Vince McMahon once decided SmackDown would lose every match at Survivor Series just to get under Road Dogg’s skin, according to former WWE writer and producer Chris Dunn.
Dunn opened up about his time inside WWE creative during an appearance on the Public Enemies Podcast, where the conversation turned to Road Dogg’s reputation and the criticism he has taken from fans over the years. Dunn did not hold back in defending Road Dogg, calling him one of the sharpest minds he encountered in wrestling and someone who regularly fought for talent behind the scenes.
“Road Dog is the best mind in wrestling. I think he combines all the good things that Vince had and all the good things that Hunter had and meet in the middle.”
Dunn then recalled a Survivor Series creative meeting from the period when Road Dogg was running SmackDown. According to Dunn, Road Dogg was calling into the meeting from home when McMahon decided Raw would dominate the interbrand matches, knowing exactly how frustrating that would be for the man overseeing the blue brand.
“There was a Survivor Series where he was running SmackDown. He was, like, I think he was at home for a creative meeting and calling into it, and to [mess] with Road Dog, Vince in a meeting decided SmackDown was going to lose every match on Survivor Series.”
Dunn said Road Dogg kept reacting as each match was discussed, realizing another SmackDown talent was being booked to take a loss.
“He would, like, listen in and he knew, like, Road Dog would be like, ‘Guys, like, now they have to go over. I guess that’s another one for Raw.’”
There was apparently one exception. Dunn said WWE did not want The New Day losing while they were on SmackDown, so their victory was placed on the kickoff show, keeping it from officially counting toward the brand score.
“We got to, I think, the New Day match came up when New Day was on SmackDown. So it was like, you know, we can’t have New Day lose. You know, let’s put them on kickoff. So it would be defined as New Day would win, but it wouldn’t count as a win for SmackDown because it was on the kickoff show.”
For years, fans have blamed individual writers or producers when WWE creative went sideways. Dunn’s story paints a different picture of Road Dogg’s time in charge, one where the public-facing target was sometimes stuck dealing with decisions coming straight from the very top.
What do you think about Chris Dunn’s claim that Vince McMahon booked SmackDown to lose at Survivor Series just to mess with Road Dogg? Let us know in the comments.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
