Renee Young Recalls Asking CM Punk To Be On WWE Backstage, Wanting Booker T To Be Her Co-Host
After hitting a rough patch with her commentary role on Monday Night RAW, Renee Young's spirit was lifted after it was announced that she was going to host WWE Backstage on Fox. Young believes this is the role that she was meant to have in the WWE.
"I love it," Young exclaimed during her interview with Lilian Garcia on Chasing Glory. "As soon as we started doing chemistry tests, bringing in people to see where we were going to be, what the cast was going to look like, I was like, mama's home. I just felt like a duck to water of like, oh my God, I'm back doing the thing that I love. It was a relief. I'm just like, oh, I'm back in my comfort zone.
"But that's what I love to do. That's what I've always wanted to do. I've always wanted to host shows. I wanted to be Johnny Carson. Not that that's what I'm doing on Backstage, but I wanted to do that. I wasn't looking to be Gorilla Monsoon. Thank God. I was trying very hard to fit that in.
Young admits that Booker T was the first person she wanted to be her co-host on the show. She pushed for him to get an audition so that way they could recreate what they had when they used to do the kickoff shows before the WWE pay-per-view events.
"Booker T was a person right off the bat that I really wanted to be my co-host," Young announced. "I've always enjoyed working with Booker. He's one of the most respected men in wrestling. I think from everything that he's done, everything he continues to do in the world of wrestling, he brings in a good attitude. He's never in a bad mood. He's always in a good mood. He always brings energy. He always brings that entertainment aspect, whether it's your champagne wishes and your caviar dreams or selling his beard oil. He's always doing something. I love working with Booker. Yeah, he just seemed to me like the shoo-in for that co-host spot."
When CM Punk made his debut on Backstage last November, Young mentioned that she was the only one to know about his surprising arrival. She additionally adds that she was the one that begged him to come on the show.
"I was talking to him and trying to convince him [to join WWE Backstage]," Young stated. "Yeah, I've been trying to convince him for a little while. When I like heard his name being thrown around, I was like, should I reach out to them? Should I try to see where he's at? So we have been talking a little bit. Yeah, I was just begging and pleading. I'm like, it'll be good. It'll be fun. I promise it's going to be a great time. So, I just sort of did like the best selling job I could possibly do to try to get him to come on and do it. Then, finally, he was like, let's do it."
You can view Young's full interview here. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Chasing Glory- Lilian Garcia with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.