A WWE Hall of Famer has opened up about Vince McMahon’s perceptions of him as a “drug addict” before he returned to the company.
Road Dogg found success in the Attitude Era as one-half of the New Age Outlaws with Billy Gunn and as part of the legendary faction, DX.
However, the real-life Brian James had battled with addiction issues and in early 2001 was released by WWE after being indefinitely suspended by the company.
But a decade later, Road Dogg was to return to the company in a backstage capacity, a move pushed for by his old DX running buddy, Triple H.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Road Dogg candidly spoke about his struggle to get back into WWE at that time and Vince McMahon’s perceptions of his past issues:
“To be quite honest, he didn’t see anything in me [as a producer]. I know he did as a wrestler back in the day, he obviously saw something in me. But, Hunter [Triple H] went to him, and he had to go to him three times and say, ‘Look, I’d like to bring Brian James back.’ And he [McMahon] said, ‘Why? He’s a known drug addict. Why would you do that?’ And that is a totally legitimate point. He [Triple H] said, ‘Well, he’s been sober about a year now.'”
Road Dogg went on to work in a backstage role for the company for most of the next decade, becoming one of Triple H’s lieutenants in NXT. Brian James was released by WWE as the company overhauled the NXT brand in early 2022.