AJ Styles Stands Up for Road Dogg Amid WWE SmackDown Writing Team Shake-Up

AJ Styles isn’t staying silent when it comes to Road Dogg Brian James’ return to WWE’s creative team. With Road Dogg officially stepping into a co-head writer role for SmackDown alongside John Swikata, some fans have been skeptical about how his influence will shape the brand. But Styles has made it clear—don’t judge him based on the past.

Responding to concerns over Road Dogg’s previous run as SmackDown’s lead writer, Styles took to social media to set the record straight. “Before judging this guy from his past performance as head writer, just know that there was a man who picked it apart to the point that it was no longer his ideas anymore,” Styles wrote.

Road Dogg’s first stint leading SmackDown’s creative came in 2017, but his ideas reportedly went through multiple levels of edits before making it to TV. Many fans criticized that era’s booking, but if Styles’ comments hold weight, the final product wasn’t exactly Road Dogg’s vision.

Since returning to WWE under Triple H’s leadership, Road Dogg has worked as Senior Vice President of Live Events before now stepping back into a direct creative role. His views on WWE booking philosophy, including his belief that “wins and losses don’t matter,” have made him a polarizing figure, but with Styles vouching for him, the veteran writer might get a fairer shot this time around.

With WrestleMania 41 approaching fast, SmackDown’s creative direction will be under a microscope. Whether Road Dogg’s second run in the writer’s room delivers something fresh or stirs up more debate remains to be seen.