James says he didn’t get sober just to return to WWE for a job, but to save his life and his marriage. It just so happened that it led to his WWE return. He noted that even though Vince McMahon was against bringing him back due to his past drug addiction, Levesque pushed for it. James admitted that he had made mistakes, and his track record said people shouldn’t trust him, but Levesque wanted him there.

“[Vince] only knows what he knows, and that’s who he knows I am,” James said. “Hunter believed in me, you know what I mean? He believed that I had something to offer and put his neck out on the line. I don’t think, you know, that’s metaphorically speaking, but he said, ‘No, I want him.’ And Vince said, ‘Well, that’s it’s on you when it goes awry.'”

In 2014, James began working behind the scenes in WWE, and he became the “WWE SmackDown” head writer two years later. He ultimately resigned from that role, however, going to work in “WWE NXT” alongside Levesque. In January 2022, he was released from a position at the Performance Center before being rehired as Senior Vice President of Live Events in August 2022, also by Levesque.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Oh…You Didn’t Know” with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.