WWE stars make virtual visit to pediatric cancer patients at Children’s Medical Center Dallas

While the coronavirus pandemic has forced much of the country to spend a lot more time apart, the WWE is still finding ways to bring people together.

Over the past six months, the world’s largest professional wrestling company has managed to continue its weekly television programs, as well as the charitable efforts that also fill their yearly calendar.

On Thursday, WWE conducted a virtual visit with pediatric cancer patients via Seacrest Studios at Children’s Medical Center Dallas in support of pediatric cancer awareness month. Featured on the call were the current Raw tag team champions Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford (also known as “The Street Profits”) and Bianca Belair.

During past stops in North Texas, some of WWE’s biggest stars have made the trip to Children’s Medical Center Dallas to visit with young patients ahead of episodes of Monday Night Raw or Friday Night Smackdown. Now stuck in Florida due to the pandemic, WWE found a virtual solution to continue these visits.

Children’s Health in Dallas and Plano has the largest childhood cancer and blood disorders center in North Texas. And throughout September, WWE will be conducting virtual visits with patients and families at various hospitals across the country.

Following their virtual visit, Ford and Belair -- real life husband and wife -- shared stories from their experience, as well as other WWE-related topics with The Dallas Morning News:

So, how was the call talking to all the patients at Children’s Health?

Bianca Belair: “It was great. It was a lot of fun. I wasn’t sure how it was going to be with it being on Zoom ... but it was a lot of fun, there was dancing involved and games involved.”

Montez Ford: “We played a game called ‘Which one of us would most likely…’ – where it would pretty much ask questions of different scenarios like which one of us would most likely buy a tarantula? … We had a little dance party, as well. And also they all had the chance to ask us individual questions about our careers, where we see them going, and pretty much where our inspiration comes from.”

Belair: “We learned a lot about them, as well. We talked about their favorite dance moves, their favorite food they liked to eat, and if they were an alien, what planet would they be from? It was just a bunch of fun, different questions to get to know each other and interact with each other. Put smiles on their faces, and put smiles on our faces, as well.”

So, who was the one that was most likely to buy a tarantula?

Belair: “We said neither one of us.” [Laughs]

Ford: “We don’t like no spiders.”

Belair: “No one went that route. I would definitely not get a tarantula. Montez, definitely not. And Dawkins would not either.”

How cool is it to still have the opportunity to get to do these kinds of events even during a pandemic?

Ford: “It’s amazing, man. It’s amazing. I say it’s amazing just for the simple fact that we’re able to, like you said, still do this at this time and still give them some type of joy – and even for us, too – to get some type of joy and motivation and inspiration from these guys. I think it’s amazing that – especially with the technology, the way everything was set up – we still make these visits in the safest way.”

Belair: "I love the fact that we’re a part of WWE, an organization that is more than just a wrestling company where our priorities are other things outside of wrestling which is pediatric cancer, getting to actually spend time with these children, like you said, during this time when it could be very easy to just say, ‘Oh, well, we can’t do it this year.’

“But no, we still found a way where we still get to interact with the children. And it’s not only inspiration for them, it’s inspiration for us, as well. They’re so brave, they’re fighters, and they’re strong. I think just as much as it puts smiles on their faces it puts smiles on our faces.”

Get to meet any big Street Profits fans who got a chance to talk to their heroes?

Ford: "Yes, we met a young individual by the name of Sean [Logan]. We met “Tommy Best” [Tommy Wainwright]. You got Mikayla [Oefjen], and we had “Joe Mama” [Azer Russell], and we had "Jax the Coo [Jaxon Starling].

“Everyone on there was pretty much well aware of what’s going on, big Street Profit and Bianca Belair fans. And that’s just, for us, a constant reminder that stuff that we do is actually making an impact and motivating somebody out there that you might not be fully aware about. So, it’s a blessing for us.”

For you guys, personally, how have you handled the last six months? Just stay at home, go to the performance center for tapings, go home, go to the performance center?

Ford: “Right, pretty much. This time, that’s the safest thing for us to do for us to still be able to entertain these individuals. … Pretty much go to work, go home and quarantine and chill until the next test, and then go get tested and go work again. That’s pretty much the whole cycle that’s going on right now.”

How many time in the past, oh, month or so have you had to say the words ‘WWE Thunderdome?’

Ford: “You know what? I’ve lost count. I think I’ve said it – if it hasn’t been on TV – I’ve said it backstage in the locker room to somebody. So, I would probably say I’m on a million and one right now.”

And in the Thunderdome, how is it wrestling in front of virtual fans, in front of faces you haven’t seen day after day after day for the past few months?

Ford: “I think it’s so cool that everyone is still able to participate and be there in the safest way, and actually just still be there with us and us still performing for them. It’s a blessing, man. I can’t elaborate on it entirely because there’s not enough words to just describe it. But I’m just fortunate enough and blessed enough to be in this position to be able to still provide entertainment to everyone that’s going through something across the globe right now.”

Belair: “The fans are a huge part of what we do. We’re out there to entertain them, so to actually be able to come out and seeing their faces, even if it is virtually, being able to come out and perform in front of them is just another motivation to perform because they are why we do what we do.”

Other wrestling companies out there have started allowing limited audiences back into their shows. Would you guys be comfortable with something like that in the future?

Ford: “You know what? We’re ready any day. We’re ready, especially the way everything is set up … I think if the time does lean for everything to start back up, I fully trust WWE and our company to keep doing what they have been doing ever since the pandemic started, just fully function and be doing what they’ve been doing for years.”

Belair: “I feel like when the time is right it will happen. Safety is the No. 1 priority. I think it’ll be sometime in the future, but whenever it does happen I will be comfortable knowing my safety has always been a priority.”

Shifting gears a little bit, in the time of the coronavirus pandemic there have also been marches and protests advocating for social justice. What does it mean to you guys, specifically Montez as a current champion in WWE, to have this kind of platform as Black athletes during this time?

Ford: "The most important thing my mother taught me as a child was anytime you have an opportunity to be an example, be an example. And I think I’m very blessed and fortunate at this time to be part of a wonderful organization like WWE for me to display my talents on this platform at this time in the world.

“And like you said, it means a lot because no one truly knows what anybody is individually going through in the world in any type of situation or scenario you could have. For me, I’m blessed in this position to give someone joy, a spark in this time. Not only do I feel that is a huge responsibility, but a blessing for me to give back to the world in a time where it’s in the condition that it is.”

Belair: "It’s a huge responsibility, and we take that seriously, the fact we have such a huge platform. Like my husband said, it’s just a blessing to be able to showcase our talents in a company like WWE, and being able to use that platform for positivity.

“With everything going on, we were in this space of ‘what more can we do? Instead of reacting, how can we act?’ And that’s why we took our platform and created the website The Culture Connection, which we use to really connect people, to share knowledge because we’re in this time right now where sometimes you don’t know where to start or you just want information. So, it’s a starting point where people are able to share information on different ways to get involved and participate in what’s going on. And we just try to find every opportunity to promote positivity and positive activism and to use our platform in an inspiring and motivating way.”

And to end on a super serious note, approximately how many solo cups fall from the rafters of the Thunderdome during the Street Profits' ring entrance?

Ford: “So, just to let everyone know – these cups are being reused because the company and myself love the environment. So yes, they are being reused. And at this point, there are over 1,000-plus cups. And the cups come in all different shapes and sizes. The cups kind of represent pretty much the world. Even when the cups spread, you see them, they all come in different shapes and sizes, but they’re all just solo cups when you think about it. So, that’s a pretty cool thing about it.”