Brian "Road Dogg" James has departed WWE, according to a report from BodySlam.net.
James, a WWE Hall of Famer best known for his time as one-half of the New Age Outlaws alongside "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn, had been serving as the head of creative for SmackDown.
His tenure in the backstage role had drawn considerable attention in recent months, including his portrayal on the second season of WWE's docuseries WWE: Unreal, which depicted behind-the-scenes creative discussions during his time overseeing the blue brand's direction.
The 54-year-old James originally rejoined WWE in a behind-the-scenes capacity in 2011, working as a producer before eventually taking on a creative leadership role.
He previously served as co-head writer of SmackDown Live from 2016 to 2019 before stepping down and transitioning to WWE's NXT brand. He was let go from NXT in early 2022 but returned to WWE not long after Vince McMahon stepped away from the company, this time working with the live events team before moving back into a creative leadership position on SmackDown.
No reason has been given for the departure at this time. SEScoops will provide updates as more information becomes available.
