Tag: road dogg

Ex-WWE writer says Vince McMahon considered New Day a ‘national treasure’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Chris Dunn, a former writer for WWE, believes New Day would have been with WWE forever if Vince McMahon was still in charge of the company.

Appearing on the Public Enemies Podcast, Dunn reacted to WWE’s post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts, which included Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods being released. Dunn believes TKO is sometimes used as a scapegoat for WWE’s issues, pointing out that McMahon made these types of releases too. But Dunn doesn’t think McMahon would have asked talent to take pay cuts like Kingston & Woods were offered. According to Dunn, McMahon considered New Day a “national treasure.”

“Vince was making these cuts too. There was always spring cleaning,” Dunn said. “I think the difference is, like, Vince never would have asked anyone to take a pay cut. He would have either fired the person or they would have been somebody like the New Day, who he considered a national treasure — wouldn’t job out when he was trying to embarrass Road Dogg — and keep them forever because they should stay.”

Kingston & Woods chose to depart WWE instead of taking the significant pay cuts they (and some others) were approached with. Big E is still with the company in a broadcasting role after having to retire from in-ring competition due to the broken neck he suffered in 2022.

New Day at WWE Survivor Series 2018 —

Dunn was referring to Survivor Series 2018 as the time where McMahon embarrassed Road Dogg, who was running SmackDown then. McMahon had SmackDown lose every match at the pay-per-view except for a pre-show brand vs. brand tag bout.

“There was a Survivor Series where [Road Dogg] was running SmackDown. I think he was at home for a creative meeting and calling into it. And to f*** with Road Dogg, Vince, in a meeting, decided SmackDown was going to lose every match on Survivor Series,” Dunn said. “And then we got to, I think the New Day match came up when New Day was on SmackDown. So it was like, we can’t have New Day lose, let’s put them on kickoff. So it would be defined as New Day would win, but it wouldn’t count as a win for SmackDown because it was on the kickoff show. All to rib Road Dogg.”

Though they were ultimately on the winning side, Woods did take a pinfall in that match to eliminate New Day. It was The Usos who won the multi-team match for SmackDown.

Dunn was with WWE as a writer and producer from 2016-2021. He described Road Dogg as the “best mind in wrestling” who combines McMahon and Paul “Triple H” Levesque’s best qualities into one. According to Dunn, Road Dogg was someone who advocated for talent and advocated for ideas that appeal to true fans.

Road Dogg’s most recent stint with WWE creative ended this March when he chose to resign from his position as co-lead writer of SmackDown.

Road Dogg feels he was wronged by WWE

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Wrestling veteran Road Dogg has opened up about his departure from the promotion.

Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Dogg was asked about what led to his departure. The veteran opened up and shared a detailed answer while also speaking about feeling wronged there.

“Did any of you watch Unreal? I’m old, so I’m not a fan; it’s a little behind the scenes. I feel like I don’t need to tell you what happened. I feel like if you watched that show, you saw what happened, and so here I sit. I’m happy with it,” he said.

“I have friends there that are still going to be there. I have gripes, I do have gripes, but saying that even sounds shitty to say. ‘Oh, you’re going to gripe about stuff?’ Why? People, there are still my friends. I feel like I was done a little wrong, and I feel like I was receiving a paycheck, and I didn’t have any purpose. I was making a dollar, but I wasn’t making any decisions.

“I think I can make a difference somewhere, where maybe I don’t make as many dollars. In this phase in my life, that’s what I’m thinking of,” he concluded.

Earlier this year, on March 5, a report emerged that Dogg, 56, had departed WWE after a 15-year stint at the promotion. He had been with the promotion since 2014. Dogg was also the co-lead writer on WWE SmackDown, a position he held from February 2025.

He also held multiple titles at WWE during his time there as an in-ring worker and is also a member of the 2019 class of the Hall of Fame as a part of D-Generation X.

Road Dogg addresses WWE departure

Posted on by Joseph Currier

During a virtual signing with Signed By Superstars, Brian “Road Dogg” James addressed his recent departure from WWE.

James was co-lead writer of SmackDown before departing his position on the WWE creative team in early March. He told Signed By Superstars that the company was moving “too fast” for him, and he also wanted to spend more time at home with his family.

“It was moving too fast. It was just moving too fast for me,” James said. “We talked about my brothers and their grandkids, and I didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time with mine. So I’m going to do more of that now.”

This was James’ second stint as a top writer on SmackDown, having already left the position in 2019 before later returning.

James was asked during the virtual signing if he had any input in WWE’s upcoming WrestleMania 42 card.

“Yeah, I did. A lot,” James responded. “I think it’s strong. I think it’s as strong as you’re going to get. I really do. I’m excited about Brock and [Oba Femi]. Look, I got nothing bad to say. I think they’re moving fast and they are growing expeditiously. Financially, they’re setting records. Like, you can’t say nothing bad. It just was moving too fast for me. I’m getting older, and it’s a young man’s game. They’re running fast, and they’re running fast internationally.”

James mentioned during the virtual signing that he’d be interested in getting back into the podcast world again after previously hosting the show “Oh…You Didn’t Know.”

Road Dogg set for first post-WWE appearances

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

The Road Dogg is hitting the, uh, road.

A few weeks after leaving the WWE creative team, Brian “Road Dogg” James has announced a series of personal appearances. The latest: he’ll be at Ohio Vally Wrestling’s Fan Appreciation Night this Thursday, March 19, at Hotpoint Davis Arena in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Tickets for OVW events are available here.

Last week, another James appearance was announced: He’ll be at the Squared Circle Expo VI in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28. That event will take place at the Wyndham Indianapolis West. Tickets are available here.

James is a six-time former WWF/WWE Tag Team Champion with Billy Gunn as the New Age Outlaws. He also won two NWA World Tag Team Championships, with Ron “R-Truth” Killings and Konnan, while wrestling in TNA. 

James has been working behind the scenes at WWE on and off since 2016. He had been head writer on SmackDown for most of 2025, but left the company on March 5 of this year. 

Road Dogg announced for three appearances following WWE departure

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Update —

It’s now been announced that Road Dogg will also be appearing for Diamond Championship Wrestling in Alabama on March 20.

**********

Following his departure from WWE, Brian “Road Dogg” James has been announced for a couple of appearances.

News broke last week that James — a WWE Hall of Famer — had departed his position on the WWE creative team. He’s now set to make a convention appearance later this month, with Squared Circle Expo announcing that James will be at their event in Indianapolis, Indiana on March 27-28.

James is also set to reunite with his New Age Outlaws tag team partner Billy Gunn for an appearance this December. They’re the first guests announced for Blizzard Brawl 21, an annual indie event produced by Great Lakes Championship Wrestling. The show is being held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Prior to his WWE departure, James served as the co-lead writer of SmackDown. It was his second stint in the role.

While reporting on the situation, Dave Meltzer noted that — before James left the company — WWE had given him permission to take a convention booking later this month before then rescinding it. The report didn’t state whether that was this Squared Circle Expo appearance or not.

“James got his annual review. The belief is that he wasn’t happy with it and left,” Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. “He may say he left over something else and only he would know exactly why he did so. But it was his decision and it came after his annual review. One person close to the situation said that it has been brewing. He was going to do a convention later this month and it was approved, and then the approval was rescinded and he had to cancel, but in pulling out pretty much said that wouldn’t be an issue starting in a little while.”

Fight Game: Does CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns feel big enough yet?

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

John LaRocca and I return with a brand-new Fight Game to discuss some of the most interesting topics in pro wrestling.

We give out our thumbs up and thumbs down before talking about Brian “Road Dogg” James resigning from WWE creative, David Finlay’s AEW debut and why he didn’t choose WWE, and whether or not CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns is cooking yet.

We finish up the show with our new Observe This segment talking about stories from Dave Meltzer’s 1985 Observer Book. We cover the infamous 20/20 segment with John Stossel about whether wrestling was fake or not and give Dave’s thoughts at the time.

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

Report: New details on Road Dogg’s WWE departure

Posted on by Ian Carey

A new report has shed additional details on Brian “Road Dogg” James’ departure from WWE.

It was reported Thursday that James had resigned from his role as co-lead writer of WWE SmackDown. He had held various backstage positions with the company across two stints dating back to 2011.

According to PWInsider, James informed WWE in person that he was resigning from the creative team. The outlet said WWE sources indicated that James “openly expressed his unhappiness.”

It was also noted that James remains under a WWE Legends contract.

James began working backstage in WWE in October 2011 and transitioned into a creative team role in 2014. He served as the lead writer of SmackDown from late 2016 until stepping down after WrestleMania 35 in April 2019. He then worked with NXT beginning in May 2019 before being released in January 2022. James was brought back to the company by Triple H that August. He later became the co-lead writer of SmackDown in February 2025, a role he shared with John Swikata.

WOL: WWE creative changes, Mania sales stalled, Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez is back with tons to talk about as news breaks throughout the show. We have the latest on Road Dogg being axed from WWE, a RAW creative promotion, WrestleMania selling not tickets and why WWE’s response is misguided, RUSH returns from injury and what he did for his knee, the Dynamite report and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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Report: Brian ‘Road Dogg’ James no longer with WWE

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE’s creative team has reportedly had a big departure.

BodySlam+ reported today that Brian “Road Dogg” James has departed WWE. He had been the co-lead writer of SmackDown, working alongside John Swikata on the brand. PWInsider notes that the word going around is that James “made the decision to leave his position” with the company.

This was James’ second stint on WWE creative after a previous run that also included him being the head writer of SmackDown. James departed that role in 2019 and stayed with WWE in a behind-the-scenes capacity until being released in 2022. He was later brought back after Paul “Triple H” Levesque ascended to power within the company.

During his first stint working as SmackDown’s head writer, James was often a target of criticism from fans. AJ Styles defended James by saying that, when Vince McMahon was with the company, James’ ideas were so picked apart that they were not actually his ideas anymore.

James is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2019 as part of the Attitude Era faction D-Generation X.

WWE creative had another change with Alexandra Williams announcing this week that she is now the lead writer for Raw. Williams joined WWE in 2020 and had the job title of Senior Writer/Producer until recently being elevated to Vice President/Lead Writer.

Road Dogg praises WWE writing, production teams: ‘We have found our groove’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Road Dogg believes WWE has found its groove with every part of the company now firing on all cylinders.

Last weekend, it was reported that Road Dogg (Brian James) is now the co-lead writer of SmackDown, working alongside John Swikata in that role. Road Dogg’s appearance on today’s episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet was recorded before that news broke, but he still gave some thoughts on how the WWE creative team is operating in the Paul “Triple H” Levesque era. He called the writing team one of the most talented groups of people he’s ever been around.

“The writing team in the WWE is undoubtedly one of the most talented groups of people I’ve ever worked with, that I’ve ever been around. And their tenacity — and they’ve been through it all, they’ve weathered it all, and they’re here, and they’re good at their jobs. They’re a funny gaggle. I love nothing better than sitting in there with them,” Road Dogg said.

“They are an entertaining group, man. Raw and SmackDown, both those teams, it’s fun to sit in on those meetings. Because you have fun and you create great content at the same time. And man, that’s right up my wheelhouse.”

He also had high praise for the production workers in WWE, calling them some very talented people.

“I think as a company we have found our groove, man. And firing on all cylinders. And now, from a production standpoint — look, nobody does what we do. We make beautiful wrestling. I’ve been saying that for 10 years now because that’s what we do: we make beautiful wrestling,” Road Dogg said. “And now we have nine or 10 new cameras. A drone inside the arena that we’re flying. A cable, the wire like the NFL has. Like, so many new camera angles to play with. And our production value is only going to go up from here. Hunter keeps saying we’re just getting started — and man, if that’s the truth, I don’t know where we end up.”

Road Dogg previously worked as a lead writer for SmackDown from 2016-2019. He told Van Vliet the position became “creatively frustrating” as time went on because he was given less freedom to execute his vision. That was while Vince McMahon was still in charge of creative, but WWE is in a new era now with the company having been acquired by Endeavor. Road Dogg said there were some hiccups after the Endeavor deal was finalized, but things are now running smoothly.

“It’s a machine, man. And look, there were some hiccups at first, you know, during the turnover. But I think they were just hiccups, man,” he said. “Everything just ran smoothly and new people stepped into new jobs and everything. But because, you know, Endeavor and UFC already had some staff. So if we had double time staff, then you don’t need all that, you know? So there were some changes and some people disappearing that you remember seeing and you like seeing. But such a streamlined, well-oiled machine on every level.

“And it’s just — man, it’s impressive to watch, almost scary to be caught up in. Because look, I come from my father being the Booker in Southeastern Championship Wrestling and my brothers being the champions. I come from mom and pops wrestling. And to an extent, even the old regime was still mom and pops wrestling. Even though it was publicly traded, it was still one man’s vision and one man’s decision. And now it’s not that way anymore. Now it’s, like I said [an] open forum of ideas and all of the stuff at our disposal. The sky is the limit, man.”

Road Dogg told Van Vliet that, when it comes to creative, he thinks you should always have WrestleMania in mind. You are going to have to change things and navigate injuries along the way, but you should ideally start planning for the next WrestleMania a year in advance.

“If you can have some tentpoles at that year out? Man, you’re in a good spot,” Road Dogg said.

The full episode of Insight can be watched below:

AJ Styles defends new WWE SmackDown co-lead writer Road Dogg amid fan criticism

Posted on by Joseph Currier

AJ Styles thinks fans should give new WWE SmackDown co-lead writer Road Dogg a fair shot before criticizing him.

It was revealed over the weekend that Road Dogg is now SmackDown’s co-lead writer, working alongside John Swikata in the role. The news received criticism from some fans online who did not enjoy the product when Road Dogg was a head writer for SmackDown in the late-2010s.

Responding to that criticism, Styles tweeted that fans should not judge Road Dogg on his past performance — because that was during the Vince McMahon era when writers would have their worked picked apart and the final product would not resemble their original vision.

“Before judging this guy from his past performance as the head writer. Just know that there was a man who picked it apart to the point that it was no longer his ideas anymore,” Styles wrote.

Styles did not directly mention McMahon by name in the tweet.

After spending a few months out of action with a foot injury, Styles returned to action in the Royal Rumble earlier this month. He’s moved over to the Raw roster, where WWE has teased Styles as a potential challenger for Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker. Styles vs. Dominik Mysterio is taking place on tonight’s Raw episode.

Road Dogg is a WWE Hall of Famer, having been inducted as a member of D-Generation X in 2019. He was released from his behind-the-scenes position with WWE in 2022 but returned just months later when Paul “Triple H” Levesque gained more power within the company.

Report: Road Dogg named co-lead writer for WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Ian Carey

“Road Dogg” Brian James is reportedly the new head writer for WWE SmackDown.

On Saturday, PWInsider reported that James will serve alongside John Swikata as heads of the brand’s writing team. James had previously worked as WWE’s Senior Vice President of Live Events, having replaced Jeff Jarrett in the role in August 2022.

This is actually the second time James has been co-lead writer for SmackDown. He previously held the position from 2016 until April 2019, sharing the role with Stephen Guerrieri. James resigned shortly after WrestleMania 35. That June, a couple of months after James stepped down, Eric Bischoff was hired as SmackDown’s Executive Director. Bruce Prichard then replaced Bischoff that October.

Ryan Callahan served as head SmackDown writer from 2022 until June 2024, when Swikata was given the position. Swikata will now continue to work alongside James.

Following his departure from SmackDown in 2019, James moved to NXT, where he worked as a producer and writer until he was released in January 2022. After Vince McMahon “retired” that summer, James was hired back in August 2022 to work on the live events team.

Speak Now: Iron Survivor Challenge participants named, NXT recap

Posted on by Denise Salcedo

Join Denise Salcedo on the Speak Now Pro Wrestling podcast!

On this episode, she recaps the November 29th edition of WWE NXT. The major topic is the naming of the Iron Survivor Challenge participants, which is taking place at NXT Deadline on December 10th. 

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X-Pac to appear on WWE NXT alongside Alundra Blayze, Road Dogg, Molly Holly

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Appearances from Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, Alundra Blayze (Madusa), Road Dogg, and Molly Holly have been announced for Tuesday’s NXT.

NXT announced this weekend that Road Dogg, Molly Holly, and Alundra Blayze will be thre of four WWE Hall of Famers that will be announcing participants for the upcoming Iron Series Challenge matches that will take place at NXT Deadline on December 10. Waltman was revealed as the fourth on Monday. 

The Iron Series Challenge is a new match concept that will make its debut at Deadline, where the goal is to score the most pinfalls in a 25 minute period. A men’s and women’s match will take place, and the winners of those matches will earn a future title match against NXT Champion Bron Breakker and NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose, respectively.

Here is the current lineup for Tuesday’s NXT:

  • Indi Hartwell vs. Roxanne Perez
  • Kayden Carter, Katana Chance, and Nikkita Lyons vs. Toxic Attraction
  • Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg, Molly Holly, Alunda Blayze, and X-Pac will reveal Iron Survivor Challenge competitors for NXT Deadline

Road Dogg says Billy Gunn texted ‘I’m in’ for WWE DX reunion, not happy he wasn’t there

Posted on by Ian Carey

Billy Gunn believed he would be part of D-Generation X’s 25-year anniversary in WWE. 

Triple H, Shawn Michaels, X-Pac, and Road Dogg closed out the October 10, 2022 episode of WWE Raw celebrating the Hall-of-Fame faction. AEW’s Billy Gunn was not in attendance, however, and according to comments made by Road Dogg on his ‘Oh… You Didn’t Know’ podcast, he wasn’t happy about it. 

“It broke my heart, and I believe it broke his too,” Road Dogg said. “In all actuality, Hunter was not happy about it either. Shawn and X-Pac weren’t either. We wanted the band, all that we could get back together. Chyna is there in spirit. That didn’t happen. From what I understand, and I’m not in those inner circles anymore, and for my sanity rightfully so and thankful. I don’t know the exact reason, but I was told everything that we could do was done, and we couldn’t come together.” 

“During the day prior, I texted him, ‘Hey, are you going to be able to make it? Have you found out any answers yet?’ He said, ‘Yes, I’m in.’ I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s awesome.’ Literally, before I landed at home, I found out he was not in. I texted him back and he wasn’t happy either. It just didn’t work, no matter what. I understand. Whatever. I understand we’re [AEW and WWE] not huge fans of each other from a business standpoint. It was a big deal, and I feel like he got ripped off and didn’t live it with us. I’m sorry for that. I know he is too,” he said.

Billy Gunn and Road Dogg officially joined D-Generation X on the Raw after WrestleMania in 1998. Sean “X-Pac” Waltman returned to WWE on the same day and also joined the faction. 

H/T to Fightful for the above transcriptions.