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Earlier this week, it was revealed that Renee Young would be leaving WWE. After eight incredible years with the company,
The longtime backstage interviewer and Kick-Off show host has been a major part of WWE TV for such a long time, that it's kind of difficult to imagine it without her. We also got a chance to watch Renee Young grow as a performer, as she improved through her run from NXT to the main roster.
In those eight years, Renee Young has built up quite a list of entertaining moments, making her a vital part of the "Reality Era" and "New Era" of WWE. From joining in with Daniel Bryan to pick on AJ Styles on Talking Smack to getting a sneak peek into her life on Total Divas, a large portion of the WWE Universe grew up with Young as an important presenter.
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It's going to be strange to see her go, and it's important to celebrate those who have worked so hard to bring us joy. With that said, we're here to look at the 5 best WWE moments of Renee Young. We're kicking things off with a tear-jerker, so get your tissues ready.
#5 Renee Young breaks down over emotional Dusty Rhodes tribute
No matter what Renee Young does post-WWE, it's undeniable that she had a serious love for the world of pro wrestling. The men and women she met throughout her career only furthered that. Of course, no one could uplift a heart quite like the legendary American Dream Dusty Rhodes.
Back in 2015, we all lost a piece of our hearts when Dusty passed on. It was a day that hit fans, performers, and everyone in between incredibly hard. Dusty Rhodes always managed to put a smile on every face that he saw, young or old.
There was a deep connection that folks felt almost immediately when they saw the former NWA World Champion's big grin on TV. Of course, none of us could really understand the relationships and bonds he formed with those that he knew personally. When Dusty Rhodes passed away, everyone from colleagues, to rivals, to students sent out incredibly heartfelt tributes, solidifying what we all knew about him. He really was a man of the people.
However, there was one moment that not many WWE fans may have caught. During the Money in the Bank 2015 pre-show, they aired the Dusty Rhodes tribute. It's, to this day, one of the most sentimentatl and heart-felt video packages WWE has ever produced.
It brought a tear to everyone's eye, including Renee Young. The host of many a WWE Kick-Off show struggled to get through the next announcement, and after a few moments, broke down in tears before sending us to Tom Phillips.
You can check out the moment at 50:11 in the video above. Rhodes had only passed on four days before the PPV, and it was clear the wound was still fresh in Renee Young's heart.
Young worked both as a backstage interviewer and commentator on NXT in its early years, and had a lot of great memories with the American Dream. On this night she, intentionally or not, shared in this moment with the WWE Universe, and it was moments like this that led the fans to appreciate her.
#4 Renee Young improved SmackDown during the Brand Split with Talking Smack
Hosting alongside Daniel Bryan, Renee Young was part of one of the most exciting hours of WWE programming each and every week. Though we saw her on each brand, her time to shine was during the post-SmackDown show Talking Smack.
The short-lived WWE Network exclusive show gave Renee Young and the then-retired Bryan the opportunity to bring the best of the Blue Brand's roster when they were on the mic with no script. Because of Talking Smack, we saw the resurgence and rise of several WWE Superstars who had either gotten stale by that point or hadn't managed to catch fire up until that point.
Baron Corbin, The Usos, The Miz and more managed to get the WWE Universe talking because of this show. However, it wasn't just the guests. Renee Young and Daniel Bryan had pretty incredible chemistry together, with the two openly joking with one another in between, and sometimes during segments.
Looking back at the first year of the brand split, part of what made SmackDown better than RAW was their third hour on the WWE Network, where the two hosts brought out the best in their guests.
#3 Kevin Owens catches Renee Young in a bald-faced lie
Sometimes, wrestlers and on-screen personalities just click. No one really knows why, but when they get together, it's TV magic. Hulk Hogan with Mean Gene, Samoa Joe and Paul Heyman, Vince McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin. It's time to add Renee Young and Kevin Owens to that list.
Okay, maybe not THAT list, but it was still really entertaining. Between 2016 and 2018, Kevin Owens got incredibly sassy with WWE's on-screen personalities. The Prize Fighter loved to antagonize everyone he came in contact with. Tom Phillips, Shane McMahon, Charley Caruso and more have all felt his verbal stings up close.
Still, there seemed to be nobody that Owens loved to aggravate and antagonize more than Renee Young. Owens would often appear on Talking Smack just to bully Young, stealing her mugs or her microphones, or anything else he could think of that could put Young down a notch.
A pretty famous moment from Talking Smack was when Owens accidentally spilled water on Young's phone while stealing a cup of water. Young claimed that it was ruined and even took to Twitter to claim that she was typing from a laptop.
However, Owens learned, thanks to Tweetbot, that Young was actually still tweeting from her phone, calling her out for trying to ruin his good name.
When Talking Smack was cancelled back in 2017, fans were pretty heartbroken, as it gave the WWE Universe some incredible moments. One man that wasn't sad to see it go, though, was Kevin Owens, who tweeted:
"If true, I applaud @WWE's initiative to cancel #TalkingSmack and to no longer give @ReneeYoungWWE and @WWEDanielBryan's nonsense a platform."
Renee Young responded, saying:
If you weren't watching Talking Smack, you missed out on some of the greatest moments of WWE television, and many of tem revolved around Renee Young.
#2 Renee Young slaps the taste out the mouth of The Miz
Just because Renee Young was mostly a happy-go-lucky face on WWE TV doesn't mean that she didn't have a ferocious side. The Miz found that out the hard way back on the May 20th, 2016 edition of SmackDown Live.
We know that the multi-time Intercontinental Champion is not one to mince words, and tends to say whatever he can to get under everyone's skin.
We saw it with his long-time rival Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Roman Reigns, and Enzo Amore. However, one of his deep-cutting comments wound up aimed at Renee Young, who took them quite personally.
The week before, The Miz had lost a Fatal-4-Way that featured Dolph Ziggler, Luke Harper, and Dean Ambrose, now Jon Moxley. Renee Young claimed that The Miz's obsession with Moxley was why he failed to win the match, which led to The Miz calling out her relationship to the Lunatic Fringe.
Rightfully so, Renee Young didn't take it well, and slapped The A-Lister across the face. It wwas something that fans around the globe have alway wanted to do, and once again the WWE Universe got to live vicariously through her.
#1 Renee Young brings back CM Punk to WWE (kind of)
No one really knows what Renee Young will be doing following her incredible WWE career. However, if one were to guess, it would involve hosting her own show. After all, Young shined brightest when hyping up the next event. Kick-Off shows, Talking Smack, RAW Talk, and of course, WWE Backstage.
Of course, it's hard to talk about WWE Backstage without the incredible return to the wrestling world of CM Punk. The "Best in the World" hadn't been near anything WWE related for the better part of five years, but FOX was able to bring him in, making it one of the most exciting moments in the wrestling world in 2019.
Reportedly, of the group that were there, including Booker T, Samoa Joe, Adam Cole, Paige, and Renee Young, only Young knew that Punk was debuting that night. The reaction from the rest? Completely natural.
There are other incredible moments, segments, and interviews from WWE Backstage, and it's truly a shame that, once again, an entertaining product led by Renee Young was cut short. We here at Sportskeeda, though, believe that wherever she decides to go, whatever field it is in, she'll make it a success.
Of course, she's got a cookbook coming out, so it wouldn't be too shocking to see her step into that world going forward.
Renee Young always seemed to have her finger on the pulse of the WWE Universe. She was with us, whether we were shedding tears, or grinning from ear to ear with joy. Thanks for a great eight years, Renee. Good luck in wherever you go next. Rest assured, you've got a legion of fans supporting you.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
