Vince McMahon banned dog from WWE TV after it attacked female superstar backstage
Rene Dupree recently revealed that Vince McMahon banned his dog Fifi from WWE after it bit Hiroko Suzuki on the lip backstage.
In March 2004, Dupree left the La Resistance tag team on RAW and became a member of the SmackDown roster. Following his move to the blue brand, Fifi began accompanying the two-time Tag Team Champion to the ring for his matches and segments.
Speaking on his Cafe de Rene podcast, Dupree said Vince McMahon no longer wanted the French poodle to appear in WWE after the Suzuki issue:
“Fifi bit Hiroko," said Dupree. "She was in her geisha makeup, right? Then she went to pet the dog. The dog got scared and bit her on the lip, and that’s when Vince said, ‘Get rid of the f***ing dog.’ No more Fifi – she was done after that. A good run.” [1:03:46-1:04:16]
Hiroko Suzuki worked for WWE between June 2004 and July 2005. During that time, she appeared alongside her husband Kenzo Suzuki on SmackDown and former WWE weekly show Velocity.
Vince McMahon did not always hire the same dog to accompany Rene Dupree
@RealReneDupree My favourite Fifi. https://t.co/Au7116IwV7
While some WWE Superstars have been accompanied to the ring by their real-life pets, that was not the case with Rene Dupree.
The 38-year-old clarified that WWE officials hired a different French poodle to accompany him every time he appeared on television:
“Dude, every week it was a different dog, every week," Dupree recalled. "One night we had one, I think it was in Wisconsin, it was bright pink – pink hair, pink nails – and they put it on Velocity! I’m thinking, ‘This is a pay-per-view dog! This is ratings! Let me come out with this f***ing thing or do an angle.’” [49:27-50:00]
Dupree added that he would love to have feuded with Eddie Guerrero while he had Fifi by his side. He said they “were dying to work with each other,” and Guerrero even told Dupree that they would draw money together.
Please credit Cafe de Rene and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.