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Brian James, also known as Road Dogg, is unsure why Vince McMahon did not like two superstars who received their releases from WWE in 2021.
Karrion Kross and Keith Lee were expected to make a huge impression on the main roster after succeeding under Triple H’s leadership in NXT. However, with McMahon in charge of their creative direction on RAW, both men were suddenly let go by the company last November.
James worked behind the scenes in NXT when Kross and Lee were two of the brand’s top stars. The WWE Hall of Famer tried to make sense of their releases on the latest episode of Sportskeeda’s “The Wrestling Outlaws” show.
“I don’t have the answer to that,” James said. “I know a lot of people say maybe there was competition there [between McMahon and Triple H]. I don’t know why he didn’t like these guys. They seem like his type of guys. They’re big guys that can move well and can wrestle, so I don’t really know. It’s funny you brought those two specifically up. Those are the two that got me scratching my head the most.” [1:54-2:19]
James speculated that Vince McMahon may have had an issue with the length of the former NXT Champions’ entrances.
“I know one thing was problematic, was we gave everybody big, cool entrances down there [in NXT], and when they got up there [main roster] it was like, ‘Hey, we gotta cut this entrance down, 30 seconds,’ or whatever. That was problematic for a while. I don’t know how things are going right now, but I think they’ll be leveled out in six months or so.” [2:24-2:43]
Fortunately, both men’s careers are now back on track following their releases. Lee joined AEW in February, while Kross surprisingly returned to WWE on SmackDown last week.
Watch the video above to hear more from James and former WWE writer Vince Russo about Vince McMahon’s disappointing booking of Kross and Lee.
Brian James gives insight into Vince McMahon’s thought process on entrances
Due to time constraints, WWE’s main roster superstars are often given less time to perform ring entrances compared to their days in NXT.
Brian James disclosed interesting details about Vince McMahon’s mindset regarding the introduction of new main roster talents.
“I think Vince’s perspective is, ‘Our viewing audience doesn’t know who they are.’ He would make that argument with us a lot… I understand that if that’s how you wanna do it. I don’t think it’s good either. I think you have to have continuity. If you don’t like the character, then don’t bring him up yet. Let’s try this new character out a time or 12 and see if it’s worth bringing up.” [3:38-4:06]
McMahon retired last month at the age of 76 amid sexual misconduct allegations. Triple H is now in charge of creative, while Nick Khan and Stephanie McMahon are WWE’s new co-CEOs.
Do you expect WWE storylines to improve? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Please credit Sportskeeda’s “The Wrestling Outlaws” and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.
