Following the departure of its department head Tommy Dreamer, changes within TNA’s creative team are reportedly ongoing, with former “WWE SmackDown” co-lead writer Brian “Road Dogg” James put forth as a potential new member. On a recent edition of “Something To Wrestle,” WWE Hall of Famer John “Bradshaw” Layfield expressed support toward the idea of James specifically becoming TNA’s new head of creative.
“I’d like to see him have creative control and I’d like to see what he can do,” JBL said. “I think he’s a guy who could handle that. A lot of guys cannot handle the creative control. They need something to temper them. They need something to filter them. They need something to take away some of their craziness or some of their ideas that are bad. You need a Vince McMahon to be able to be the guy who has the final decision. I think Road Dogg could handle this. I’d love to see it happen because I think he’s smart enough to make it work.”
As of last week, reports pointed to James starting his TNA creative work at the 2026 Slammiversary event, set in Boston, Massachusetts on June 28. Meanwhile, Hunter “Delirious” Johnson was expected to step up in Dreamer’s place as the lead TNA booker, with James and Vice President of TV Production Eric Tompkins working in tandem to assist him.
A new update from PWInsider indicated that James was indeed backstage at Slammiversary. His deal with TNA, however, has not been made official as the two sides are reportedly still sorting out details even as of today. TNA has yet to make any announcement regarding James’ status with them.
JBL Calls Road Dogg A ‘Very Special Person’
According to Dreamer, his former role was a “24/7 job” that involved demanding creative and communicative work. Still, he found himself thoroughly enjoying it, especially given the quality colleagues surrounding him.
JBL echoed Dreamer’s sentiment about the overwhelming nature of top creative positions in pro wrestling, with those working alongside former WWE-CEO Vince McMahon often doing so in the style of a revolving door as a result.
“Vince would go through guys one after another,” JBL said. “Vince used to always joke about it, or not joke about, but he would just say, ‘I just use them until they get burned out, then go to somebody else and they’ll come back later and they’ll get burned out again.’ People could hardly handle the schedule. That schedule to book wrestling 52 weeks a year is one of the toughest in the world. It takes a very special person, and I think Road Dogg’s one of those guys.”
JBL went on to point out that very few people have been personally taken under the wing of such legendary creative minds like Kevin Sullivan, Dusty Rhodes, and Eddie Graham. In James’ case, he trained under McMahon, who manufactured many successful years for WWE.
“I remember Vince saying, ‘I’ve got really big plans for him,'” JBL said in reference to James. “He thought the world and still does. He thought the world of Road Dogg and about what Road Dogg could do. Vince had massive plans for him.”
James left WWE in March after feeling that the backstage environment was moving too fast for him. In addition, he wanted to spend more time with his family, something that was often limited due to his work on the road.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Something To Wrestle” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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