"Two young studs coming up" - WWE originally wanted to push a former star with John Cena in 2004 (Exclusive)
WWE strapped a rocket behind John Cena's back during the Ruthless Aggression era as he rose to become one of the most accomplished superstars in the company's history.
However, John Cena wasn't the only name that higher-ups wanted to push to the top in the early 2000s, as Rene Dupree was another hot prospect at the time.
The former WWE star revealed during this week's episode of UnSKripted that the company had plans to build him alongside Cena as future main-eventers.
Dupree was the #1 Draft pick in 2004, sent to SmackDown, and booked in an exciting storyline with John Cena. 'The Aristocrat of Badness' stated that Vince McMahon wanted to introduce younger faces to the audience back then.
"I think, yeah, they put me right away in a feud with John Cena, and then I think Vince knew from the get-go that he wanted Cena to, well, I think what the plan was to build us up together like the two young studs coming up, you know what I mean? But then he took off because, you know, with WWF/E, it's America first and an American, you know a good guy to market and seems like a perfect plan right," explained Rene Dupree.
"I was still being used pretty alright" - Rene Dupree on what happened after his feud with John Cena
While Dupree's solo run failed to catch on with fans, he tasted success in WWE's tag team division with Kenzo Suzuki. The duo even had one reign with the titles.
Rene Dupree's work with Suzuki proved beneficial in the long run as he eventually had a memorable career in Japan.
"But then, I was still being used pretty alright. I was put in a tag team with Kenzo, which, that feud there, helped me a lot for my Japanese career. They would come to me because of the exposure in the magazines like I was freaking tag champs with Kenzo," said Dupree.
Noah have officially announced that The Sugiura Army International, Rene Dupree and El Hijo De Dr Wagner Jnr, have had to return the GHC Heavyweight Tag Titles. This is due to the COVID 19 pandemic, and the difficulties of entering Japan from overseas. #noah_ghc https://t.co/aYGoT4MzLy
Since leaving WWE in 2007, Dupree has had an extensive run in the Japanese wrestling circuit as he plied his trade in companies such as Wrestle-1, AJPW, and Pro Wrestling Noah.
The 38-year-old star, still an active competitor, spoke about various other topics on Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted, including his backstage issues with a WWE Hall of Famer, Vince McMahon, and much more.
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