After The Street Profits scored the victory of a lifetime at NXT TakeOver: XXV, the three-year tag team journey of Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford culminated in earning the right to be called NXT Tag Team Champions. This week, WWE.com spoke to The Street Profits about their monumental victory, what it meant to their families, and their goals for the future.
WWE.COM: Now that you’ve had time for it all to digest, what does it mean for you to finally call yourselves NXT Tag Team Champions?
MONTEZ FORD: God is good, from the number of moments and journeys we experienced with our families, to separately in our lives and together as a team. So for our families to be there when we won made things come full circle. It’s a moment that lets them know, we may not be around all the time, but we are working for them and the future, and that’s the beauty of it all.
WWE.COM: Dawkins, how did your family and friends react?
ANGELO DAWKINS: Outside of being scared ’cause it was a ladder match, my mom lost it. She was jumping up and down, yelling. My mom was so happy that she couldn’t believe it. It was cool to see and share this moment with her and to let her know this doesn’t happen without her being in my corner and showing the love and support that’s she’s always shown me.
WWE.COM: Now that you are indeed the NXT Tag Team Champions, what’s one aspect of your lives that has changed?
FORD: I’m taking a lot more photos now [laughs]. But people are starting to see us and are more aware of who we are now. We love all aspects of culture and people, so we are just vibing with everyone right now. People’s champions.
WWE.COM: Dawkins, you have the distinction of being the longest-tenured Superstar on the NXT roster. Describe the Dawkins who walked through the doors of WWE’s developmental system seven years ago to the Dawkins of today.
DAWKINS: When I first started, I was really nervous because I had zero experience in the ring, so I had to start everything from scratch. With that being said, my confidence started to grow slowly but surely thanks to people like Aiden English, Rusev, Viktor, Xavier Woods, Tyler Breeze, Scott Dawson, Jason Jordan, Kassius Ohno, Norman Smiley, Robbie Brookside and Sarah Amato helping me out and showing me how to go about being a professional in and out of the ring. Fast-forward and I’m a lot more confident in my abilities now than I was when I first started. I’m a lot looser when I’m out in front of everyone, and you can tell I’m having fun out there. It feels amazing to have championship gold around my waist. Just knowing how long and hard the journey has been to finally achieve my goal of becoming a champion is a blessing.
WWE.COM: With teams like The Forgotten Sons and Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch gunning for you, how do you and Dawkins plan to keep the titles?
FORD: We plan on keeping the championship gold the same way we got it, by always being steps ahead of all the other teams. These types of opportunities come few and far between, and Dawks and I haven’t planned on NOT being champions.
WWE.COM: How do you feel you will match up when you compare your reign to the legacies of NXT Tag Team Champions before you?
DAWKINS: With great champions that were before us, like The Revival, American Alpha, AOP, #DIY and even Undisputed ERA, Tez’s and my goal is to go down as the best tag team in NXT.
FORD: Being a champion is something to celebrate, but also a responsibility. Give back to the people that helped you become a champion, because everyone that’s ever become a champion had champions around them. If you have been grinding for years and lost touch with some people, showing up as a champion completes the explanation on both ends. My hope is that kids see us and want to work the smartest, no matter the situation, because that’s a championship mentality.
Article source: WWE.com
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