Renee Young's first gig in WWE was alongside Gene Okerlund as the hosts of WWE Vintage.
Okerlund served as a mentor to Renee, who went on to wear many hats in WWE similar to the roles Okerlund occupied through his time in WWE and WCW.
Speaking on The Bump, Renee discussed her relationship with 'Mean' Gene.
"The very first job I did was hosting Vintage with Gene Okerlund. The network I worked for in Toronto aired Vintage, so I knew the show and was familiar with it. So when they said, 'you're going to work with Gene Okerlund on Vintage,' I was like, 'What? Me? What are you talking about?' I will always remember that first time, I was actually Renee Paquette, on-air, one time for WWE before I became Renee Young. To have Gene Okerlund welcome me on as Renee Paquette, I was shaking in my boots, I was nervous. I didn't really know what to do with myself. We worked on the show for like five years, we'd all go out to dinner after, have cocktails and eat food. He would regal us with all his stories like riding with Andre [The Giant] and [Hulk] Hogan. As much as Gene Okerlund is such a presence on-air, it was the time between takes that would crack me up. The stuff that would fly out of his mouth, off the cuff, he never lost his sharpness, he always had me in stitches," she recalled.
Unfortunately, Okerlund passed away on January 2, 2019.
Renee finished up with WWE following SummerSlam is on to new ventures, including her upcoming cookbook. You can learn more about her cookbook by clicking here.
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