Renee Paquette on Taking Classes to Get Rid of Her Canadian Accent for WWE Programming

– During a recent Q&A on her Oral Sessions podcast, former WWE broadcaster Renee Paquette (aka Renee Young) Below are some highlights (h/t WrestlingInc.com).

On how she became interested in wrestling: “So, I guess I got interested in wrestling probably back in what would’ve been, I was in fourth grade? ’95, I would’ve been in fourth grade, something like that. I was very much into wrestling at that point. It was Undertaker, Stone Cold, The Rock was coming in. I remember all my friends loving Kane, big Kane fans. I think it was a Monday Night RAW in Toronto. I got to go with my dad. He was a concert promoter and he worked all of the arenas in Toronto. So, I got to hang backstage and meeting, Mick Foley and Chyna. I will always remember that so vividly.”

On her favorite wrestling character: “The character I always look back to is Goldust. To me, he’s always been my favorite. I have a whole different level of respect for what he does now. First of all, in terms of the way he still moves and what he pulls off in the ring is amazing, but the way he truly cares and helps the next generation. I love watching him work with people like that. He just loves wrestling, but my own fandom, Goldust was my absolute favorite.”

Renee Paquette on WWE having her take classes to get ride of her Canadian accent: “When I first signed to WWE, they made me take classes to get rid of my Canadian accent. I’m sure it’s more than it is now, but it was very faint and everything. I had to go to Manhattan once a week with this woman and she had to give me words I have to read during the week to make sure that I didn’t mispronounce vowels.”

On her in-ring segment where she slapped The Miz: “The only in-ring thing I ever did was when I slapped Mike [The Miz], which I said this in interviews before, I actually missed when I slapped him. He just sold it like a champ, because that’s The Miz. That’s what he does. He’s amazing. So, I was nervous going out to do that, because I never slapped someone in the face. As an adult, I have not had to strike anybody. So, I was a little bit nervous when I had to it. Everyone’s like, ‘Just make sure when you clock back, you don’t take your eye off your target.’ My dumba– clocks back and moves my head back. When I swung, I had no target and missed, but nobody would know. It was close. I grazed him.”