New WWE Tag Team Was Months in the Making

A new tag team set to debut on the April 11 edition of SmackDown has been in development behind the scenes for several months. The partnership between Maxxine Dupri and Natalya will make its first official appearance in a multi-team Gauntlet Match with significant WrestleMania implications.

According to reporting from Fightful Select, WWE executives have been planning this alliance since late 2023. The Gauntlet Match will determine which team challenges Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas.

Viewers have witnessed the groundwork for this team through various backstage segments and social media content showing Dupri persistently requesting Natalya to serve as her mentor. While Natalya initially showed reluctance toward the proposition, the partnership has now been formalized for the upcoming qualification match.

The Gauntlet Match features five additional teams competing for the WrestleMania opportunity: Alba Fyre and Piper Niven, B-Fab and Michin, Katana Chance and Kayden Carter, Lyra Valkyria and Bayley, and Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark.

Dupri has been absent from in-ring competition since March 7, when she participated in an NXT live event teaming with Lash Legend and Thea Hail in a losing effort against Fatal Influence. Outside the ring, Dupri’s engagement to NXT performer Anthony Luke has received attention through the WWE LFG documentary series broadcast on the A&E network.