Road Dogg Remembers Heated Disagreements With CM Punk In WWE

Road Dogg Brian James and CM Punk may both be excellent behind the microphone but they're from opposite sides of the squared circle. On the latest episode of "Oh...You Didn't Know," James had some moments where he talked about his experience with the current AEW star and was asked by co-host Ryan Katz about when Punk criticized The Rock for not being locker room-friendly during Survivor Series 2011.  Punk said the following to "New York Daily News" following the event:

"He's not around. It doesn't help morale when the guy goes right from his limo to the dressing room to the dressing room to the ring. He's very bourgeois Hollywood."

"I believe Punk was doing two things: going into business for himself in a good way," James said, "Like starting conversation, and it was basically starting a conversation with the grassroots wrestling fan of this big Hollywood guy went away, now he's coming back and they want me, the workhorse, to wrestle him.' You know what I mean? It was the plumber vs. the movie star.

James was all for that moment creating headlines and conflict but did note that being polarizing could be part of CM Punk's nature.

"He needed something, the story needed something and so whether that was true or not, I liked it. I thought it made something there where there might not have been otherwise. And look, Punk is a guy that will cause trouble. He will say things to wrinkle your feathers and he's done me that way, and they always say, 'Don't let anybody push your buttons unless you let him,' and I agree with that. I let him, but he can do that, so I can understand how Rock being a little stand-offish and Punk, being a little — I guess stand-offish is a nice way to put it too. I can understand there being frustrations of putting that stuff together."

This particular episode of "Oh...You Didn't Know" focused on James returning to the ring at Royal Rumble 2012, but also during that time, Dogg was just getting started as a backstage producer. Later on in the episode, James was asked by a fan if he ever had wrestlers yell at him while he worked a show.

"Me and CM Punk almost went to blows when I was a producer on a live event, and we had to get called into Vince's office at TV and make nice and shake hands," James said. "I never thought Punk was what Punk was, but again, I know he is what he is. I know he's hugely successful in this industry and over. I give him all the credit in the world. I just didn't get it. I see it now. I still don't get it, but I see it so I know it's true, but me and him didn't see eye to eye. He was the champion at the time and it was about how he was carrying himself as a champion, and I had a discussion with him that he obviously didn't like being talked to that way, so the next time I saw him, it was not yelling in my face, but I was yelling in his face. I'll put it at that. He was a lot more professional and calm than I was at the time."

James would later become the head writer for "WWE Friday Night SmackDown" before becoming a key utility player down in "NXT." He became one of the several budget cuts on January 5, 2022.

If you use any quotes from this article please credit the "Oh...You Didn't Know" podcast with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.