Road Dogg was pushing for Big E to become SmackDown’s top champion before Kofi Kingston’s road to the WWE Championship took off, according to former WWE creative team member Chris Dunn.
While speaking on the Public Enemies Podcast, Dunn went out of his way to defend Road Dogg from the criticism he has taken over WWE’s creative direction. Dunn said Road Dogg was not just someone sitting in meetings and going along with whatever came down from above. He was someone who advocated for talent he believed deserved more. That included Chelsea Green, Mustafa Ali and, according to Dunn, members of The New Day.
“He’s also really great for advocating for talent and seeing the talent that I think true fans see and, like, advocates for them.”
Dunn then claimed that Road Dogg was interested in making Big E the face of SmackDown long before Kofi Kingston’s memorable rise to the WWE Championship in 2019.
“A year before Kofi won the title, you know, he wanted to launch SmackDown with Big E as the champion.”
The direction changed once Kingston caught fire with fans during the build to WrestleMania 35. Dunn credited Road Dogg with helping push McMahon toward taking Kingston’s momentum seriously.
“Then, when Kofi started having the momentum, he was the one who really pushed to, you know, to start Vince thinking that way.”
KofiMania ultimately became one of WWE’s most beloved championship stories, with Kingston defeating Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 to finally capture the WWE Championship. Big E would later receive his own world title run in 2021 after cashing in the Money in the Bank contract on Bobby Lashley.
Dunn also brought up Mustafa Ali while explaining Road Dogg’s approach to talent. He claimed that when WWE was launching 205 Live, Road Dogg fought against the idea of taking an easy villain route with Ali and instead pushed for him to be presented as a babyface.
“When I started at WWE, they were launching 205 Live, you know, I think the traditional stereotype is, like, have him be a villain. And, like, he went to Vince and he was like, ‘Hey, like, let’s not do that.’”
Road Dogg’s creative legacy has been debated for years, especially by fans who only saw the finished television product. Dunn’s comments offer another side of that story, claiming Road Dogg was pushing for talent and ideas that fans eventually connected with in a major way.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
Do you think Big E should have become Smack Down’s top champion before Kofi Kingston’s WWE Championship run? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
