The Road Dogg on being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame, serving as a Marine and transitioning from The Roadie with Jeff Jarrett to DX (Exclusive)
Oh, you didn't know? Then you better call somebody. The Road Dogg sits down for an exclusive interview with Perched On The Top Rope. During the interview, The Road Dogg discusses everything from being a Marine, working with Jeff Jarrett to joining D-Generation X, and being honorary members of The J.O.B Squad. There is also audio at the end.
The Road Dogg is a six-time WWE Tag-Team Champion, one-time Intercontinental and one-time Hardcore Champion. The Road Dogg, alongside the rest of D-Generation X, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019.
SK: What's going on everyone it's Lee Walker here, joining me today is WWE Hall of Famer, The Road Dogg Jesse James, how are you doing today?
R.D: Oh, you didn't know? It's always weird to me a little bit to hear Hall of Famer. I think of D-Generation X as Hall of Fame worthy, but sometimes it still startles me.
SK: What was that night like for you (the Hall of Fame), and how did you find out? When I interviewed Billy Gunn had a funny story about being on a cruise (you can check the interview with Billy Gunn here)
R.D: HAHA yeah, when he got the call and information about the Hall of Fame. He was excited. I couldn't get through to him, so I got a hold of his wife, but his wife didn't give him the message. It was an interesting story, to say the least.
I found out about it by accident, and I wasn't supposed to. So, I thought it was funny too. That night was special for us all or a lot of different reasons. Some of us, myself included, didn't know if we'd still be alive, cut back to ten years ago. So it was cool to stand up on that stage with everybody. We sure missed Chyna, that's for sure. She was an intricate part of D-Generation X no doubt about it, but it was a special night for us for sure.
SK: Before I get into more questions, I want to thank you for serving our country.
R.D: Thank you. Thanks for that
SK: For fans out there who didn't know Road Dogg was part of the military and will always be part of the military.
R.D: I'm a Marine. I was a Marine in Desert Storm over '90-'91 over in Kuwait, so, yeah, I'm proud of my military service. Another quick thing about that Hall of Fame night was you'd never thought you'd hear it, but D-Generation X got in a circle and prayed before we got out there. So that may come to a shock to some people.
SK: If you don't mind me asking, was it praying for everything to go smoothly or praying, so some words didn't out?
R.D: Well, a little of both hahaha. To tell you the truth, it was more importantly that we were all standing there together, about to take this huge step, a milestone in our careers. Everybody but Shawn got their ring for the first time. Shawn's got a couple like Tom Brady.
SK: You and Billy Gunn were wearing J.O.B. Squad shirts one night on RAW. Before joining DX, were you going to join the J.O.B. Squad?
R.D: No, and truth be told, the Job Squad wasn't even a thing just yet. It was just kind of a joke backstage. So we ran with that. If you remember we wore different shirts like South Park shirts and some custom airbrush shirts. So it was just one of the many different shirts we wore at that time. We were kind of honorary members of The J.O.B. Squad before becoming The New Age Outlaws, and members of D-Generation X.
SK: What was it like transitioning from The Roadie with Jeff Jarrett to teaming with Billy Gunn and the whole formation of DX?
R.D: What I loved about being with Jeff Jarrett was I learned so much, being that close to him as I was very new to the business. So, being that close with Jeff Jarrett, Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon all helped. All those that we worked with, I was able to learn so much. The learning continued, and the responsibilities grew, and I actually became one-half of the tag team champions. I had to carry my own weight and not ride the coattails anymore. It was definitely a maturing maturation process for me there.
SK: Yeah, and it's great to watch that transition on the WWE Network.
R.D: It's only $9.99. Oh, I thought that was an easy plug for you.
SK: HAHA What's it like coming to events like The Big Event, and WrestleFest-1 in Albany, New York?
R.D: Albany has always been a great town. I remember Jeff and I coming here doing promotional stuff twenty-five years ago, so I've been coming here for a lot of years. We went to a show in Brooklyn, it was a smaller venue, and the entertainers were hungry and passionate. It was fun to get back to see it at that real raw level. I had a really good time, but coming out and just meeting the fans is always cool, and kind of scary for me at first because, "Oh, I'm just the Road Dogg," but I was a member of The Outlaws, a member of DX. So I never know how I'm going to be accepted when I come out by myself, but it's been a great turnout. It's been a great time here in Albany.
SK: Where can fans find you on social media?
R.D: @WWERoadDogg on Twitter, BG James on Facebook, and wweroaddogg on Instagram as well. I'm more of a Twitter guy. Facebook is more close to my house. Twitter is where I'm on a lot. I haven't learned, and I'm too old for Instagram. I'm definitely too old for Snapchat.
SK: Road Dogg, I want to thank you for speaking with me today. It's been a real honor.
R.D: It's been my pleasure. Thank you, guys.