Maxxine Durpri details how she became Maxxine Dupri.
On the July 22, 2022 episode of WWE SmackDown, Max Dupri's (LA Knight) sister Maxxine Dupri made her television debut, introducing the swimwear collection for Maximum Male Models. Maxxine Dupri is the former Sofia Cromwell, who was seldomly used on NXT television before she was called up.
Speaking to Ryan Satin on Out of Character, Dupri detailed how she landed the role.
"I signed in October 2021 and then I went up in July (2022). I was only on TV for a month or two," she said about her NXT run. "I fractured my fibula. That happened in May or June. In hindsight, I think that was a really big blessing because I wasn't doing much in NXT because I was injured. When they were looking at who was going to be Maxxine, that ended up being a positive and allowed me heal. I was in NXT working with Von (Wagner) and (Robert) Stone, which was amazing and so much fun. I obviously wasn't doing very much because Stone was managing Von, and I was with him, and I would get a few lines, but it was still 'she's new, let's dip our toes in it.' They started advertising this new character Maxxine was going to join Maximum Male Models. They promoted it for like three weeks, and I didn't know that whole time, I had no idea."
She continued, "The week before, they were in Orlando, we all went and watched, they advertised it again and I thought, 'it has to be someone who is LA Knight's sister, there's no way. I'm not ready yet. I'm not healed.' The next week, the week Maxxine is supposed to debut, I go to sleep on Wednesday and don't get a text. 'Okay, it's not me,' but I had this weird gut feeling. 'It's not me, next opportunity.' I wake up on Thursday to go to training at 7 AM and I have a text from travel, 'we need you at SmackDown tomorrow.' I text the lead writer at NXT, 'I'm heard I'm needed for SmackDown. Do you know what's going on?' I go to skull to watch film, I pulled my coach aside, 'I got this text, I don't know what's going on.' 'No stress, they probably want to see you in person or maybe they're bringing Von up for a dark match.' Now, it's 10 AM and I get to meet with the lead writer and he's like, 'What's going on?' 'I don't know, I heard I'm needed for SmackDown.' 'Let me check my email. Alright, you're Maxxine. You're flying out today.' My flight is in four hours. I ran home, had to get a spray tan, packed my bag, hit the road, and took off from there."
When asked if she was told why she got the gig as Maxxine, she replied, "I didn't. I think I got lucky and maybe somebody saw something special in me that they thought would work well as Maxxine, I'm not sure, I'm just so thankful for the opportunity."
Maxxine Dupri is now aligned with Chad Gable & Otis as part of Alpha Academy.
She and Alpha Academy are currently part of WWE Raw. Fans can check out Fightful's report on Monday's WWE Raw by clicking here.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.