Road Dogg Gives Insight On How Vince McMahon Viewed WWE NXT
Road Dogg has shared insight as to why he thinks Vince McMahon never really viewed NXT as a third brand.
In an interview with WrestleZone, Road Dogg revealed that NXT inadvertently became a third brand, but because it was never meant to be one, it was tossed aside.
"That's what NXT was originally. It became – because of the TV rights deal – a third brand, but it was never really intended to be a third brand, and it was never thought about from a business standpoint as a third brand."
Road Dogg talked about his firing from WWE. He was let go from the company earlier this year during a mass release of backstage personnel. He wrestled for the company back in the nineties before leaving to make a name for himself elsewhere. He then came back to the company after inducting his father into the Hall of Fame in a couple of different backstage roles. He started as head writer of SmackDown before transitioning into a trainer role in the Performance Center.
"Look, Firing me was a business decision. Was it a decision that I approved of? Heck no, but acceptance doesn't mean approval."
Road Dogg also talked about his admiration for Samuel Shaw, formerly known as Dexter Lumis. He also mentioned that he thought that Shaw's age was part of the reason he was released earlier this year following another mass release of talent in late April 2022.
"[Dexter] drew all kinds of stuff. We used to write him to draw pictures on NXT all the time because he's a genius artist. I think with Dexter, look, Sam's a great guy, I'm a huge fan of his ... I think what his deal was was is I think his age, you know what I mean? Like he's not 40 but he ain't 25 either."
Road Dogg talked about how cool it was to watch the sons of his close friend, Billy Gunn, be professional wrestlers and work alongside their father. Gunn and Dogg worked together as members of the popular nineties faction D-Generation X, before eventually going on to form their own tag team, The New Age Outlaws.
"I had no idea [Billy Gunn's children] ever wanted to be professional wrestlers."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit WrestleZone with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.