Renee Paquette reveals WWE forced her to hide Canadian accent
Former WWE commentator and on-screen talent Renee Paquette - known to WWE fans as Renee Young - has revealed WWE made her attend classes in an attempt to hide her Canadian accent.
Speaking on an episode of her podcast, Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette, Paquette described how WWE told her to attend classes to tone down her accent. Paquette, however, felt the move was entirely unnecessary:
“So I would just like to go on the record and say that I do not have a Canadian accent. I worked very hard to develop this non-regional dialect. When I first signed to WWE, they made me take classes to get rid of my Canadian accent, which I’m honestly, I’m sure it was more than it is now but it was like very faint, if any and I had to go into Manhattan once a week and sit with this woman and she would give me words. I’d have to read during the week to make sure I didn’t like mispronounce vowels or some sh*t.” H/T POST Wrestling.
Renee Paquette was a regular face and voice in WWE for several years, announcing her departure from the company at SummerSlam 2020.
During her time in WWE it was never abundantly clear that Paquette had been encouraged to hide her original accent, or that she was attempting to mask an accent at all. She was well received by fans and colleagues alike, which explains why she was able to achieve so much during her time with the company.
The cancelation of WWE Backstage was a primary reason for her leaving WWE.
Renee Paquette was the first full-time female commentator on WWE RAW
After filling in for Jonathan Coachman on commentary during an episode of WWE RAW back in August 2018, Paquette soon found herself as a full-time member of the commentary team, making her the first woman in WWE history to fill the position.
She currently presents and manages her own podcast. Her husband, Jon Moxley - known to WWE fans as Dean Ambrose - currently performs in All Elite Wrestling where he is a former AEW world champion.