The Street Profits

Lore & Background

The Street Profits' narrative is built on the idea of two individuals from the same urban neighborhood channeling their energy into a shared performance. Ford, the quicker and more acrobatic partner, embodies the improvisational, freestyle side of street culture; Ridge, the larger and more forceful, represents the grounded, unshakeable presence. Together they present a tag-team identity that feels less like a corporate product and more like a crew that grew up together and now performs for the world.

Their in-ring storytelling often positions them as the energetic underdogs or the crowd's favorite challengers, using their combined athleticism to overcome opponents who are larger, more experienced, or better connected. Their finisher sequences and tag-team spots emphasize seamless coordination — Ford's aerial entries setting up Ridge's power moves, or vice versa — reinforcing the 'two halves of one street' motif.

Culturally, the Street Profits occupy a space in WWE that celebrates Black hip-hop and street aesthetics without reducing them to a single caricature. Their music, attire, and in-ring mannerisms draw on that vocabulary, and fans have embraced them as a representation of a specific, celebrated corner of urban culture within a mainstream entertainment product.

Reader's Guide

Founded in the NXT developmental system, The Street Profits emerged as a duo whose origin story is inseparable from their shared street-culture identity. The two partners — Montez Ford and Zack Ridge (Ikiryo) — debuted as a pre-formed team, presenting a unified front from their first ring appearance rather than assembling as a loose alliance.

Current members: Montez Ford (speed, aerial offense) and Zack Ridge / Ikiryo (power, grounded strikes). No former members have been publicly separated from the unit in their main-roster tenure.

Their shared gimmick is that of a tight-knit street crew: hip-hop-inflected music, coordinated attire, and an in-ring style that prioritizes fluid, rhythmic tag-team spots over brute force alone. Narratively they often serve as the energetic underdog challengers or the crowd's favorite title contenders in the tag-division storyline.

Key rivalries have included established veteran tag teams and mid-card duos who contrast with the Profits' youthful, high-energy presentation, positioning them as the challengers disrupting the status quo.

Evolution: Since their main-roster arrival, the Street Profits have progressed from developmental challengers to WWE Tag Team Champions, solidifying their place as a recurring pillar of the tag division. Their trajectory suggests continued evolution toward top-of-card tag-team status as WWE invests in their storyline depth.

Did You Know?

• The Street Profits' in-ring style deliberately pairs two very different body types — Ford's lean, acrobatic frame with Ridge's larger, power-based build — creating a tag-team dynamic that mirrors the 'speed vs.
• Their championship reign as WWE Tag Team Champions made them one of the most prominent Black tag teams on WWE's main roster in the early 2020s.
• The duo's presentation — music, wardrobe, and entrance choreography — is explicitly drawn from hip-hop and street-culture aesthetics, setting them apart from the more traditional or villainous tag teams in WWE's roster.
• Zack Ridge performs under the ring name 'Ikiryo,' a name that adds a layer of mystique to what is otherwise a very grounded, street-level character concept.