Road Dogg has gone from a name floating in backstage rumors to a body in the building, with the former WWE writer in attendance for this afternoon’s TNA Slammiversary PPV from Boston. His presence comes as TNA scrambles to settle its creative leadership following Tommy Dreamer’s exit.
According to PWInsider, Brian “Road Dogg” James has been in talks with TNA for weeks about a backstage role. The timing is hard to ignore, since the promotion is sorting out its creative direction in the wake of Dreamer’s departure.
From Producer Pitch To Creative Question Mark
James was initially pitched to be brought in as a producer. With some in TNA believing he could end up involved with creative, his potential role may now be larger than first reported.
That talk gained traction after Tommy Dreamer announced he and TNA had parted ways as head of creative. James was discussed internally as a possible replacement, though nothing has been confirmed, and one report described the deal to bring him in as “99% there.”
As of these reports, there is no official TNA announcement confirming James has signed or formally taken a specific position. Everything to this point is based on PWInsider reporting and sourced rumors.
WWE’s View Of Road Dogg
James is a WWE Hall of Famer and a former WWE writer and producer, a background that informs how others in the business assess his fit in a creative room. One assessment relayed in the reporting pointed to his straightforward approach to booking.
“One person in WWE noted to me that James was a ‘very fundamentals style booker, which would do that product a lot of good. He’s enthusiastic when he deals with talent, which is also a positive,'” the report stated.
James previously served as co-lead writer of SmackDown during his time in WWE. Whether that fundamentals-first reputation translates to TNA’s creative direction is the question now hanging over Boston.