Former WWE star, who left 16 years ago, open to feuding with Cody Rhodes, says they'd have a "really good program"

It took a while, but Cody Rhodes is finally the face of WWE as its Undisputed WWE Champion. During a recent interview, Rene Dupree opened up about his interactions with Cody's father and how he was confident of having a solid feud with The America Nightmare.

Dupree spent nearly five years in the WWE, winning the Tag Team Title twice before requesting his release in 2007. The 40-year-old has since not worked for the WWE, but as of 2024, he is still an active in-ring competitor and is also known for his Cafe de Rene podcast.

Rene Dupree appeared on Rewind Recap Relive and was asked about Cody Rhodes' rise in the business. The former WWE Superstar recalled seeing a young Cody Rhodes break into the WWE and how Dusty Rhodes wanted him to "take good care of his son" in the company.

While Dupree never got to wrestle Cody in WWE, he was sure they'd have a great feud. Rene, who considered himself a highly competitive person, admitted to feeling some professional jealousy towards Cody Rhodes.

Dupree also didn't rule out working an angle with Rhodes, which, he believed, had a lot of promise."

"I remember when Cody [Rhodes] was first brought up for dark matches, Dusty had actually, well, he told me to 'make my son look good, baby!' And I was the guy in that position at that time. It ended up not happening, but say what you will—maybe some professional jealousy on my part—it's like, 'I can have a really good program with that guy [Cody]!''' he said.

The former RAW Superstar added:

''Everybody! I mean, that's the part about being a performer and competitor; you know you can make money with these guys. 'Oh, I can do what he's doing, but better!' It's the part about being a competitor!" [1:03 - 1:52]

However, Dupree was happy to see Cody Rhodes' success and hoped for The American Nightmare to ''make a lot of money!''

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The connection between Rene Dupree and Cody Rhodes' fathers

Long before Rene Dupree became one of WWE's top young prospects, his father, Emile Dupree, was also a legendary Canadian pro wrestler and a territorial giant.

Rene Dupree revealed that his dad was ten years senior to Dusty Rhodes in the wrestling industry when they worked in Texas. Rene said that The American Dream was all praises for his father the first time they met each other.

Rene and Cody are second-generation wrestlers whose fathers competed against each other many times during their respective promes. Dupree continued:

"Well, my dad was in the territory at the same time, and my father was like a senior and had been in the business for about ten years before Dusty. So I remember when I first met Dusty [impersonates Dusty], 'I love your Daddy, baby!' I remember asking my dad, 'Have you ever worked with Dusty Rhodes?' 'Jesus Christ! I worked with him so many times!''' [From 00:23 onwards]

Meanwhile, Cody Rhodes will defend his Undisputed WWE Title against US Champion Logan Paul at the King and Queen of the Ring Premium Live Event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this Saturday. It will be interesting to see how the 38-year-old fares in his latest title defense.