6 things you probably didn't know about Renee Young
Renee Young, whose real name is Renee Paquette, has been entertaining millions of WWE fans worldwide as an interviewer on WWE’s premier show – SmackDown. She used to co-host Talking Smack alongside the then-General Manager of the blue brand, Daniel Bryan. The Canadian has been associated with WWE since 2012 before leaving the promotion in August 2021 for better opportunities.
Here are six things you probably didn’t know about Renee Young:
#1 Renee Young is an avid Hockey fan
Renee Young is an avid hockey fan. The former RAW commentator joined the Oilers Broadcast Booth On Hockey Night in Canada in 2019. She was also seen at the T-Mobile Arena alongside husband Jon Moxley supporting the Las Vegas Golden Knights in 2018. Here's what Paquette had to say about her love for Hockey:
"Growing up I would watch the Leafs, obviously. I would go to Oshawa Generals games, which is in the OHL. I really became invested in loving hockey and wanting to know everything probably about 10 or 11, watching the Leafs. I remember I would write down in my notebook, I can’t just know Doug Gilmour and Mats Sundin and Felix Potvin, I need to know the bench players." [H/T: BroBible]
#2 She hates shoes
Uhhhh, @ReneeYoungWWE... http://t.co/dKWvqdi3z6
While women in general are known for their affinity towards shoes, Young is not your average woman and absolutely hates wearing footwear. Her hatred for shoes is well documented and is the butt of many jokes in the WWE universe. Renee is known for conducting backstage interviews without wearing shoes and has also been mocked by WWE and its stars for that on more occasions than one.
During a post-Raw segment in 2014, Triple H made fun of the interviewer for not wearing shoes, while current New Day member Big E has also pulled her leg on social media for conducting an interview without shoes, as can be seen in the tweet above.
Not only that, at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view in 2014, Roman Reigns asked Renee to remove her footwear during an in-ring segment as he was expecting an attack from his then disbanded SHIELD brethren. Although he did get attacked and Renee had to flee the ring, it was a joke aimed at the interviewer due to her hatred for shoes.
#3 She attended WrestleMania VI
Renee’s father is a concert promoter and as such would get her backstage entry for WWE events. However, Renee's most epic childhood experience was when she attended WrestleMania VI live in Toronto with her father, back in 1990.
WrestleMania VI had the distinction of being the very first to be held outside of the United States and saw The Ultimate Warrior end Hulk Hogan’s dominance in the WWE.
Young was not the only future WWE star to be in attendance during the pay-per-view, though. Among the 67,678 people present in the SkyDome, Adam Copeland – better known by his screen name Edge – was also present.
Growing up, Renee also had various encounters with WWE Superstars backstage that probably played a part in her adopting a career with the company.
Speaking about her WrestleMania experience, Renee said:
"I attended a few events and WrestleMania VI. My dad is a concert promoter, and he'd get me into the events. I remember being backstage and meeting Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, Chyna, and Trish Stratus as a kid, so it's really funny to me that I ended up here. I went on a different path than wanting to become a WWE Superstar."
#3 WWE wanted her to use Renee Sterling as her screen name
WWE is known for giving its Superstars screen names – Mark Calaway got the legendary screen name of The Undertaker, while Michael Shawn Hickenbottom was changed to Shawn Michaels. The creative folks behind the scenes wanted Renee Paquette to have a screen name too; they chose Renee Sterling before, thankfully, finalizing on Renee Young.
When Renee Young first signed for WWE, she received an email suggesting Renee Sterling as her screen name. Unprepared for this, she shot down the suggestion from the creative team and instead put forth a few of her ideas and in the end, they agreed on Renee Young.
#5 She wants to emulate Chelsea Handler
Chelsea Handler is an American comedian and actress famous for her late-night talk show Chelsea Lately, which aired between 2007 and 2014. Apart from being one of the best female comedians in the world, Handler was also featured in Time magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People in 2012.
Handler has inspired Renee Young so much that the latter has expressed her desire to emulate the comedian. In an interview, Renee opened up about this and had the following to say:
“I basically wanted to be Chelsea Handler. I still want to be Chelsea Handler. The Score did a lot of funny, tongue-in-cheek interviews, so I figured that could be somewhere I would go.”
We know that Renee Young is an excellent presenter and host. Who knows, a few years down the line she might have her own talk show and maybe, just maybe, she might make a name for herself in the world of comedy. The sky is the limit, Renee!
#6 She appeared in the music video of Behind These Hazel Eyes
In 2005, Young played a cameo in the music video of Kelly Clarkson’s hit single Behind These Hazel Eyes. Clarkson rose to fame after winning the inaugural edition of American Idoll and "Behind These Hazel Eyes" was the second single of her successful album Breakaway, which was released in 2004.
Behind These Hazel Eyes was a smash hit and even reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Apart from this, Renee has also appeared in a music video for noted Canadian comedian Tom Green. Not only that, she has also featured in commercials for Oxy and Noxzema.