effect of advertising an interview or article with a WWE wrestler. The fact that a young Black woman working at a hip-hop radio station in New York City was promoting wrestling? Instant follow.
I noticed she would tweet daily “Pray before you slay” and it resonated with me. I do my daily “Hi weirdos” as a check in/good morning tweet. Started noticing more Black members of the IWC populating my timeline. Scrolling Twitter, I’d see some Black wrestling fans speak of a podcast by some guys who looked like us. I’d heard of BRP and saw some stuff from them. The deeper I got into Black IWC, the more I’d see/hear about this podcast. It was a total grassroots movement and I appreciated it. Only wrestling pods I knew of were very white. Nothing wrong with that, but having someone who looks like me (almost quite LITERALLY in a couple cases) and is around the same age/life experiences talk wrestling…that intrigued me.
I started listening every week. Even followed the crew. Started participating in the chat, more and more every week. Got introduced to more Black members of the IWC and more Black wrestling content creators. The A Show, Black Announce Table, and others. Not just Black, either. Vin Forte and Emilio Sparks of WrassleRap are two dudes I really rock with. So is Mike Sempervive. The more I immersed myself in this online wrestling community, the more I found people with a similar passion for wrestling.
There was something different about BRP. The way we connected was fun. I’d comment, they’d post it on the screen, and everyone would laugh. Sometimes, I would actually be serious and post something poignant. It would get everyone’s attention…then Matth would say it’s the liquor talking. He named me “Bad Liquor Drinkin Jermaine” because I always had something high-proof in my cup. Fast forward a year or two later…he saw me in action. We met up while he was in town and hung out. Fast forward, now I’m family.
The familial atmosphere extended beyond pleasantries online or in the chat. Some of these people became more than friends, almost like a real family. I even found a small tribe to create content with: C.D.B. Multimedia, our podcast network made up of Sucio Boyz, Sucio Sportz, Dre Lax Podcast, A Different Angle, and Aim High. It turns out that we also became like a family. Crazy how a few chance meetings, follows, and conversations can lead to life-altering changes and friendships. I do life on a daily with a LOT of the people I met. We hold each other accountable and check in routinely. I have phone numbers for the ones I’m especially close with. They’re liable to get a text/call from me at random checking-in and seeing how they’re doing. Can’t say how many times I’ve had that smile on my face seeing a name/number pop up checking on me.
When you’re fighting things meant to destroy you, you need weapons to help you fight. Sometimes, those weapons aren’t actual weapons. They can come in the form of words of encouragement, an uplifting moment of silliness, an impromptu therapy session, or just a good talk about wrestling with a friend. I’ve found that and more through this community.
When I say this is more than a podcast, that’s what I mean. It’s a community. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a family. We may not always agree or get along, but I’ll move furniture behind them! Trust me. I’m the last person you wanna see angry. I feel that way because some of us wouldn’t have made it through almost losing the home you never thought you’d own to begin with, or your uncle/cooking partner you were raised with cause yall 9 years apart unexpectedly passing away, or their wife leaving them in a pandemic. I know I wouldn’t have made it without through all that without this podcast… friendship circle… community… family… (*cues Marvin Sapp*). Because if I luv wrestling, and you luv wrestling, then WE LUV WRESTLING!
