10 Times WWE Totally No Sold A Wrestler's Past
3. René Duprée
While René Duprée managed to honour his famous father with the ring name he chose while in WWE's development territory Ohio Valley Wrestling, main roster fans were not clued in on his wrestling legacy.
Emile Duprée (born Emile Goguen) was a wrestling star in Canada, who, in 1977, founded his own wrestling promotion. Grand Prix Wrestling operated in the Martine provinces of Eastern Canada. Wrestlers who passed through the promotion included André The Giant, Ric Flair, Edge, and Christian. GPW was successful enough to secure a TV deal and it was eventually bought by WWE.
His father's in-ring, business, and industry knowledge, assisted René in becoming the youngest wrestler to sign with the then-WWF at just 18. After a year in OVW, he debuted on Raw, and soon captured the World Tag Team Championships (with Sylvain Grenier) while still a teenager, defeating the team of Kane and Rob Van Dam.
However, René's initial promise didn't quite pan out. La Résistance received the dubious honour of Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Worst Tag Team of 2003. Following the split via brand draft of La Résistance, René chased John Cena's United States Championship, but was ultimately unsuccessful. His only other reign was a brief stint with the WWE Tag Team straps alongside Kenzo Suzuki. Wellness violations eventually sealed René's fate.