WWE legend "literally begged" Vince McMahon not to book two superstars badly
Brian James, also known as Road Dogg, had major issues with Vince McMahon’s booking of Fandango and Tyler Breeze before WWE Backlash 2017.
Breezango portrayed comedy characters during their losing effort against The Usos in a SmackDown Tag Team Championship match. The entire SmackDown writing team, led by James at the time, wanted Fandango and Breeze to be presented seriously, but McMahon had a different vision.
Speaking on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, James recalled how he tried to change the WWE Chairman’s mind after a creative meeting. However, McMahon stood by his idea and was ultimately proven right.
“I went back into his office mano a mano post that production meeting and said, ‘Sir, you told me to fight for my show,’” James said. “I literally begged him, ‘Please don’t do this to them,’ and he started laughing. He was like, ‘Brian, God almighty, don’t worry about it. What if it does fail? Who cares?’ Not only did it not fail, they were chanting for the mop.” [55:36-56:03]
The Usos vs. Breezango was widely viewed as the best match of the show. The most memorable moments of the entertaining contest came when Breeze dressed up as a janitor and an elderly lady.
Brian James' thoughts on Vince McMahon's writing ability
An INTERESTING fashion choice from #PrincePretty....
@mmmgorgeous @WWEFandango #WWEBacklash https://t.co/44nN8zoyoX
Although James was the lead writer of SmackDown between 2016 and 2019, Vince McMahon had the final say on match outcomes and storyline developments.
Reflecting on their interactions during that time, the WWE Hall of Famer only had positive things to say about his former boss.
“I can’t count on both hands how many times I disagreed with him and he was right,” James added. “I can’t think of once that I disagreed with him and I said, ‘I told you so.’ Never did he say something that I disagreed with and then he was proved wrong. Never. And that’s the truth.” [56:57-57:15]
John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) also attended the production meeting before Backlash 2017. The former commentator said McMahon was the only person in the room who thought the comedy idea would succeed.
Please credit Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.