Renee Paquette reveals the lesser-known story behind her WWE name (Exclusive)
Former WWE presenter Renee Paquette recently revealed the reason behind adopting a new name in her former company.
She was known as Renee Young in WWE, where she worked as a TV presenter, RAW commentator, and talk show host. Interestingly, there was a different last name originally selected for her backstage.
However, Renee wasn't fond of the name she had initially received and looked for inspiration from her favorite music artists. After toying with a few ideas, she stumbled upon Canadian rockstar Neil Young. It inspired her to pitch the idea of working with 'Young' as her last name, and WWE eventually agreed:
"Initially, my last name was supposed to be Renee Sterling. That was the email that was sent to me, and the subject title was Renee Sterling. I was like, 'wait, what?' I did not love Sterling. So, they were like, send us back some options. So, I was literally scrolling through my record collection. I was like, whose name can I steal, who do I love. I was looking at Prince, whose last name is Rogers, and I was like, okay, 'Renee Rogers'. Then I tried Renee Ruston, which was Audrey Hepburn's real last name. I had a few others, but then I came to Neil Young. A Canadian singer, songwriter, advocate, he is just the collect dude ever. I love Neil Young. So, I sent them Renee Young sand that's the one they wanted. So, it's all a tribute to Neil Young. (From 25:28 -- 26:29)
You can watch the full interview below:
Will Renee Young return to WWE?
Renee Paquette also opened up about potentially returning to the role of a presenter in a pro-wrestling company. However, she is open to working for other promotions as well.
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She admitted to missing the work, especially when she sometimes goes to shows with her husband and AEW star Jon Moxley. She also hailed Kayla Braxton for stepping up and donning a role that previously belonged to Renee Young.
She did a splendid job as the host of Talking Smack and shared that it was her favorite kind of work. She also denied there was a particular incident that led to Vince McMahon canceling the show.