One of the hottest free agents in pro wrestling the past few months has been former TNA World Champion Bobby Roode. Surprising the world on March 19 with the announcement than he and another former TNA World Champion (and former Team Canada stablemate) Eric Young were departing the company they’d been a part of for over a decade, Roode became a hot topic amongst the internet savvy. Where would he end up?
The buzz only intensified a few weeks later when Roode was shown on camera sitting ringside at NXT TakeOver: Dallas on April 1, but reports continued to circulate that despite the appearance, Roode had yet to sign a deal with either WWE or NXT. But now it seemed to be more of a when will he not simply a will he.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR9AcR6iD1I
A trainee of former WWE Superstar Val Venis (Sean Morley) from Peterborough, Ontario, Roode began his career as an ehancement talent with the WWE in 2002. Fodder for the lower mid-card guys, he even teamed with future TNA partner Young against the FBI in August 2003 on an episode of Velocity. He left WWE to join TNA in 2004, and following his debut with Team Canada (featuring fellow Border City Wrestling alumni Young, A1, “Hot Shot” Johnny Devine and Petey Williams, with Coach Scott D’Amore), became one of the company’s most bankable tag team stars, as part of the 5-time TNA World Tag Team champions Beer Money with “Cowboy” James Storm, as well as a 2-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
Eric Young beat his former stablemate to NXT, debuting on May 4, first in a promo versus NXT Champion Samoa Joe, followed by an impromptu main event match against the champion and former foe from his TNA days. While still unknown if Young has signed a deal with NXT yet, it was apparent that Young was working on making NXT his new home and opportunity.
This past Wednesday, at TakeOver: The End, Roode appeared once again, this time interacting with NXT General Manager William Regal, entering his office in what appeared to be him going to start contract negotiations. His arrival seemed imminent.
But, like Samoe Joe’s shocking title win over the ultra popular Finn Balor at an NXT Live Event on April 21, NXT continued to show the “you never know what will happen and where” mentality with the unannounced debut of Bobby Roode, when he appeared for a match at the company’s promotional showcase at this year’s Download Festival in Great Britain on June 11. Social Media exploded with excitement, as the “It Factor” had finally re-emerged from the shadows and rumours and returned to the company he’d left as an ehancement talent over a decade ago, but this time as an international Superstar.
.@REALBobbyRoode has shown up unexpectedly at #NXTDownload!!! What does he have up his sleeve? pic.twitter.com/dhMBkE1XpU
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) June 11, 2016
With the current thinking that much of NXT’s emerging young talent will get raided in the upcoming Brand Split Draft, early reports indicate that NXT could be resting their star power for the remainder of the year on established stars like Samoe Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Eric Young, Asuka, Austin Aries and Roode himself, while they begin to integrate some of their younger newer stars like Andrade “Cien” Almas, No Way Jose and the possibility of new signees like Zack Sabre Jr. and Kota Ibushi.
TakeOver: The End represented an ending of the Balor-Bayley generation of NXT, but as the brand emerges from its developmental tag into becoming WWE’s third active brand after Raw and Smackdown, one thing’s for clear. The NXT locker room is in for a Roode awakening.
(Main Photo: WWE.com)
