This interview was filmed in December of 2012. It is an hour and a half long
The interview starts with Dupree being asked about his earliest memories of wrestling. His father, Emile Dupree, was the promoter of the Maritimes promotion in Canada. He said he was going to shows for as long as he could remember. He also remembered as a kid, guys like Harley Race and Dynamite Kid at his house drinking with his dad.
The interview starts with Dupree being asked about his earliest memories of wrestling. His father, Emile Dupree, was the promoter of the Maritimes promotion in Canada. He said he was going to shows for as long as he could remember. He also remembered as a kid, guys like Harley Race and Dynamite Kid at his house drinking with his dad.
He is asked
how old he was when he met the Dynamite Kid. Dupree said it after his WWF run
in the late 80’s.
He would
travel with his dad in an RV. They had two, one for the heels and another one
for the faces. They would travel with the heels and he said back then, the fans
were really into it and would throw stuff at their RV when they left. They ran
four provinces, New Brusnwick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Eastern
Quebec.
When asked
what age his dad smartened him up to the business, he said when he was
thirteen, he spent the whole Summer setting up the ring and traveling with his
dad, Bad News Brown and Rip Rogers. He would be quiet and soak up all their
knowledge
He said that
Bad News was cranky most of the time. He then tells a story of being at a show
and a little kid pushed him in the ass and Bad News took his head up against
the wall and told him to keep his hands to himself. Rene also said that he
would sleep most of the day and spend most of the night bashing Vince McMahon.
He said that
Rip Rogers would always drink milk and kept himself in shape. He also said that
he always read the dirt-sheets, which he refers to as the “stooge reports.”
Rene said
that he wanted to be a wrestler as soon as he saw Masahiro Chono work. He was
wowed by his springboard back elbow smash.
He started
training with weights at age 11. He then said that his dad taught him how to
give a bodyslam.
He then
started to train as a wrestler and had his first match at age 14. He didn’t use
a ring but it was a canvas on top of carpets on the grass. He said that his dad
was stiff during training but you knew how to sell as a result. He then says
that you learn the most in front of people.
The
territory ran seven nights a week and they would work twice a night. They were
seasonal and went from May to September.
His first
match was against a guy named Wildman Williams, someone is dad trained a year
prior.
He said he
never wanted to quit because he loved it too much. He would go to school,
workout for a bit, go to a van and do homework then get home around 11 and go
to school the next day.
When asked
if kids knew about his dad, they said not really and that hockey was the
biggest thing in Canada.
He said that
no one took liberties with him in the ring but then says he never had friends
either. He said that he was 14 and most of the guys were in their 20’s and 30’s
then said that being a promoter’s son was another reason.
Rene said he
learned a ton from the Cuban Assassin. Rene said veterans like that are missing
in wrestling today. He said that he accidentally stiffed him once but he still
worked every night. He tagged with Leo Burke a few times and said that
everything he did meant something.
He said that
the promotion did a decent business. He said that in the 1970’s, his dad worked
with the Poffo’s and said his dad was Lanny’s best man at his wedding.
When asked
about Dynamite Kid’s behaviors, Rene said that he was nice to him and once gave
him his ring jacket. He also said that at times he would scream out loud during
the van rides but he wasn’t allowed in the locker room at that time.
Rene said that
every season he would fight for his dad to keep running. His dad wasn’t making
any money and that the glory days of territories were over.
When asked
how he wound up with the WWE, Rene said that his dad received a call from Carl
DeMarco, who was in the WWE, and asked him to train Rodney Blackbeard and Glenn
Kulka. Rene said they looked like a million bucks but couldn’t work. His dad
then said when Rene turned 18, they would give him a look. Rene said when he
was 18, he was a bodybuilding champion and they sent some tapes but nothing
happened out of that. After that, his dad talked with Lanny Poffo, who was
friends with Molly Holly, and said he was worthwhile, to let him know. They
liked the tape and gave it to Johnny Ace and he got invited to a tryout camp.
Rene is
asked about his memories of OVW. He said that he liked it there. He got called
up after 10 months. Rip Rogers was there and Rene said Rip told him he would be
dead before he turned 35, because he was ripped to shreds. Rene was asked if he
was all gassed up and he said that he was but felt that he had to. Rene said no one told him too but thinks that
might he part of the reason that he got hired in the first place.
Some of the
guys in OW with him were Charlie Haas, Lance Cade, Seven, Tyson Tomko, Matt
Morgan, Nick Dinsmore, Rob Conway, and the Bashams. He was asked if Cena was
there and said he just got called up but did work a few matches with him when
Cena was using his “Mr. P.” gimmick. Dupree likes Cena and refers to him as an “All-American
Boy” and thinks that is part of the reason why Vince pushes him.
He is asked
about Nova. Rene said that he liked him a lot but became a dick once he became
in charge of Developmental.
He is asked
about Lance Cade. Rene said he misses him but Cade loved the business and just
got caught up. They were teaming up in OVW and got put together with Kenny
Bolin. They worked a few dark matches and thinks that they were originally
going to be brought up as a tag-team. They worked against the APA while in OVW.
Rene is
asked about Bradshaw and if he was a bully. Rene said that he was an asshole.
He recalls doing an interview in Japan an few years back and how he was
miserable the last three years of the company because of him. He said that Bradshaw
would call him a “French Faggot” every day in the locker room when he was on
Smackdown. He was asked if he ever went to the office and he said no. Rene said
he was quiet and shy and that may have come across as being arrogant. He also
just turned 21 before going over.
He was asked
about Tommy Dreamer. He said that he was depressed and told Rene once that he
hated the company because they took all of his passion away, something Rene
felt a few years later. Rene thought he didn’t like him but Rob said that he
does, because they are friends and asked about him before the interview. Rene
said that once during a match against Dreamer, he got sarcastically thanked by
him about that being a highlight of his career. Rene then said he is a natural
heel, but doesnt mean to come across that way. He said he will order food,
noting how he eats a ton of egg whites and for his steak to be steamed and that
waitresses will start crying and he has no idea what he did.
He is asked
about Jim Cornette in OVW. He tells a story of how he once called him for
advice and he didn’t answer. Cornette called him back and they spoke for a
half-hour but Cornette had no idea he was using a Canadian phone and when he
got his phone bill, it was a $185. Rene said that he paid the bill for him. He
liked Cornette.
Rene is
asked about Sylvain Grenier. He first met him in a tryout Camp. He then says
how he is from the Maritimes and Grenier from Montreal and they speak French differently.
He said that his French was more of a Cajun style and that Grenier could not
understand him. He then said that most from Montreal would look down upon him
when he spoke. Rene said Sylvain was cocky but okay then says he was extremely lucky
as he met Pat Patterson on a golf course and his first three matches were at
WWE house shows, went to OVW for a week and got called up for the La Resistance
gimmick. Rene said that Sylvain was not a fan of wrestling and that his dad
spoke to him about wrestling and he did not do anything. Rene then adds how he hasn’t
watched wrestling for a few years but from what he hears, 75% of the roster did
not grow up as fans either.
Rene tells a
story of how he was overseas during a tour, he ended up oversleeping after a
night of partying with two German girls. The hotel concierge woke him up and informed
in that he missed the bus. Apparently, Johnny Ace asked Grenier where his
partner was and he told Johnny that sometimes, wrestlers take pills. Rene does
a pretty funny Johnny Ace impersonation.
He is now
asked about the rumors of Pat Patterson and Sylvain Grenier and their relationship
outside of the ring. Rene said that he doesn’t believe that one bit.
When asked
about Chris Kanyon, Rene said that he was a good guy who gave him a lot in his
matches. He said that he had no idea he was gay but it wouldn’t have mattered
anyway.
Rene is now
asked about his RAW debut when La Resistance attacked Scott Steiner. He said
that was how to get a new team over. He liked Scott the tells a story during
their first PPV match. Rene said that if you go to Steinermania on YouTube, you
can hear Steiner say “fuck off” and that was to him. During the match, the
referee told Steiner a bunch of times that he had to go to the heat but he ignored
him and when Rene said it that was when he yelled then he shook him off. He
said during that same match, Test slapped him in the ear and he couldn’t hear
for a few days.
He liked
working against RVD & Kane. He said that they had a three minute match at a
PPV against them but the following night, worked the main event on RAW. Rene said
that it was really cool working the main event on RAW at age 19. He was also
the youngest WWE wrestler to ever hold a title. He said that RVD knocked him
out once with a kick and that he was backstage in the training room and would
introduce himself to everyone who went by and shake their hand except for Chris
Nowinski.
Rene was
asked if he was for Rob Conway joining the group. He said he was cool with it
and didn’t really give a shit either way. He said that he was ambitious at the
time where Sylvain was laid back. He then said that Sylvain went off the road
with a neck injury and he joked that he teamed with Rob, usually on job duty.
When asked
about Vince McMahon, he said that he would give him dirty looks. He also notes that
Vince has an aura about him and doesn’t know if it because of the protein diet because
HHH has the same aura about him. He then tells a story about when he main
evented RAW that Vince approached him and said that Sylvain was a bit different
and that he would be here for the long run.
He is asked
if Bubba Ray Dudley was an asshole. Rene said not with him and said that Bubba
has a good mind for the business and would be a great agent someday.
He liked
Rosey a lot but thought Shane was just okay. He said that Shane always tried to
get in his moves, which Rene didn’t mind if it happened at house shows but on
TV, he just wanted to do what the office wanted. I have watched a few shoot interviews
that have basically said the same thing about Helms too.
He is asked
about working against Booker T & RVD. It took a minute for Rene to remember
that he teaming with Kenzo Suzuki against RVD and Rey Mysterio. Rene said that Kenzo
is hilarious and that they met up in Japan recently and gave each other a hug
in the locker room and the other Japanese wrestlers looked confused because
they do not watch the WWE and had no idea they teamed together.
He is asked
about Shane McMahon. Rene said that Shane gave him the Van Terminator once and
asked him after the match if he got stiffed and when Rene said no, Shane looked
sad. Rene thinks that Shane might be Bipolar, because he was either really high
or really low regarding his mood.
At first,
Chris Jericho did not like him because he believed Rene’s dad did not use him
after sending in tapes. Rene said that his dad didn’t run at the time and after
that, he was okay with him.
Back to
being a promoter’s kid, Rene said a few people gave him shit for that and when
he worked for his dad, he was making $200 a week while everyone else was
getting $500, which is the same as WWE Developmental.
Rene said
that Mark Jindrak was a pussy magnet and for that reason, would like to hang
around with him. He also said that Jindrak was a funny guy too.
He is asked
about being for or against the move to Smackdown. Rene said he didn’t care
either way. His first match was against Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio put it
over backstage. Rene liked Rey, calling him a positive person.
On
Smackdown, he traveled with Paul London then with Carlito. After that, he rode
with Bob Holly, Billy Gunn, and Jamie Noble.
Rene is
asked about London being out of his mind near the end of his WWE run. Rene said
that he was always that way but when he did drugs, he just didn’t care. Rene
considers Paul his one friend in wrestling. He said that when Paul opened up to
him on the road, he knew he was out there but that was why he liked him.
He is asked
about the Café de Rene segments. He said it was something different to use
while he feuded with Cena. He was asked if he saw potential in Cena and recalls
that he was at a bar in Canada watching Cena vs. Kurt Angle and knew he would
be a star.
He is asked
about winning the tag belts from RVD and Rey Mysterio. Rene said at that time,
he was sick of taking steroids and stopped then lost some weight. He said that
Michael Hayes approached him frantically backstage if he lost weight and Rene
told him that he switched to an all fish diet. He then said he went to Pat Patterson
and told him he didn’t want to take them anymore. Rene said that you are
supposed to kayfabe people backstage about taking roids.
Rene flat
out admits that he is a drug addict, noting that he has been to rehab three
times but did enjoy taking steroids, stating they made him feel good but at the
time, he got sick of taking them.
Rene said that
when Eddie Guerrero died, he took all of the roids and HGH he had that he
tossed away. He then said that he gave away some of it to other guys but
refused to give any names. He said that the cried a lot when Eddie died but couldn’t
go to the funeral because he went to one in his life and couldn’t handle it. He
then claims to have spent a $2,500 on a flower arrangement from his entire
family. He said that he related to Eddie as their dads were both promoters.
He is asked
about the Afghanistan tour. He said that he had a broken nose and he got food
poisoning then got heat from the office for not singing Christmas Carol’s.
He was asked
about his angle with the Undertaker when he got sacrificed. Rene said it was a
childhood dream to work with him. Rene said when he was a kid, he would have the
other kids on the playground hit him in the jaw as hard as they could so he
could use his no-sell gimmick. Rene is asked if he was the locker room leader
and he confirmed that. Rene also said that some of the guys tested him once and
Rene found all of his clothes in the shower soaking wet. He said this was when the
dress code first stated and he went out and bought expensive clothes and most
of them got ruined. He is asked if he knew who did it and Rene was told by
someone that it was Billy Gunn but doesn’t know for sure.
He thought
Spike Dudley was cool but had a bit of a drinking problem and thinks that might
be why he got fired. He said that Paul London was supposed to have a match
against him once and went up to the office and said he couldn’t have a match
with him as he was drunk.
Rene is
asked about when he got taken off the road, he started to experience a ton of
anxiety as a lot of guys were getting released and was afraid he was next. He said
that he started to smoke a ton of weed and adds that he has an addictive
personality.
He is asked
about drugs and Rene said that first time he ever got fucked up on somas was
with Bob Holly. He had taken them a few times in the past but never experienced
the “soma coma.” He was in a hotel in Seattle and said Bob offered him some
somas when he complained of back pain. Rene asked him how much he should take
and Bob said he took five so Rene took that much and woke up hours later and
saw Bob and Luther Reigns standing around then went to his room. He said that after
the soma’s he didn’t want to ride with Bob anymore as he knew he got easily get
addicted due to his addictive personality. He said that Bob got mad at him for
not wanting to ride and word got to the office that he had a pill problem. Rene
said that Bob was known for “stoogeing off” guys to the office. Rene then said
Bob would asks guys for gimmicks then go report them to the office. He said
that he did that to Heidenreich, Jindrak, and Reigns. Others such as Nova, Heidenreich, and Ken Kennedy have also accused Bob of the same thing. After that, he talked
with Vince McMahon, who told Rene that there wasn’t a drug that he hadn’t tried
and sometimes to have to raise some hell
Rene then
talks about his incident with Bob Holly. He said that he got a parking ticket
after being at the gym then panicked as he didn’t know what to do and that they
were fining guys who were arriving late. He also had no idea what to do when he
got a ticket so asked the hairdresser what to do and she told him to throw it
away and he did. What a dumb fuck, it tells you what to do on the back of the
ticket if you don’t have a clue. Anyway, a few months later at the airport in
Dallas, Bob was out of his mind and screaming and swearing, with kids and
families also around, that he got a ticket and had to pay $800. Rene said he
told Bob he would pay for the ticket but doesn’t think that Bob heard him. They
had a match shortly after that when Bob gave him a black eye. Rene said that in
the match, Bob put him in a front facelock then lit him up with a few punches. Rene
went to the floor then Bob hit him from behind in the head with a chair then
started to kick him repeatedly and told Rene not to fuck with him again. Rene
said he got right up and went to the finish then told Finlay, who was the
agent, to change the fucking match then outran Holly to the locker room. Holly
got a few more shots from behind before Kurt Angle broke things up.
Rene is
asked about his new look, when he wore black trunks and had a goatee. He said
he wanted to stand out with a different look. He mostly wrestled on Velocity.
He came back
to RAW and wrestled against Val Venis. Rene said that the match was supposed to
highlight him but it was 50/50. Rene said that over time, he learned that you
half to be more selfish to get yourself over. He puts over Val for being a good
worker.
He calls
Matt Striker a sweet-talker, noting how he would always talk up people and get
stuff like free tanning sessions and lotions. He loved Tajiri and remembers a
match they had in Nashville in which Tajiri put over Rene for being just as
good as HHH.
Rene is
asked about Shawn Michaels. He said that he once asked Shawn his opinion of a
match against Tajiri. Shawn told Rene that sometimes, you shouldn’t bump for
certain people. He then said that Shawn was a good person to go to for advice
and could tell if you had a lot of passion.
He said he
suffered a hernia when he went to slam Mordecai and he dead-weighted him. After
he recovered, he went to OVW to train.
Back to Rene’s
addcition problems, he said that the first time he took a pain pill was when he
trained in HWA. He was wrestling against Brian Kendrick and took a Slaughter bump
in the corner but forgot to cover his mouth and lost some teeth. They gave him
a script for Vicodin but he didn’t feel any pain. He tried it anyway and said
it felt nice then took the bottle to the apartments with the other wrestlers
and they all surrounded him like little dogs. That was when he realized the
power those drugs had on people. He then said that after the incident in the
match with Bob, he got a script for Vicodin with five refills.
Rene said
that being a wrestler in the United States is very easy for getting scripts for
painkillers. He said in Canada, it is tough, but in the U.S., you just give the
doctor “the tape” and he will put you on all sorts of stuff. He got scripts for
Vicodin and Somas. After that, he got hooked on Somas.
He is asked
if drugs effected his career. Rene said you cannot think clearly on drugs.
He was asked
about his older brother Jeff trying to break into the business. Rene said that
he tried but that the business is rough and can really fuck you up. He didn’t want
to seem to talk about this at all but luckily for him, Rob Feinstein was
conducting the interview and only sticks to his script of questions.
Rene was
asked about working for the ECW brand. They bring up the vignettes in which he
looked at his physique in the mirror. He said he just did what he was told and didn’t
care where he worked as he just wanted to make money. He then adds that he made
no money working that brand.
Rene liked
Balls Mahoney and called him a good worker but noted that his hygiene wasn’t always
the best.
He said that
he and Sylvain were supposed to win the ECW tag belts and they had a debut
match but at that point, his drug problem was out of control and got fucked up
on somas. At that point, he found a dealer who sold him Somas. During the
match, his balls actually fell out of his tights. He said that Sylvain got the
tights made but they were too small for him. He said that Nova called him up
and called him a stupid motherfucker. He then said he did not get fired over
this. He then called up the office and said he had a problem. They sent him to
a rehab in Tennessee but he got kicked out for having a bad attitude. Rene said
it was a spiritual rehab and he did not want that, saying it was for hippies.
He wanted to go to a rehab in Atlanta where Eddie Guerrero and William Regal
went and stayed there for three months.
After
getting out of rehab, the Chris Benoit tragedy happened. He said he wasn’t really
close with him then offers his opinion on what happened. Rene said that they
found wine bottles and multiple drugs, including Xanax in his system. Rene said
from his own experience, you black out from taking Xanax with alcohol. He
believes that Benoit got into a fight with his wife and notes how his
testosterone levels were ten times higher than normal due to steroids and when
you add up all those factors, including the fact that his wife was filing for
divorce, they got into a fight and Benoit killed her then woke up the next day,
realized what happened then gave his kid a Xanax, noting how there was Xanax in
his kid’s system, then choked him to death before killing himself. Rene also
adds that the timeline of the deaths took place over a couple of days.
Rene is
asked about the WWE wellness policy. He said that it is great and that no
matter what they think, they influence all of wrestling because it is the only
place that makes money.
He is then
asked about growth hormone, Rene said that it is a big problem but they will
not test for it in WWE because it is too expensive.
He was asked
about Lance Cade’s death. He found out after his wife called him when he landed
in the airport. He said that he cried the entire time.
When he went
to Japan, he said that he was drunk every day. He then notes that he has been
clean for six months. He then brings up an interview he did that he trashed
everyone while he was all messed up on Xanax and Halcyons. Rene said what’s
done is done and has moved on.
Rene is
asked about going down to FCW after rehab. He said the facility was in a
warehouse with two rings. He notes that they were stacks of canned goods in the
corner. He notes guys like Harry Smith, Tyson Kidd, Natalya, and Teddy Hart
were down there.
He said that
he first met Teddy when he was 17. Teddy told him about the MatRats promotion
and they flew Rene in for a match. Eric Bischoff was there as was Jason Hervey
and Teddy picked him up at the airport in a banged-up Acura then asked him if
he smoked pot. Rene said that Teddy smokes way too much pot and that is what
holds him back, as it messes you up. He
also believes deep down that Teddy has a good heart.
Rene said he
was miserable at the time. He said that having people dying and others messing
with his stuff made him feel that way. He also said that someone stuck is
French flag in the toilet. He called Johnny Ace and asked him for his release.
Johnny gave him a week to decide and Rene said that he wanted to go to Japan.
Johnny said that they would look to bring him back in a year or two.
Rene went to
Japan and loved it, noting how he got a tattoo of the country on his chest. He
teamed with Scott Norton for a bit. He then said the style his really stiff but
he didn’t want to take pain pills, noting how the pain pills in Japan are weak.
He is asked about drug problems and said that they just drink like fish.
He said he
liked Randy Orton but was pissed when he asked him to see his dad, who wanted
to show him some old pictures. He said that Orton apologized to him later on.
He said he
got along okay with HHH and Stephanie. He is asked if HHH was one of the boys
and Rene said that HHH had few friends in the locker room but noted how many in
his position don’t have friends.
Rene is
asked about CM Punk. He said that he was Paul Heyman’s boy and how they tried
forever to get him over. He tells a story of when Punk debuted on ECW, Rene
watched from the arena and noticed the chants for Punk then noticed a few guys
come out from each side of the arena wearing “ECW” shirts chanting for Punk for
a minute, then they removed their shirts and left. Rene noted that Heyman was
known for putting “plants” in the audience. He said that when he was in OVW
recovering, Heyman would take all of the students and sit in front of the hard
camera then tell them how to react to the wrestlers, while all of the fans
would sit on the sides, away from the camera. Heyman would also open the doors
20 minutes late on Wednesdays, when the WWE agents would come down to scout, so
that they would see a huge line of fans when they arrived. Rene said that
Heyman was a master at perception.
He liked
Steve Austin and said that he once called him up on Christmas break and he was
drunk. Rene said that his friends were around and that it was a mark-out moment
for him. Rene went to talk to him about it afterwards but Austin said he didn’t
know what he was talking about.
He is asked
about working a show for Dragon Gate in Mexico. He said he did a few spots with
Mistico in his match.
He said that
he has no hard feelings against Vince McMahon and bashed him in that infamous
interview. Rene said when he gets messed up, he starts thinking about the past
and all the bad things that have happened. He notes that when Vince took the TV
slot away from his dad, his family had a few rough years, noting how his dad
drank a lot after that.
He tells a
road story when he was riding with Paul London after a PPV. London was older
and rented a car, which was a shitbox Chevy Cavalier that had all of the check
engine lights on from the secondhand shop. Cena pulled up right next to them,
who Dupree wrestled at the PPV, in an SUV and looked over at them before
driving away.
Rene asks
about the independents in the states and Feinstein tells him that they are
terrible. Rene is wrestling his first match in the U.S in five years. He says
that he is excited to be in the states again.
Rene is
asked about any regrets. He said that he is only 28 years old and has whole
career ahead of him. Feinstein then tells him that he has a copy of the Bob
Holly shoot to give him when he leaves. Rene asked if Holly bashed him and
Feinstein claims he cannot remember. He tells Rene that he has a seminar with
Bob coming up and Rene tells a story of how Bob did not know what a “one-two”
meant, which Rene says is the first thing you learn in wrestling. It is when
you hit a guy and he registers then you hit him again. Rene calls Bob a solid
WWE-style worker.
He finishes
by asking if he has an accent, then when told no, Rene tells HHH that he does
not need a French flag to get heat, which is what HHH told him. Feinstein tells
him that he looks like Luke Perry and that basically ends the interview.
Final Thoughts: I thought this was a really good interview. It would have been even better if someone other than Rob Feinstein was asking the questions. Rene had a lot of interesting stuff to talk about and gave a lot of chances for Feinstein to ask follow up questions but he instead stuck to his script of asking questions about TV matches that no one remembers. Rene would be an excellent choice for the "Breaking Kayfabe" series. I also thought this was interesting as it was clear by his actions that Rene was not mature enough to be on the road with the WWE at age 19. Also, it was clear that the Smackdown locker room was not the place for younger wrestlers either. From other interviews, the mix of angry midcard veterans and younger wrestlers was like oil and water. I wish Rene luck and he did appear sober but after watching this, there was something about him that made me think he would be dead in a few years. He seems like a depressed guy that is holding back something traumatic that happened in his past. Anyway, I recommend this shoot and I really thought his opinion of what happened with Benoit was one of the better ones I have heard from wrestlers.
Great review man, like always.
ReplyDeleteI sort of miss Grand Prix, and wish I had been around during the glory days. Hearing from the fathers of friends of mine talk about seeing Andre regularly makes me so jealous.
Sounds like a good interview.
ReplyDeleteRoad life is hard, and no place for a 19 year old kid. Beyond that it sounds as if he just doesn't have the personality type needed to thrive in a locker room environment, and that he harbours ill will towards McMahon for driving his Dad out of business - and fair enough.
Hi take on Benoit pretty much matches mine, as well.
Another good write up, and I'm glad that this one was chosen.
Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI remember hearing an interview with Sylvain Grenier and he said that Rene grew up in wrestling and had a great mind for wrestling but had no idea how the real world worked and basically had to babysit him. Rushing him up at 19 due to the real-life actions of France at that time really hurt his career in the long run.
Paul Heyman opening up the doors 20 minutes late for OVW when the scouts would come down is fucking fantastic.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this as the preview looked very interesting. I would like to see the Vince Russo booking the Invasion shoot next.
ReplyDeleteGood review Bayless. These are always a must read.
ReplyDeleteIts nuts the dude is only 29 right now, it seems like hes seen it all. Hopefully he stays clean and can get another shot sonewhere or a behind the scenes job. I didn't care for him as a performer but a good redemption story is always cool.
Heyman is such a delightful snake. What a charming sleazebag.
ReplyDeleteThough I wonder if Punk knows that Heyman is a creep.
Addictive personality+Wrestling=Another early death.
ReplyDeleteI hope I'm wrong, or he leaves wrestling...but he seems like a good dude y'know?
Well after he turned his back on him costing him MitB and aligning with Ryback I'm sure Punk knows.
ReplyDeleteOkay, that makes more sense now. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHad no idea
ReplyDeleteIdk,he was trained by his father whos a wrestling legend by the age of 13,and in the wwe he was 19,would turn 20 in couple of months,so had a couple of year of experince already,looked much more mature and grown than Zach Gowen,although how things turn out.
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