Revealed: What WWE REALLY Thinks Of AEW (WWE News)
Road Dogg reveals how WWE viewed AEW.
Having departed WWE earlier this year, Road Dogg has opened up on what WWE really thinks about AEW.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio (via Fightful), the former six-time WWE Tag Team Champion said that WWE didn't initially take AEW seriously, calling it a "little money mark's company."
As Dogg put it:
"No, we didn't [think WWE was in a battle with AEW], and we probably should have. Instead, I think it was looked at, like, 'Oh, that's this other money mark's company.' I honestly think that's how it was looked at. I would argue that, however long we are into their tenure, that was wrong to be looking at it that way. They're still here, they're still strong, they're getting stronger. Adding Mike Mansury [as EVP and Head of Global Production] was a huge step in the right direction. He's a smart guy with good instincts."
Elsewhere, Road Dogg also discussed how the presence of AEW had impacted contract negotiations, namedropping Santos Escobar as somebody who WWE would offer a new three-year contract to in order to stop them from potentially signing with AEW. The WWE Hall of Famer likewise talked about how "the booking used to be about wrestling" but "it feels all about the money now" and that the industry has "turned into the business wrestling instead of the wrestling business."
The real-life Brian James had worked in various backstage roles for WWE from 2014 until this past March, when he quit his most recent position as SmackDown co-head writer.