Report: New details on Road Dogg’s WWE departure
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.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.