The challenges of working as head writer for WWE’s main roster was a struggle for this Hall of Famer.
After a long and successful wrestling career, WWE Hall of Famer Road Dogg transitioned into a behind the scenes role with WWE, starting as a writer on the SmackDown brand in 2016. He was eventually promoted to a lead writer position, though he resigned from this role around the time of WrestleMania 35 in 2019 and moved to a role in the Performance Center. He was eventually released from the company in January of 2022 alongside fellow long time employee William Regal.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Road Dogg detailed how difficult it can be to work with Vince McMahon and how the pressure of trying to be an executive took its toll.
“Dude you sit under that learning tree and sometimes you sit under it until 3 in the morning. It was where you learn stuff and little stuff, not just about the business but being an executive. He had somebody coming to the office once a week from Carnegie to teach me how to be an executive. He wanted to make me an executive and work it, to the point where I couldn’t handle it.”
Continuing, Road Dogg recounted how Vince McMahon is such a workhorse that he rarely sleeps, and how he couldn’t keep up with the former WWE CEO.
“To work with that man is difficult, not because of how he is, but because of who he is. He will work all night and be the first one up in the morning to get to work the next day. One time we got in late, we were doing Monday Night Raw and then SmackDown on Tuesday. We flew to the next town and landed at 2am. I just wanted to go to my bed, we get off the place and he says ‘Brian, you got SmackDown?’ I said ‘Yes sir.’
“I sit down and pull it out, we go over it, and then I said ‘Sir, I would like to talk about this in the morning.’ He threw it back in my lap and said ‘You’re going to regret that!’ I look over to Kevin Dunn and I said ‘Oh God I am going to regret that.’ And Kevin said ‘You should.’ Next morning he called me early and I went to his room, but I got some sleep so it didn’t matter.
“But he is a workhorse and I couldn’t keep up. My sobriety was a white knuckle and I just couldn’t keep up, that’s how it was in the WWE, I couldn’t handle it. That’s why I went to NXT for a little while because I thought I could skate for a little bit and I did.
“Then for business decisions they needed to trim some fat. Hey, it’s no secret that I got fat, it’s a business decision. I called him after to thank him. Not only did he employ me for 10 years, he paid for my rehab and for my brother. If you are bitter at that guy, something is wrong with you.”
Elsewhere in the interview, he discussed how he once treated The Rock “horribly” out of jealousy for the Great One.
If you use any part of this transcript, please credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet and link back to this article with a h/t to Inside the Ropes.