Brian James

[1.0] "Without a doubt the Brutus Beefcake of his era. Like Brutus, Road Dogg was also over for only a couple of years, couldn't get over anywhere else, couldn't really work a crisp match, and wouldn't have ever had a job without his powerful friend. He gets one point for the catchphrase that was genuinely entertaining. He could do fuck all of nothing once he finished but that was fun. He's overall pretty useless."

[7.0] "Road Dogg one of the best guys on the microphone in the attitude era, got a massive pop from the crowd every single time and could also go fairly well in the ring. Better in a tag team as part of the new age outlaws, overall he was just fine for that era and does his shift now"

[4.0] "A solid wrestler who managed to get over by competently cutting the same exact promo hundreds of times. Other than that, Brian James/Armstrong's relative success in the industry appears to have largely rested on his influential friendships and more talented relations. Drug problems and a failure to change with the evolving industry, continuing to rely on the same tired character and catchphrases, caused his rapid decline in relevance in the early 2000s, and his run in TNA became embarrassing."

[7.0] "OH YOU DIDN'T KNOW? YOUR ASS BETTER CALL SOMEBODY! This man is an interesting case to me. For one, I REALLY like his mic work. He has this incredible ability to talk shit and get the crowd behind him. It's a shame that outside of the pumphandle, I really do NOT like his ring work. If pressed about it, I would say he is the rare case of wrestler I would be really excited to meet at a bar; he seems like a groovy and sweet guy outside of the business, and everything I've heard about him in shoot interviews supports that to me. I think his position in the company during the DX angle is relatively above his actual contributing value as a worker, but I have to give him extra marks for making me give a shit about Billy Gunn in the Attitude Era."

[1.0] "Rewatching the early NWA-TNA shows, one thing stands out above everything else: BG James sucks. He spews out the same generic intro, has a bad match where he throws his crappy little jabs and almost nothing else, and generally wins despite having no talent whatsoever. Part of his late career shtick was horrendous anti-WWE meta garbage that did TNA no favors whatsoever. The New Age Outlaws were a shitty team, the 3 Live Kru were the lowlight of every show they were on, the reformed James Gang/Voodoo Kin Mafia with their meta nonsense were terrible, and Road Dogg was easily the worst member of his family in the professional wrestling business. Lllllladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, this man is a blight on anything he was ever involved in and I do not understand how anyone could bear to watch him. His brother Brad Armstrong was worlds better and doesn't get the credit he deserves, if only in comparison."

[4.0] "Road was someone very lucky, for everything he had, he was lucky to be at the right time, along with the right people. His MIC ability was fine, not very remarkable his promos, but if he was able to go crazy to the public saying (Ladies and Gentleman... and the rest you know), but could not do that, this is obvious if you saw it in TNA, where he did the same intro but changing minimum things. I like to see him more like New Age Outlaws than in DX, he can simply highlight the usual."

[4.0] "Road Dogg is incredibly lucky to be good on the mic, because without that charisma he wouldn't have made it very far in professional wrestling. In-ring he's incredibly average and doesn't leave a lot to the imagination. I also think he was in the right place at the right time, 10 years earlier and 10 years later, he wouldn't have found any success in the industry."

[3.0] "Never liked anything about this guy. Lackluster in-ring skills and I personally couldn't stand his lame gimmick or the same corny promos he would repeat everytime he grabbed the mic. He also looked more like an elementary school janitor than a wrestler."

[5.0] "Act that could get over with solid in ring work and great charisma. His in ring work is not quite as good as his father's or his brothers' but he is still solid in the ring. He had more charisma than any of his brothers. His work backstage has proven that he has a good mind for the business."

[2.0] "I've never understood the appeal. Firstly he wasn't good in the ring basically ever, especially next to Billy Gunn and X-Pac who were competent to good workers in the ring. He could talk and hew as over and maybe I didn't watch the attitude era because I was 3 but it just comes off as bad. Maybe the white guy stealing from black culture gimmick was more over then I'm not sure. Was also a real stinker of an IC champ at a time of amazing IC champs."

[8.0] "one of the most over acts of the attitude era. his score here is baffling. he wasn't great in the ring, but was serviceable. he was a great talker, great character, and as charismatic as any non-main eventer in the company. the Outlaws were the only tag team worth watching in the WWF in the late 90s until E&C, the Dudleys, and The Hardys got over. those 3 teams ended up being better and more popular, but from late 97-mid 99 the tag division was lucky to have the Outlaws."

[3.0] "Everyone always used to say he was a great promo. But like he cut the same promo over and over again, it never really changed, and then when he got in the ring he was completely lost out there. The New Age Outlaws were popular no doubt. But without Billy Gunn this guy would have either been a repetitive manager or a complete flop so it's hard for me to want to rate him highly."

[5.0] "By far the most accomplished on the Armstrong brothers. Probably had the most unique look, and by far the best character and charisma and the best on the mic, but at the same time, possibly the weakest in the ring in terms of skill. Proof that you can get away with a lot based on charisma. Red hot from late 97-late 99 but the character was getting stale in 2000 and the DX thing outlived it's days. Very close to being in the top 5 guys of the WWF Attitude era of 99."

[3.0] "Completely unremarkable. A good catch phrase and entrance. That's about where it ends for me. Had decent charisma, but nothing special at all in the ring. Didn't have the look, the moves, or the mic work to overcome an at best meh performer."

[4.0] "While I enjoyed Road Dogg's work in the WWF (especially his tag stuff with Billy), Road Dogg's TNA run was such a disaster that I can't really give him that good of a rating. His humping pump handle slam is also one of the dumbest finishers I've ever seen."

[2.0] "Kind of baffling how he is an Armstrong yet has no in-ring skills. Had a bad look which meant he was always covered up, poor moveset, no psychology, no stamina. Managed to get himself over with a single catchphrase which I suppose should be commended in a way."

[2.0] "The pro wrestling equivalent to a one hit wonder. His catchphrase was over but he was still the 4th most entertaining member of DX. His physique was nonexistent but he didnt make up for it with his wrestling ability. Or promos for that matter. He was a part of some of the worst matches and strorylines in TNAs early years. And he exposed him self as a complete imbecile. As if there was any doubt."

[0.0] "Horrible. He had a hackneyed catch phrase and spent a lot of time on TV during compelling RAW years. He looked like a dumpy out of shape fool and had to wear a teeshirt to hide his lack of muscle. Apparently using marijuana was considered a unique personality quirk? Terrible in ring, with that outmoded and business exposing punch sequence. Longer matches expose him as a sad sack with poor wind. I guess teenage boys liked to yell along to his routine? Because how he isnt rated a 3 or lower is beyond me. Any nostalgia points should be spent on NOA or DX ratings, unless you want to sit through one of his singles matches and tell me thats not the worst combination of look and in-ring performance in 2nd half of 90s. Luckily, he gets jobs at WWE now. I dont wish him ill. I just wish he? d never polluted my television screen"

[8.0] "I felt all of his Bullet's kids took something from him. I felt like Brian got the entertainer/personality aspect out of the deal. Cause his whole act was over like rover. Especially, the Road Dogg/New Age Outlaw persona. He would sit and write all of these raps, have a different one every week, and the fans just sang along/ate it up. He was a decent hand in the ring, but when your act is that over...I don't think it matters. I think the character work outweighs that. Loved his act with Jeff Jarrett ( that damn with my baby tonight melody is still over today lol), him and Billy Gunn were magic together, and the stuff he did with Konnan and Truth in TNA I thought was good too. Ialso feel like the key reason i'm giving him a higher rating than most i've seen is because I feel like his shtick would still work today. I think if you put that gimmick on t.v. today (it was as recenty as 2015) that it would work just as good now as it did then. There aren't too many acts from yesteryear that in today's landscape you can say that about."

[6.0] "A guy who was always a decent worker in the ring. He wasn't exactly the greatest, but he also wasn't the drizzling shits either. He's not his brother Brad or even his father, but he was able to hold his own. Better talker though."

[7.0] "Road dogg is a decent wrestler but more than that he is a great talker. He was really over that time with billy gunn and as a part of dx."

[8.0] "Not the most talented in ring performer, but I? ll be damned if he wasn? t one of the most charismatic son of a guns I? ve ever seen. I experience true joy whenever I hear his music played and he starts asking us questions. Definitely more fun than Billy."

[7.0] "A good worker and a better talker, one of the standouts of WWF's Attitude Era midcard and tag division."

[7.0] "Started as "The only Armstrong who wasn't in tremendous physical condition", floundered for-freakin-ever because he was also the least ring savvy and naturally gifted of them all. Even his early WWF run as The Roadie was insignificant aside from outside interference changing the Intercontinental title scene. However, while the other Armstrong brothers were vastly superior workers with far better looking bodies; they lacked one crucial element: the charisma of their father. How ironic that "The Road Dogg" was 110% charisma with little ring skill, reminds of the film "Twins" in a way. Road Dogg was one of the Attitude era's shining stars and established himself as one of their iconic characters. His early pairing with Billy Gunn did little to rise the two from obscurity, but once booked with DX they were given the true spotlight and kept crowds hot & engaged. They slowly worked their way into even my heart -->everything they did is very rewatchable<-- and grew from surprisingly entertaining to definitely captivating. The concept was simple: Road Dogg could do the talking for 5 (let alone the pair), he would also play Ricky Morton and get his butt stomped for eternity. Eventually the hot tag would bring in PEAK Billy Gunn who would play clean up crew after the other team wore themselves out, crowds would go ape. Road Dogg also brought early credibility to the hardcore title, very notable chemistry with Al Snow as the two had some "classics" for the subgenre. After these ventures he floundered once again ( i wasn't so much into the teams with X Pac nor K-Kwik) but I still have a soft spot for the guy. I also can't write this without mentioning Royal Rumble 2000, where he would just hold onto the bottom rope near a turnbuckle for minutes on end, HILARIOUS. If you're watching for top tier ring work he ain't anyone's guy - but he's for sure an entertaining sunuvugun. 6.5 rounded up. (note: i've only seen his work up to the end of 2000)"

[1.0] "Just a downright awful worker. He was good at a snappy catch phrase and that is it. He looked like the Steve Buscemi meme in his run with the 3 live kru in TNA. Maybe the worst second generation wrestler of all time in a world that includes Eric Watts and David Flair."

[4.0] "Much better singer, than in ring performer. I only give him 4 points because of his mic skills, and because he was a part of NAO and DX, which is memorable as a whole. Just based on his in ring skills, his physique, his moveset, he is not more than a 3 in my book. I always hated the silly routines some wrestlers do all the time - like a punch, a few second dance, another punch, rinse and repeat - it is embarrassing to watch. Poor opponent has to just stand there like a muppet, appearing dizzy, while this talentless dweeb is dancing around. The least physically skilled Armstrong."

[0.0] "The most annoying person on the mic ever. I really don't know how people find him entertaining since whenever i hear his promo he does before every damn match, i feel a strong urge to punch myself. But my dislike for him isn't limited with his mic work, he also is a horrible horrible wrestler. I do not remember one good match from him since all he ever did was throwing fancy looking punches while dancing like an idiot and the terrible pumphandle slam. This guy was attrocious and i do not understand how people can rate him higher than 2."

[1.0] "Always found him extremely irritating and less than passable inside the ring. New Age Outlaws are a contender for my least favourite tag team ever and his incessant promos are a big reason why. Plus, as booker of Smackdown, he drove a reinvigorated brand into the ground with his horrendous ideas and awful booking."

[6.0] "His mic skills have improved over the years, but his in-ring ability did not improve as much unfortunately, and perhaps over-achieved in his career."

[8.0] "Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages. Degeneration-x proudly brings to you, The wwf Tag team CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD. The road dogg Jesse James, the badass billy Gunn, the NEW AGE OUTLAWS! I honestly don? t know if there was ever a tag team more over with the crowd. Road dogg was one of the most entertaining guys on the mic and had some of the most entertaining moves. Raw is war used to be a rock concert, everybody had a catch phrase and the crowd would yell that shit at the top of there lungs. Ohhhh you didn? t know? Your ass better caaaaallllll somebodyyyyyyyy."

[7.0] "Was electric on the mic and was one of the prime reasons why the New Age Outlaws got over in the first place. Apart from that.... eh. His skill in the ring was VERY limited, which is why he was usually never in a singles match without a gimmick carrying him. Yes, he was safe, yes he was good in tag matches, but his actual wrestling ability wasn't great, and he usually needed Gunn to carry him through most of the big spots."

[8.0] "Loved him in the Outlaws , as well as in D-Generation-X. I absolutely loved him on the mic back in the day."

[0.0] "How is it the guy who's came from a family of great wrestlers managed to be so shit and be the most successful one? This dude was terrible in the ring with his humping pumphandle drop finish, his terrible microphone skills with him being a jive talking white boy who couldn't jive talk, look at Summerslam 99 and see Chris Jericho smoke this dude."

[4.0] "Not a highlight by any means but decent as a lower midcard guy to put in a variety of tag teams and matches."

[6.0] "People hate on him now because he's a huge corporate kiss ass, helped put together many bad shows, and seems like a genuinely douche of a person. But back in his day, he was a pretty solid part of the roster. My favorite days of Road Dogg was when he was with the Outlaws BEFORE they joined with DX. Gunn & Dogg were really exciting back then. After they officially joined with DX, they were still great for a while, but eventually the kiddy aspects of his character started being turned up and his ring intros for himself felt overwhelming. Now he's dreadful anytime we have to sit through yet another DX reunion."

[5.0] "Average is great! Great entertainer than wrestler. Excellent on the mic. Had sloppy wrestling skills. More of a tag team specialist with Billy Gunn."

[4.0] "Road Dogg was good enough on the mic and had the charisma to compensate for being very average in the ring. Brian James, whilst coming from a wrestling family and growing up in the business, has devolved into the WWE groupthink."

[5.0] "Good on the mic which got him way over as part of DX and with Gunn. Not very good in the ring though."

[3.0] "The road dogg could spell his own name. That's not really much of a gimmick. Every new age outlaw match was the same. Road Dogg got his ass beat and then tagged in Billy for the win. "I'm a hardcore fish in a big pond and I'm hardcore in my life until I D I E and that ain't no L I E. ""

[1.0] "Oh well, i forget that this guy was just enzo amore of attitude era. Can talk ? i agree, but nothing special outside the usual catchphrase of NAO. That's why i give 1. The thing was when he became booker/writer for SD. Since then, SD has gone down so fast. I still laugh at his excuses on twitter like Wins, losses don't matter blah, blah, blah. Just hypocritical. The biggest wwe ass kisser right now without a doubt. Please don't take this clown's opinions seriously. He should be removed from SD ASAP."

[4.0] "Road Dogg is kind of like Enzo Amore but better on the mic and way better in the ring. He wasn't a Bret Hart or Ric Flair but knew how to work 10 minute matches with great opponents but with lesser most of the matches were DUD OR *1/2 Star."

[2.0] "Good on the mic, but no where else. Really, he would have been an excellent manager. Unfortunately, this is not what we got. What we got was really just loudmouthed garbage."

[7.0] "It has often been said, not unfairly, that Road Dogg/Brian James is simultaneously the most charismatic and least talented wrestler among the Armstrong brothers. Though by no means bad in the ring, he possessed an unspectacular, workmanlike ability in the ring, but truly excelled on the mic, with the ability to draw in and work the crowd as either a face or a heel. This particular skill set made him ideal for a position as a tag team specialist, and he made it pay dividends, picking up six tag title reigns in WWE with Billy Gunn (as well as, at other points in his career, two USWA Tag Championships with Tracy Smothers and two NWA World Tag Titles with Ron Killings and Konnan in TNA). His mic work made him an integral part of DX and a memorable figure in late '90s-early 2000s WWE."

[6.0] "One of the very few wrestlers I know that knows how to the talk on the mic, but couldn't make up for it in the ring. I didn't like his random heel turn in 2014 and winning the tag team championship at the Royal Rumble or wherever at, with no hype and has been written off television with Billy Gunn ever since."

[7.0] "While he is only a technically knowledgeable but dull wrestler Inside of the ring, Road Dogg rises far above mediocrity with his spectacular talking abilities, grasping attention and commanding the crowd to repeat his every word. In addition, he grew into a tag team specialist, his New Age Outlaw team being the prime example, directing traffic to craft efficient matches and being a solid addition to the aggregated skills of his employers."

[7.0] "Wrestling wise, he was decent to say the least. Mic and gimmick wise, he was FANTASTIC! One of the best talkers in pro wrestling history."

[8.0] "Entertainer with a big "E". Great mic worker and all-around entertainer. Never a good technical wrestler but had enough in-ring abilities to make it in the tag team division."

[3.0] "Road Dogg was extremely charismatic, and had/has some of the best mic skills in pro wrestling history. However, his wrestling ability was very limited. He could throw basic strikes, but he had no agility, and technically he wasn't sound."

[7.0] "High charisma brawler who found his niche on the mic and in the Tag Team and Hardcore divisions. His move-set was very limited but he still had credible (but brief) runs as both the WWF Intercontinental Champion and WWA World Heavyweight Champion. His final televised TNA match against Kurt Angle and his recent return at 2012 WWE Royal Rumble showed that even in his forties he has a strong personal star quality, even if it far exceeds his athleticism and technical abilities. People may struggle to remember a particular singles match of his career but I don't think anyone would ever forget his character and presence."