Renee Michelle looks back on the road to recovery ahead of her RAW debut.
Renee Michelle recently spoke with WrestleZone and detailed coming back from a serious knee injury before she made her WWE RAW in-ring debut. The July 29, 2019 episode of WWE RAW was memorable for several reasons, including the fact that the show ended with the first pregnant WWE 24/7 Champion, Maria Kanellis.
The show was also memorable for Renee, who was scheduled to open the show teaming with her husband, Drake Maverick, against R-Truth and Carmella. Renee explained that she was returning to the ring for the first time since she tore her ACL, MCL and meniscus in her left knee, an injury commonly known as the “unhappy triad.” Renee pointed out that she was not only an unsigned talent but she actually got cleared to compete that day.
“It’s pretty wild and interesting that someone who’s unsigned was able to open up Monday Night RAW with their husband, so that I’d say I’m pretty proud of. Beforehand, I was injured and like I said, I had the “unhappy triad” and I blew out my knee because I was doing CrossFit, I was working out, I was training, doing a bunch of shows and I didn’t really give my body a rest. So naturally, my body was like, ‘If you’re not going to give me a rest, I’m going to make you have me a rest’ and that’s when my left knee went out. So, for 6-9 months I had to do strenuous physical therapy to get better and get my knee and my legs back to full strength,” Renee explained, “and the day that I got cleared was the day that I opened up Monday Night RAW with my husband going against R-Truth and Carmella.”
Asked if there was anything she consciously adjusted upon returning to the ring, Renee said she was a little more cautious at first, but feels like she became a better performer overall.
“In the beginning, I was like, ‘OK, I am going to be more careful’ but honestly, I feel like I became much better, after being injured, in the ring than before. A lot of people are like, ‘I can do everything, this, that and a third” but now after getting injured you’re a little more cautious and you’re more prone to wanting to last longer in the business than having a shorter career,” Renee said. “It’s a roll of the dice, but I feel like you become much wiser after you get injured in the ring.”
Renee’s RAW debut ended with a loss in the “Mosh Pit Mixed Tag Team Match,” but the night saw Mike Bennett win the 24/7 Championship before his wife, Maria Kanellis, made him lie down for the pin so she could win the title. Renee Michelle said other moments that stood out in her WWE career included her appearance in the 2017 Mae Young Classic, noting she was “proud of the fact that I was one of the first picked” for the tournament.
Check out our full interview with Renee Michelle below:
