WWE Hall of Famer Road Dogg has officially rejoined WWE’s creative team, now serving as co-writer of SmackDown alongside John Swikata.
Road Dogg previously held the position of SmackDown’s head writer from 2016 to 2019 before stepping down, though he remained with WWE in various roles. After transitioning to a coaching role in NXT from May 2019 until his departure in January 2022, he made his return in August 2022 as WWE’s Senior Vice President of Live Events.
During an appearance on Chris Van Vliet’s Insight Podcast, Road Dogg reflected on his first tenure as SmackDown’s lead writer and how WWE’s creative process has evolved over the years.
According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE expanded its writing team due to the increasing workload, leading to Road Dogg sharing writing responsibilities with Swikata.
“There is so much happening right now that one lead writer isn’t enough,” reported Dave Meltzer. “Raw has Ryan Ward and Jon Baeckstrom. Ed Koskey oversees and edits scripts, while Bruce Prichard acts as the bridge between them and Paul Levesque.”
Swikata took over as SmackDown’s co-lead writer in June, replacing Ryan Callahan, signaling another shift in WWE’s creative leadership. With Road Dogg back in a key creative role, fans will be watching closely to see how SmackDown’s storytelling evolves in the coming months.
