Renee Paquette discusses post-WWE success despite hiring ‘nobody’, Jon Moxley’s ‘amazing’ AEW return

Renee Paquette parlayed her many roles in WWE into a diverse and successful portfolio of broadcasting opportunities. That work ethic runs in the family.

There are many options for pro-wrestlers in 2022, between WWE, All Elite Wrestling, Impact Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling and growing independent promotions. That landscape, even during drought years, has never been as accommodating for broadcasters. Paquette is one of the rare examples of a WWE broadcaster who arguably elevated their stock after leaving the company. She has a successful interview podcast titled “The Sessions“hosts a weekly segment on NHL Network with Jackie Redmond called Jack & Paqand tackles MMA with former UFC champion Miesha Tate on SiriusXM’s Throwing Down with Renee & Miesha.

“One thing I’ve learned over the course of this year and a half is patience,” Paquette told CBS Sports. “I think when I first left WWE, it was sort of that feeling of like, ‘What am I going to do? What’s going to make the most sense?’ and kind of figuring like, ‘You know, maybe I’ll go work for another network, maybe I’ll go do another studio show somewhere.’ But when I left in like peak COVID time, that was not the case. I mean, all productions had halted. Nobody was hiring new people, which was really that kind of a blessing in disguise where it’s like, ‘Well, I’m going to start doing something myself anyways. ‘ And I’ve always really wanted to be in control of what my own narrative was. I’ve always wanted to really, I guess, create my own content and be able to put that out there. “

“It’s really just been such a learning curve and the patience of not being like, I need to have that one thing right now. I kind of put my iron in a couple of fires and I’ve been letting them all kind of burn and build on their own. And there’s something really organic and cool about that I get to have ownership over. It’s awesome. ”

Check out the full interview with Renee Paquette below.

WWE typically enforces a 90-day no-compete clause for contracted talent, but Paquette’s deal included a much steeper 12-month non-compete. While some suggest that prevented Paquette from signing with All Elite Wrestling, she insists she was keen to branch out from pro-wrestling following her departure from WWE.

“It didn’t really affect it because, truly, when I was leaving WWE, I wasn’t looking to go from one place to another,” Paquette said. “At the time, everything I was able to do with WWE, I did so much there. You know, I literally wore every hat I could possibly wear there and it was awesome, but I wanted to take that and turn it into something different. .I didn’t want to take that and – I don’t want to say it’s a parallel move. It’s not that because I don’t know what the opportunity would be within AEW. Maybe there would be something really great there, but I really wanted to take what I had done with WWE and move it into just a different path. I really just wanted to kind of use that as my way to kind of create something for myself. ”

Jon Moxley, Paquette’s husband, took time off from AEW and checked into a rehabilitation center to tackle struggles with alcohol. Moxley made a thunderous return to AEW in January following a three-month hiatus. He delivered a passionate, touching speech about struggle and perseverance.

“I just think I think he is such a shining example of somebody going through something and taking the time for himself,” Paquette said. “AEW was great as well as giving him that time and giving him that space. All those things aside, just to see the difference in him and the health aspects, all of those things to see. He’s so stubborn, but he’s also got this really crazy work ethic that I know when he sets his mind to something, he’s locked in on it.So to see that and then to see him have that moment of coming back and getting back in the wrestling world.I was watching from home. As soon as his music hit and he came out, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ It made me feel a way I wasn’t really expecting to feel.

“I just put on Dynamite to watch it, knowing he was coming back. I knew he had a promo. I had no idea what he was going to say. He had no idea what he was going to say. Which again, is just another testament to how good he is at promos because he went out there and was like, ‘Oh my God, that was poetic.’ It was amazing, he was the best man, he went and he did what he had to do for himself, he did what he had to do for our family, it’s just so nice to see him on the other side of things. not one of those things that is one and done. There is always work to be done and things to work on. But yeah, it’s awesome. I couldn’t be more proud of him. “