A WWE star has addressed the challenges of joining the company with no background in professional wrestling.
Approaching her fifth year since taking part in a WWE tryout, Maxxine Dupri has seen an early main roster call-up and subsequent championship reign that has catapulted to success.
Discussing her sense of imposter syndrome and feelings of not quite being prepared at the point of her call-up, Dupri has also reflected on her lack of a wrestling background.
Speaking on the Reality of Wrestling The Collection podcast, Dupri reflected on the skills she was able to bring across as a dancer, cheerleader and model, saying:
“I think for me, the performance, the acting, the playing a character, that’s my bread and butter. I love that, and that’s what I think I’ve always been good at growing up right?
“And then the part that’s so challenging is learning this new art that’s physical, and you need it to feel real, and you need it to feel raw and not like a dance, not planned, not choreographed.
“You want somebody to sit in the front row and be shocked to their core at every step and turn. And I think that’s the part that’s such an art form that takes so long to master. And I do believe the more you watch it, the more it makes sense in your head.
“It’s like the more product you watch, the more you’re like, ‘Ah yes, I feel that.’ And then you relate to it, and then it’s easier to apply to yourself. But it is challenging when you first start, and you come into this world, and you didn’t grow up in it, and you’re like, ‘Wait, where do I even begin?’”
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The Non-Wrestling Wrestler Path Into WWE
Recruited through the Las Vegas tryouts in 2021, Maxxine Dupri was one of a number of candidates from non-wrestling backgrounds, with a WWE feature at the time noting that the prospects “ranged from former football and basketball players to gymnasts and bodybuilders.”
Attracting talent from beyond the wrestling world is not unusual for WWE, with the search for future stars being as much about having a bankable presence as it is having in-ring ability. It could be argued that abilities that can be fostered or taught, especially through a facility such as the WWE Performance Center, while the less tangible soft skills – charisma, confidence or presence, for example – are things someone either has or doesn’t.
With a multi-pronged development system in the form of WWE Recruit, the company is just as open to bringing in established names as they are up-and-coming stars through the WWE ID program and elite athletes via Next In Line (NIL).
The tryout, the WWE ID/NIL contract or the NXT signing is just the first step, with many not delivering on what was perhaps seen in the early stages. That doesn’t mean that the door is permanently closed, as long as the future stars are willing to put in the work to get to where they want to be.
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