Report: Brian 'Road Dogg' James Quits WWE

Brian 'Road Dogg' James has quit WWE, according to various reports.

Bodyslam.net first reported that James, who was working as SmackDown's co-lead writer (alongside John Swikata), had left the company.

PWInsider noted that James informed WWE in person that he was resigning from his role on the creative team. Per WWE sources, the 56-year-old openly expressed his unhappiness while doing so.

The WWE Hall of Famer had worked backstage in various capacities dating back to 2011 and had been co-lead writer of SmackDown since January 2025.

It should be noted that James remains under a WWE Legends deal.

It remains to be seen what his next move will be, though he would certainly be in demand for appearances on the convention and indie circuit, especially alongside New Age Outlaws tag team partner Billy Gunn.

As to whether he could join Gunn in AEW, that is, perhaps, less likely. James has previously revealed that Tony Khan turned him down when he 'begged' the AEW CEO for a job in 2022.

In other WWE creative news, Alexandra Williams recently revealed that she has been promoted to lead writer of Raw. Williams joined the company in 2020.