Former WWE star Rene Dupree recently appeared on The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast to talk about his run in WWE, working in Japan compared to in WWE, and more. Here are the highlights.
On if he got along with former tag team partners (Sylvan Grenier and Kenzo Suzuki):
As far as Sly, no I didn’t like the guy. Does that answer your question? We don’t like each other, we haven’t talked to each other and probably never will. He (Kenzo Suzuki) was great. That’s when I got into Japanese culture was traveling with him and his wife. I spent more time in Japan then I did with the WWE or the United States. I had a seven or eight year career there but now I am winding down, I’m only 31 going to be 32 in December but I’ve had my fill with wrestling. I say that now but a wrestler never retires.
Working in Japan over The United States and WWE’s current product:
If you are good, you can get anybody off their ass. It took time but I learned how to get them off their ass and that’s why I stayed there so long. I learned how to get over with that crowd. There it’s different, for example if it’s an opening match they are going to treat it as an opening match but if it’s a match with significance, like a title match that has importance and has been built up right they will get more involved and into it and more into the false finishes and be just as loud as an American crowd. Now with WWE, they do everything on TV. Nobody gives a sh*t if it’s a title match or not. You don’t even know the rules or know what the hell is going on. Who gives a sh*t if it’s a title match, they switch the belt every other week, as far as tag titles or Intercontinental. I couldn’t tell you who the tag champs are or who the Intercontinental Champion is now, I don’t know.
On how WWE’s treatment of talents when they’re injured:
They definitely didn’t. I personally got knocked out one night. I was wrestling Rob Van Dam and he hit me with a spin kick and I was out for five hours. I was out on my feet for five and half hour! I didn’t get no concussions tests. I didn’t even go to a doctor. After a concussion you are not supposed to go to sleep, well I woke up in my bed and Sylvan called me up and said you got kicked in the head and don’t worry about it. You know how long I waited until I got back in the ring? I was back in the next night. Remember the Bob Holly Incident? I got kicked about fifth-teen or twenty times in the f*cking head with a wrestling boot. You know how hard the sole of a wrestling boot is? It’s like a steel-toed boot. Did I go get a concussion test. No. Did I go to a doctor? Yes, but just to see if anything was broken around my eye.
You can listen to the entire podcast here:
