WWE RAW Star Considered Quitting Wrestling At 28
A WWE star contemplated quitting the company early on in their career.
Maxxine Dupri may be the current Women’s Intercontinental Champion, but her journey to success was not easy.
After appearing as a valet on NXT, she made her main roster debut in 2022 on SmackDown as a member of the Maximum Male Models stable.
The stable collapsed after her brother, Max Dupri (LA Knight), decided to opt for a singles run.
Dupri subsequently became a member of the Alpha Academy, of which she continues to be a part, alongside Akira Tozawa and Otis.
She gradually transitioned to an in-ring performer by starting a feud with Valhalla of the Viking Raiders on WWE RAW.
Since then she has competed in several matches, building her brand. Durpri also trains with Natalya and is often pictured attending the Dungeon 2.0 for training.
Before winning the Intercontinental Championship from Becky Lynch, she earned two consecutive wins over The Man. Her victory at Madison Square Garden gave Dupri her maiden championship.
Maxxine Dupri Discusses Her Initial WWE Struggles
During a recent appearance on the Battleground Podcast, the 28-year-old revealed the initial struggles due to being green in the squared circle. The mistakes the WWE star made led her to contemplate quitting the business.
You know, it was hard. It was like it was challenging. I don’t want to lie about that. It was one of those things where I feel like when I first started, I had a lot of support, and I was so excited, and then I think I put a lot of value in that, right? And then I was learning on the road, and I was making mistakes, and I was doing things that I wasn’t proud of. I was coming back, like, ‘Why did I just perform that way? Why did I fall short?’ And I was very, very defeated.
But it’s like I have one of two options. I could quit and leave defeated and whatever, move on. Or I could put my head down and work hard so that the next time I get an opportunity, I can prove to them that I am capable, reliable, willing to learn, and able to perform in a ring toe-to-toe with Becky Lynch. And that’s what I chose to do.