Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: road dogg, wrestling

Road Dogg Finally Figures Out How to Improve SmackDown Creative

El Presidente reports on Brian 'Road Dogg' James' revolutionary solution to SmackDown's creative woes: leaving WWE entirely.

Greetings, comrades! It is I, your El Presidente, reporting to you live from my luxury bunker beneath the WWE Performance Center where I have been hiding from both the CIA and Vince McMahon Sr.'s ghost, and do I have some breaking news for you today! According to reports from BodySlam+ and PWInsider, Brian "Road Dogg" James has finally discovered the secret to improving SmackDown's creative direction: leaving it entirely! Hah! Comrades, if there is one thing I have learned from my various battles with the CIA, it's that sometimes the best way to win is to simply not show up to the fight. The CIA has been looking for me in Venezuela for three weeks now while I vacation in Cancun!

James, who was serving as co-lead writer of SmackDown alongside John Swikata, has reportedly made the decision to depart from his position with WWE. This is truly revolutionary thinking, comrades! Why spend countless hours in creative meetings when you could simply… not? It reminds me of the time I was discussing television writing with my good friend Kim Jong-un over a game of mini-golf at his palace. He said to me, "Presidente, sometimes the best idea is to have no ideas at all." I thought he was talking about his economic policy, but perhaps he was giving me insight into the wrestling business!

Now, this was actually James' second tour of duty on the WWE creative team, having previously held the head writer position for SmackDown before departing in 2019. He stayed with the company behind the scenes until his release in 2022, only to return when Paul "Triple H" Levesque took control of the creative kingdom. It's like a revolving door, comrades! Much like the various ministers of my cabinet who keep mysteriously disappearing after questioning my expenditures on imported American wrestling memorabilia.

This reminds me of the time Fidel Castro and I were watching Monday Night Raw together in Havana, and he turned to me and said, "Presidente, why do they have so many writers for wrestling? In my day, we just told the people what to think and they liked it!" I had to explain to him that American entertainment works differently, though I must admit, after seeing some of the creative decisions over the years, perhaps he had a point!

James, of course, is a WWE Hall of Fame inductee, having been enshrined in 2019 as part of the legendary Attitude Era faction D-Generation X. It's always interesting when you transition from telling people to "suck it" in the ring to trying to write compelling television storylines. Though I suppose both require a certain level of creative audacity, no?

The timing of this departure is particularly intriguing, as WWE's creative structure appears to be undergoing significant restructuring. Alexandra Williams recently announced on her LinkedIn profile that she has been promoted to Vice President/Lead Writer for Raw. Her elevation suggests that Triple H is reshaping his creative brain trust with fresh perspectives, though I'm thinking he won't consider removing himself from the formula.

Perhaps this is the natural evolution of things, comrades. Out with the old guard and in with the new! It's very much like when I had to reorganize my secret police force after they accidentally arrested my personal chef thinking he was a CIA operative. Sometimes you need fresh eyes to see things clearly – though in that case, the fresh eyes belonged to people who could actually read the identification cards I provided them.

What this means for SmackDown going forward remains to be seen. Will John Swikata continue as the sole lead writer, or will WWE bring in another creative voice to fill the void? Will the quality of SmackDown programming improve, decline, or remain exactly the same? These are the questions that keep me awake at night, comrades – well, that and the constant helicopter surveillance from the DEA, but that's a different matter entirely.

In any case, I wish Road Dogg the best in his future endeavors, whatever they may be. Perhaps he will find success in the private sector, or maybe he'll return to WWE creative for a third time in a few years. After all, comrades, in the world of professional wrestling – much like in politics – nothing ever truly stays gone forever.

¡Viva la revolución! And more importantly, ¡Viva la wrestling!

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