Renee Young’s Reported WWE Departure Fuels AEW Speculation

Renee Young, a top broadcaster in WWE as part of a tenure dating back to 2012, is reportedly leaving the company as first reported by Outkick and later by PWInsider (h/t Wrestling Inc). Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live noted she gave her notice a week ago.

A popular and ubiquitous presence across WWE programming, Young is also the wife of current AEW champion Jon Moxley, the former Dean Ambrose, who left WWE on sour terms. Young’s reported departure has since led to almost immediate speculation of a possible appearance in AEW as the upstart promotion continues to stockpile former WWE stars. Last week’s broadcast of AEW Dynamite recently featured the debut of longtime WWE referee Mike Chioda.

Though Young’s future landing spot extends past the world of professional wrestling, the combination of her strong connection to an AEW top star—and AEW’s itchy trigger finger when it comes to signing former WWE talent—will make AEW one of the more talked-about future landing spots should she resume her media career.

Renee Young-to-AEW wouldn’t only make a juicy storyline amid the always rising tensions of the Wednesday Night Wars, it would be a coup for a promotion that uses broadcasters as credible storytellers as part of its back-to-basics formula.

Dasha Fuentes, one of multiple WWE-to-AEW broadcasters, responded to criticism of coming off robotic on WWE television, claiming the company advised her to dial down her personality on camera.

“It’s trying to oddly find that balance of not showing too much personality which as you can see I kind of have a little bit of it and showcasing the talent because at the end of the day it’s about the talent and what it is that they have to say,” Fuentes said.

“They don’t want us to skew any opinions or form any biases about what’s going on so for me that’s the hard part because I’m all or nothing.”

WWE’s micromanaging of its broadcasters appeared to rear its ugly head throughout Young’s tenure. Young’s talent was never in question, however her WWE career was filled with highs and lows, if not snakebitten to a degree. Young gained critical acclaim through her work alongside Daniel Bryan on WWE Talking Smack before the popular show was abruptly cancelled, reportedly at the behest of Vince McMahon. Talking Smack is reportedly set for a revival.

Young later became the first woman to join the WWE Raw announce team full-time alongside Michael Cole and Corey Graves in September 2018, however she was transitioned out just one year later. Young later admitted she never felt comfortable while on commentary.

“It was odd. I tried to come at it from a fan standpoint, but that doesn’t always work. I felt misdirection about what my purpose was when I was out there,” said Young to Alex McCarthy of WrestleTalk.

Young later hosted WWE Backstage on FOX which became a ratings disaster, averaging just under 120,000 viewers throughout its tenure despite the surprisingly quiet return of CM Punk.

FOX executives opted to end the show as part of its efforts to scale back on production in June.

Though Young enjoyed a successful career with WWE, it’s fair to argue whether or not she was ever a good fit in WWE, especially as the company continues to struggle in capitalizing on talented performers across the board.

Should she land in AEW, her presence could render a similar impact and credibility boost as Mean Gene Okerlund’s departure to WCW alongside Hulk Hogan in 1993.