WWE News: Rene Dupree reveals WWE used to plant fans to cheer for CM Punk
Former WWE Tag Team Champion and member of the tag team ‘La Resistance’, Rene Dupree recently did an interview with Hannibal TV. In the interview Dupree released some rather interesting things about his time with the company, including claims that he saw his employers in the WWE planting people in the crowds of their own shows to chant for CM Punk who had departed from the company after getting embroiled in a bad blood feud with the higher ups in the WWE.
Dupree only said he worked with Punk a hand full of times, but was shocked to hear that his fellow WWE Superstar had parted ways with the company at the height of his career:
"Ya we did work together a few times," Dupree said. "On the outside looking in, as an independent wrestler you're like 'what the? But you think of it when you're there, you understand. Was he right to go on a podcast and tell his story? I think a lot of people wanted to know about it yeah, a lot of people were interested but now he's being sued,” he was quoted saying by wrestlinginc.com.
After Punk departed Dupree then went on to claim that the WWE planted fans during TV tapings to cheer Punk’s name, creating a ‘ripple effect’ that would eventually have the whole arena chanting ‘The Cult Of Personality’s’ name:
"Yeah. They would do chants, and then it's like a ripple effect. They hear chants, chants, chants and then try and get the people up. CM Punk or ECW shirts, I'd see like three or four guys scattered around the arena. And I was like 'wow', but I guess if you really want to get somebody over."
We know that Punk has since departed from the world of professional wrestling, and had an unsuccessful bout against welterweight prospect Mickey Gall in their main event clash at UFC 203. Dupree says that he did watch the fight, and says that opposed to Punk the one man from the WWE who has the credentials to step inside the Octagon is none other than Brock Lesnar:
"I think Michael Lansburg is really happy about the outcome," Dupree said with a laugh. "He (Brock Lesnar) had credentials, Brock was an NCAA wrestler. The guy knows how -- and wrestling as you know is one of the greatest combat martial arts there is.
“Punk I don't believe played sports in high school, I don't believe he was ever involved in a really hard fight. But the thing is I'm hearing he was doing like comic books and he was doing movie roles. You have to dedicate yourself 24/7 to this. You're not in there with some chump off the street, you're in there with a guy who's had legitimate fights and is a tough guy.
“Plus the fact that he is involved in a lawsuit, he had too many distractions. Plus he's 38-years-old, he's had hip surgery, knee surgery, he was an independent wrestler 16 or 17 years. I can guarantee he has at least 16 or 17 concussions. The odds were not in his favor. But he went and did it, that was something off his bucket list and maybe it's his last fight, maybe it's not I don't know."
You can check out Dupree’s interview here below:
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