After weeks of weird, weird promos hyping the arrival of Max Dupri's new faction and then some incredibly polarizing segments once the Maximum Male Models officially made SmackDown their home, the WWE‘s most polarizing faction has landed the shot of adrenaline it desperately needed in the form of Maxxine Dupri, a much-appreciated female addition to a decidedly male faction.
Initially announced in a promo on the previous week's edition of SmackDown, many a fan worried what kind of ridiculousness was about to ensue, with some suggesting that the WWE Universe could even be in store for a Santina Marella-type situation, which was arguably one of the worst ideas of the Vince McMahon era of the promotion – which, considering the scope of Mr. McMahon's oeuvre in The Fed is really saying something. Fortunately, Maxxine wasn't simply Max in a dress, or Max in anything really, as he reportedly wasn't at the Boston edition of SmackDown at all. Instead, fans were great to Maxxine Durpi proper; a fresh-faced female manager who some keen-eyed NXT fans may think looks familiar.
If you fall into that camp, then you, my friend, are correct; Maxxine Dupri has been a member of the WWE Universe for almost a year and has graced the company's television program before.
Maxxine Dupri has experience in WWE's NXT.
“I cheered for the Los Angeles Rams and went all the way to the Super Bowl and our team lost. I then cheered for the Phoenix Suns and went all the way to the NBA Finals and our team lost. I’m at this point in my life where I’m sick and tired of my championships being left in the hands of men who can’t finish the job. That’s why I’m here in the WWE; to take my championship into my own hands.”
These words, spoken by Sydney Zmrzel, were delivered to a “panel that included Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Global Talent Strategy & Development” at the WWE's 2021 Las Vegas Tryout as she made her case to become the latest member for the WWE Universe.
*spoiler alert* it worked. Zmrzel was issued the name “Sofia Cromwell,” handed a “Property of the WWE Performance Center” shirt, and was rapidly booked into an angle alongside Von Wagner and Mr. Robert Stone as part of the NXT brand. The prospects of continuing on in NXT with Chelsea Green's former manager and son of Beau Beverly wouldn't have been the worst thing imaginable, as she was just featured on television last week as a valet to Wagner ahead of his match versus Joseph “Solo Sikoa” Fatu, aka the younger brother of Jimmy and Jey Uso.
“Clever as the devil and twice as pretty.” pic.twitter.com/k0utfgwJqH
— Mr. Stone (@MrStoneWWE) July 17, 2022
However, if Cromwell's goal is to be taken seriously as an in-ring performer, then yeah, working with Wagner and Stone probably wasn't the best way to get there, but after an extremely limited run that didn't feature a single match, she's officially been elevated to the main roster as Maxxine Dupri, the partner/potential replacement for Max Dupri as his Kayfabe sister and co-proprietor of the Maximum Male Models brand.
Will Maxxine's addition make the Maximum Male Models a more inclusive group that doesn't just cater to the female audience, as Booker T once suggested? Or will the faction fail, and the man once known as LA Knight will have to find a new home elsewhere, be that back in NXT or in a new company entirely? Either way, with another appearance booked for next week's edition of SmackDown to “titillate the juices of your guilty pleasures,” it's clear the little faction that could will live on into August.
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