Road Dogg Departs WWE Creative Team

WWE’s creative team has reportedly undergone another significant change as Road Dogg.

According to a report from BodySlam+, Brian “Road Dogg” James has departed the company’s creative staff. James had been serving as the co-lead writer for SmackDown, working alongside John Swikata.

Additional details from PWInsider indicate that the belief internally is that James chose to step away from the role himself. The report states that word circulating within the company is that James “made the decision to leave his position.”

This marks the second time James has worked on WWE’s creative team.

Road Dogg’s Time On WWE Creative

During his earlier stint with the company, Road Dogg also served as SmackDown’s head writer before stepping down from that role in 2019. He remained with WWE in a different behind-the-scenes position until being released in 2022.

James later returned to WWE after Paul “Triple H” Levesque assumed control of the company’s creative direction.

During his original run as SmackDown’s head writer, James frequently faced criticism from fans regarding the show’s creative direction. At the time, AJ Styles defended him publicly, explaining that many of James’ ideas were heavily altered once they reached Vince McMahon.

According to Styles, McMahon often reworked the concepts so extensively that the final product was no longer reflective of James’ original ideas.

Outside of his backstage role, James remains one of WWE’s most recognisable performers from the Attitude Era. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as part of the iconic faction D-Generation X.

The reported departure comes amid broader changes within WWE’s creative structure.

Earlier this week, Alexandra Williams announced that she has been promoted to lead writer for Raw. Williams joined WWE in 2020 and previously worked as a Senior Writer and Producer, and was recently elevated to Vice President and Lead Writer for the brand.