Renee Jane Paquette is a Canadian-American television personality. She is signed to

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...

(AEW) as a backstage interviewer and pre-show panelist. She was previously known for her time in

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

between 2012 and 2020, where she served as a commentator, presenter, and interviewer under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

Renee Young. During her time in WWE, Young also appeared as a main cast member on the reality TV series ''

Total Divas ''Total Divas'' is an American reality television series that aired from July 28, 2013, to December 10, 2019, on E!. The series gave viewers an inside look into the lives of female WWE wrestlers from their work within WWE to their person ...

''. Before signing with WWE, she was a sports broadcaster for The Score Television Network.

Early life

Renee Jane Paquette was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. After high school, she applied to several colleges and began training in

improv comedy Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv or impro in British English, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted, created spontaneously by the performers. In its ...

. At the age of 19, she relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to pursue a career as a comedic actress, but later moved back to Toronto and auditioned for films, music videos, and commercials there instead. After becoming frustrated with her lack of auditions, she became interested in broadcasting instead of acting.

Career

The Score Television Network (2009–2012)

Paquette began working for The Score Television Network in 2009 on a program called ''Right After Wrestling'', later renamed ''Aftermath'', where she presented alongside broadcasters

Arda Ocal Arda Ocal (; born May 7, 1981) is a Canadian television personality, broadcaster, announcer, and writer. He previously worked in WWE under the stage name Kyle Edwards, as well as the host of ''Aftermath TV'' on Sportsnet 360 and ''The MSG Hockey ...

and Mauro Ranallo as well as former

referee Jimmy Korderas.

WWE (2012–2020)

Paquette signed with the American

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

promotion

in October 2012, where she was initially given the

Renee Sterling before choosing the name Renee Young (a nod to

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

). Her first appearance was as a co-host on the 2012 Survivor Series pre-show alongside Scott Stanford. Young then debuted on the January 23, 2013, episode of '' NXT'' as a backstage interviewer. She began performing interviews exclusively for WWE Active in February 2013. Renee made her '' SmackDown'' debut on the March 29 episode, interviewing

Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He has been signed to WWE since 2000, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. Orton is widely regarded as one of t ...

Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) f ...

, and

Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on th ...

Young began co-hosting the World Tour segments, which was a segment detailing the city they were filming in, showcasing various tourist attractions, before later being promoted as a third main presenter on the ''JBL and Cole Show'', which was shown on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

and WWE's website, until its cancellation in June 2015. It received a

Slammy Award The Slammy Awards, also known as the Slammys, is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy and Grammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers and other individuals within WWE, such as commentators and managers. Introduced i ...

for Favorite Web Show of the Year. She also presented '' WWE Vintage Collection'' alongside

Gene Okerlund Eugene Arthur Okerlund (December 19, 1942 – January 2, 2019) was an American professional wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host. He was best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and World Champi ...

. In September 2013, Young made her commentary debut on ''NXT''. She began performing color commentary during women's matches, before later becoming a full-time color commentator on ''NXT'' for several months. From July 3, 2014, to January 9, 2015, Young served as a color commentator on '' Superstars'', alongside Tom Phillips, which made her WWE's first full-time female announcer in more than a decade. In April 2015, Young began hosting her own

WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, a division of TKO Group Holdings. The service relied on technology develo ...

show, ''Unfiltered with Renee Young'', in which she interviews fellow WWE employees. In June, Young served as the co-host of the sixth season of '' Tough Enough'', alongside

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...

. On the December 20, 2016, episode of ''SmackDown'', Young interviewed

WWE Intercontinental Champion The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#Location-specific championships, championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promo ...

The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...

following his successful title defense against Apollo Crews. After Young asked Miz about his "obsession" with

Dean Ambrose Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Champion in his record-setting fourth ...

, Miz sarcastically responded by revealing Young and Ambrose's real-life relationship, prompting her to slap Miz. On December 27, Young was confronted by The Miz's real-life wife, Maryse, backstage on ''SmackDown''. Maryse slapped Young the following week in retaliation, for which she was fined. Young filled in for

Jonathan Coachman Jonathan William Coachman (born August 12, 1973), also known as "The Coach", is an American sports analyst and former professional wrestling personality. Early life Before embarking on an announcing career in professional wrestling, Coachman w ...

as a guest commentator on the August 13, 2018, episode of '' Raw'', making her the first woman to call an entire episode of ''Raw''. Young joined the ''Raw'' commentary team full-time the following month and became the first permanent female commentator on the program. Beginning in October 2019, Young moved to ''SmackDown'' as a "special contributor" and began co-hosting the new studio program '' WWE Backstage'' on

Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 1 (branded on-air as FS1) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Fox Sports (United States), Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. FS1 airs an array of live sporting events, including Majo ...

with

Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to * Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century ** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T." * Booker T. Jones (born 194 ...

. On November 1, 2019, Young filled in as commentator on ''SmackDown'', as Michael Cole and

Corey Graves Matthew Polinsky (born February 24, 1984) is an American wrestling color commentator and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under the ring name Corey Graves as the color commentator on th ...

missed the episode due to travel delays returning from Crown Jewel. Young announced her departure from WWE at

SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...

in August 2020, stating that the event would be her last appearance with the company. Young explained that she left WWE because of the cancelation of ''WWE Backstage'' and that she felt that she had accomplished everything in WWE.

Post-WWE work (2021–present)

Paquette, as Renee Young, returned for a special '' SmackDown'' pre-show on Friday, October 16, co-hosting the kickoff show alongside

as a part of the celebration of season two of '' SmackDown'' on

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

. Paquette made a special appearance on the return of '' WWE Backstage'', for the January 30, 2021, episode, promoting the upcoming

Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...

, with her returning co-hosts Paige, and Booker T. In 2021, Paquette began her own podcast ''Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette'' (later renamed ''The Sessions with Renee Paquette''). In addition to the podcast, she created her own

channel to accompany the audio episodes in the form of video clips, and full podcast episodes, under the channel name of ''Renee Paquette''. In September 2021, she also began hosting a show on

Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...

with former

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games *Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *' ...

and

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Women's Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate called ''Throwing Down with Renee and Miesha''.

All Elite Wrestling (2022–present)

On October 12, 2022,

Tony Khan Antony Rafiq Khan (born October 10, 1982) is an American businessman, sports executive, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the founder, co-owner, president, CEO, executive producer, and head booker of All Elite Wrestling ...

confirmed via his social media account that Paquette had signed with

(AEW). She made her debut the same night on ''

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

''.

Other media

Before joining The Score, Paquette worked for

BiteTV Makeful is a Canadian pay television channel owned by Blue Ant Media focused on lifestyle programming relating to do-it-yourself projects such as food, design, style, and crafts in connection with maker culture (from which the channel takes its na ...

, where she presented a show about extreme sports and music called ''Rippin' It-N-Lippin' It'' during 2008 and 2009. She appeared in a commercial for Oxy and had a part in a

Tom Green Michael Thomas Green (born July 30, 1971) is a Canadian and American comedian, show host, actor, filmmaker, podcaster, and rapper. After pursuing stand-up comedy and music as a young adult, Green created and hosted '' The Tom Green Show'', whi ...

music video. Prior to this, she had a cameo in the music video for

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...

's 2005 song " Behind These Hazel Eyes". She also appeared in a national

Noxzema Noxzema ( ) is an American brand of skin cleanser marketed by Elida Beauty. Since 1914, it was sold in a small cobalt blue jar; but is now sold in a blue plastic jar. Noxzema contains camphor, menthol, phenol and eucalyptus, among other ingredien ...

commercial and did a photoshoot for '' Toro Magazine''. In 2016, Paquette began appearing as a main cast member for the sixth season of ''

''. She had previously appeared in several episodes on a recurring basis. She also hosted the podcast ''Regular Girls'' with Stacy McGunnigle.

Personal life

Paquette began dating American professional wrestler Jonathan Good (better known as

Jon Moxley Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Championship, AEW World Champion in his ...

and formerly Dean Ambrose) in 2013. They were married at their

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

home in an impromptu ceremony in April 9, 2017. In November 2020, Paquette and Good announced that they were expecting their first child. Their daughter, Nora Murphy Good, was born on June 15, 2021. Paquette is a fan of the

Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division ...

ice hockey team. On being a wrestling fan in both her childhood and adulthood, she said, "I attended a few events and

WrestleMania VI WrestleMania VI was a 1990 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the sixth annual WrestleMania and took place on April 1, 1990, at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Can ...

. My father is a concert promoter and he used to get me into events. I recall being backstage and meeting

Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...

Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...

Chyna Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016), also known as Joanie Laurer, was an American professional wrestler, fitness model, bodybuilder, actress, adult actress, and television personality. Chyna first rose to pr ...

, & Trish Stratus as a kid, so it's really funny to me that I ended up here. I went down a distinct path than wanting to be a WWE Superstar." In March 2021, Renee reported that she became an American citizen. In May, she posted her cookbook ''Messy in the Kitchen: My Guide to Eating Deliciously, Hosting Fabulously and Sipping Copiously''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Awards and accomplishments

for Favorite Web Show of the Year (

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

) – with Michael Cole and John "Bradshaw" Layfield for ''The JBL and Cole Show''

Bibliography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paquette, Renee All Elite Wrestling personnel Canadian colour commentators Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian sports announcers Canadian television reporters and correspondents Canadian women podcasters Canadian podcasters Canadian women television journalists Canadian YouTubers Naturalized citizens of the United States American color commentators American sports announcers American television reporters and correspondents American women podcasters American sports podcasters American women television journalists American YouTubers Living people Female professional wrestling announcers Professional wrestling podcasters Sportspeople from Toronto Canadian Twitch (service) streamers Canadian cookbook writers Canadian women food writers 21st-century American women journalists 21st-century American journalists Year of birth missing (living people) American Twitch (service) streamers YouTubers from Toronto American cookbook writers 21st-century American women writers