Renee Young talks WWE Backstage.
After a one-year run as WWE Raw announcer, Renee Young will now head up WWE Backstage, the upcoming studio show on Fox Sports 1. Speaking on the SI Media podcast, Young expressed her excitement when the Fox deal with WWE came together, believing it would be the perfect opportunity for her.
"As soon as the partnership between WWE and Fox came together, hearing rumblings about this new show, it was sort of a no-brainer that I was going to step in there and do that. I made the most sense to host it. With doing commentary, I was just waiting like, 'Okay, can I do this? Let me go.' With the changes happening and rosters being strict to brands, that was the perfect time (for the transition)," she said.
Young has previously admitted that she never felt comfortable in the announcing role on Raw and is more comfortable as a host. As far as what fans can expect on WWE Backstage, Young promises that the show will give fans a voice.
"The biggest thing is being true to the voice of WWE fans. Being able to pull the curtain back and talk about things that fans are talking about online, that fans have issues with and love. We're gonna be talking about all of those things. I couldn't be more happy to have Booker T as my co-host. I have a great rapport with him. I think each show will have a different look and feel depending on who is on the panel. It's fun, it's loose. I think it's the voice that wrestling fans want to hear and being able to talk about wrestling from a more critical eye," she said. "The last thing we want is to have it feel like a shill show. For us to talk about the end of Hell in a Cell and why that finish was and why it didn't work. How do we make 'The Fiend' work? Is Seth Rollins cool or not cool? Whatever it was [Jim Ross] said about his girlfriend. We're gonna have those conversations. I think people like hearing their opinions echo'd through us."
While Booker T will be the co-host alongside Young, the plan is to bring in a rotating cast of panelists each week to join the show. CM Punk was confirmed to have tested for the show, but in a recent interview he said he had not heard anything from Fox. While it is unknown if Punk will join WWE Backstage at some point, Renee would be excited to work with him should it happen.
"I would love to work with Punk. He's one of the most polarizing and popular figures in WWE history. For him to step back into that world just makes wrestling fans go bonkers. It would be really cool," she said.
WWE Backstage officially premieres on Tuesday, Nov. 5 on Fox Sports 1. John Cena and Rob Gronkowski are set to be guests on the show.
If you use any of the quotes above please credit SI Media podcast with a h/t to Fightful for the transcription.