'Road Dogg' Brian James Gone From WWE Amid Major Creative Shake-Up

With WWE's biggest show of the year just around the corner, the sports entertainment giant is undergoing some pretty big creative changes.

The folks over at Bodyslam were the first to report on Thursday after that the Road Dogg, Brian James, is out as co-lead writer of Friday Night SmackDown and has departed the company.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider has since corroborated BodySlam's report and added that it was Road Dogg who made the decision to leave the company. No specific reasoning for his decision was given.

The WWE Hall of Famer had been with the company in a creative capacity since 2014, aside from seven months away in 2022, and worked in a variety of roles backstage before being named co-lead writer for the Blue Brand last year.

Road Dogg's appointment to the positions garnered a significant amount of criticism from fans online, however, the recently retired AJ Styles went public in his defense and called on people to give him a chance. The former tag team champion had previously held the same position in the run-up to WrestleMania 35 back in 2019.

James was also heavily featured in season two of WWE Unreal on Netflix, where fans were given a behind-the-scenes look into creative meetings as Road Dogg made pitches for the likes of R-Truth and Chelsea Green.

WWE has appointed a new lead writer for Monday Night Raw

Speaking of WWE on Netflix, there's also been a recent development regarding the creative team over on Monday Night Raw.

Alexandra Williams announced on her LinkedIn profile that she has been promoted to vice president and lead writer for the Red Brand moving forward. She had been working as a senior writer and producer for the company. Williams' updated profile noted that she now "oversees all creative development" for WWE Raw.

"As VP and Lead Writer for WWE’s flagship live program, I oversee all creative development for Monday Night RAW — one of television’s longest-running and highest-rated weekly shows. I pitch to and collaborate with executive leadership and a cross-functional writing team to conceptualize and execute week-to-week storylines, character arcs, and premium live event buildups, including WrestleMania and Survivor Series."

These major changes come with WrestleMania 42 a little over six weeks away. This year's 'Showcase of the Immortals' has reportedly undergone numerous changes over the past couple of months amid lower-than-anticipated ticket sales.

Reports from earlier in the day on Thursday, however, have indicated that the company is closing in on a 14-16 match card, with a potentially record-breaking amount of women's bouts taking place during WrestleMania weekend.

We'll provide an update on Road Dogg's sudden departure from WWE, just as soon as an update becomes available.

Published 1 hour ago

JAMES HOLDER

James Holder is a news and feature writer for The Takedown on SI. After realizing as a teenager that he didn’t have the talent to be a professional sportsperson or sing in a band, James decided to write about those who did. This saw him earn a BA (Hons) degree in Journalism and Sports Studies before going on to review music for Distorted Sound Magazine, Rock Sins, and Noizze Magazine while running his own sport and music blog. However, in 2020, his love of pro wrestling took him in a completely new direction, and he joined the team at Inside The Ropes, eventually becoming Head Writer and Site Manager. A spell with TJR Wrestling followed before he eventually landed with SI in February 2026. James currently lives in Dudley, England, where he spends his time surrounded by family, studying history, and listening to heavy metal far too loudly, while being regularly let down by his favorite sports teams.

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RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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