“Road Dogg” Brian James says WWE feels like a “money grab” now: “I wasn’t having any fun either”

And I feel like WWE didn’t want it or need it anymore. You know what I mean? They were firing on all cylinders and making money and setting records and breaking them.

It was complacent. I felt like I wasn’t earning it. I was getting a check, but I felt like I wasn’t earning it. And I wasn’t having any fun either.

It got to be so much work that it stopped being fun.

I told myself a long time ago—I actually stayed longer than I wanted to just out of fear of unemployment and fear of, ‘Oh God, what do I do now?’ I didn’t do well with my money. I’m a drug addict and recovering alcoholic. I didn’t manage my money well.

So, that fear of the unknown kept me there for a long time.

And my wife told me on the phone—I was about to go into a meeting—and she said, ‘I’ll live with you in a tent.’

And I said, ‘I’m coming home right now.’

Because if you’ll live with me in a tent, then I don’t need to pay the mortgage.

You know what? We keep it. We keep the lights on at The James Gang Ranch. I assure you of that.

But what—hey, I’m rambling, man. I’m using this as therapy.”

But it feels like it’s just all about the money now.

So maybe that goes to what you’re saying—the money. They can go over there and make some money too, so the money’s deciding everything.

But I don’t know, man. It just feels like WWE right now, for me, was a money grab. And I don’t know, it didn’t feel right.

I wanted to step away from that.”