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At Money in the Bank, The Street Profits put on the match of the night against The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.
Although the popular duo produced a valiant performance, The Bloodline narrowly escaped with their titles. Later, it turned out that the referee shouldn’t have counted the pinfall on Montez Ford because his shoulder was off the mat.
This left many viewers wondering when The Street Profits would get their rematch. But a bigger question lingered throughout the night. Many of us are wondering how much longer Ford will remain a tag team wrestler, as his run as a singles competitor seems imminent.
The Chicago native has been a standout since the fresh pairing debuted on NXT and quickly became fan favorites. Ford’s magnetic personality and over-the-top dance moves made him a perfect fit for a straight man act like Angelo Dawkins. The two showed undeniable chemistry early on, and that has helped them develop into a terrific tag team.
One could argue that the second WWE triple crown tag team champions are the most successful to come up from NXT in a long time. Their 223-day reign with Raw tag titles is the longest tenure since the mantle became brand exclusive. Moreover, they never actually lost them because they merely swapped titles with The New Day following the 2020 WWE Draft.
Ford and Dawkins are so entertaining together that it’s hard to justify splitting them up for good. They’re naturally funny and deceptively athletic, and their tandem offense looks effortless. The company’s tag division could also use as many established teams as possible.
Nevertheless, their split seems inevitable at this rate. After all, WWE tends to pick the bigger star out of pairing and earmark them for greatness. It ultimately paid off for superstars like Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Edge and Jeff Hardy.
Ford appears destined to be the next success story, and that’s not a knock on Dawkins, who has thrived as his partner. The 32-year-old just has an "it" factor, and it’s getting harder to ignore as he continues to bulk up.
In fact, commentary has been drawing more attention to his recent transformation and what seems like a move to become a legitimate heavyweight. The Usos also mentioned that “there have been rumors you guys haven’t been getting along” on air. That hardly seems like a coincidence, as reports suggest that he is in line for a solo run.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio noted that there are people within WWE management “who are very high on Ford right now, especially with his new physique.” Even if that weren’t the case, the demand for a singles push has taken on a life of its own at this point. Sultan of Swag and his wife, Bianca Belair, have even addressed it respectively in recent interviews.
"If the draft happens and they, you know, we’re forced to go our separate ways, we’re definitely going to keep that support there," he said. "Keep bringing it 100 [percent]. I know as a kid, speaking for myself, I’ve always had dreams of being champion, WWE world champion."
Although From the Heavens is possibly the most beautiful frog splash in the business, it’s difficult to gauge Ford’s ceiling in-ring just yet. He showed glimpses of promise in his match with Roman Reigns from the Sept. 24, 2021, episode of SmackDown. However, we haven’t seen enough of him on his own to make a fair assessment.
On the other hand, he has already proved he has the other intangibles it takes to be a major star. It could be the right time to start positioning him higher on the totem pole with Cody Rhodes potentially out until next year and Reigns working a lighter schedule.
WWE needs to start grooming the next up, and Ford fits the bill in many ways. He has tremendous mic skills, mainstream appeal, and the potential to develop a crowd-pleasing moveset around his show-stopping finisher. The decorated tag-team wrestler also seems ambitious enough to mold himself into a main eventer.
That isn’t to say that Ford is ready to be WWE champion today, but he could get there. There’s no reason why the company couldn’t work him into the title picture for one of its secondary titles and progressively elevate him up the card.
Matches with established midcarders and bigger names could prove useful. Putting him in the ring with someone like Mustafa Ali, who is good enough to present a challenge but can also take a loss, would also be beneficial.
It’s harder to predict what this means for his partner. Dawkins is definitely talented, but it’s hard to envision him without Ford to play off of. It’s also no secret that it took him some time to find an act that capitalized on his skill set. He spent years in developmental before he struck gold with The Street Profits.
It’s a little sad to think about because everything moves so fast on the main roster now. It would be a shame to see him get lost in the shuffle. Ford’s time will come, but that could create a tough road for Dawkins. Unfortunately, that comes with the territory for many tag teams.
In a perfect scenario, they will both find success if they split up. Ford appears to have the most potential, though, and we will likely see him step out on his own more this year.
He has the tools to be a top star. It’s time for WWE to put him in the deep end and see if he can swim.
