Robert Roode should’ve been a former WWE Champion by now. The former TNA World Heavyweight Champion had all the tools to be the next big thing in WWE: He’s perfect for WWE’s style of wrestling, he’s a fantastic talker, and his gimmick was proven to be money. Before Roode stepped into a WWE ring, the guy made a name for himself in TNA/Impact Wrestling. The veteran came up in the company through Team Canada, then danced between the singles and tag team divisions before making the jump over to NXT in 2016. The former TNA star proved that he can excel as both a heel and babyface, with his most popular gimmick being The Beer Money act with James Storm.
However, when Roode came over to NXT, it was a much-needed change because he did pretty much everything that he could do in the old promotion. Instantly, the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion got over because of his catchy theme song in the black-and-gold brand, but Roode had more layers that defined his character. He was an arrogant, douchebag heel, who thought that he was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Roode was tremendous down in NXT, and though his style wasn’t flashy or indie based like so many talents before him, he had future star written all over him. The problem that got him massively over with the crowd would eventually be part of his downfall as well. Once he was called up to the main roster, WWE for some odd reason brought him up as a babyface. As I previously stated, Roode has showcased that he can play both roles well, but Roode was still the same character as his NXT counterpart.
Officials seemed to think that his theme song would ultimately make him a top star, not realizing the purpose of his entrance in the first place. That song was perfect for Roode because he was an arrogant heel. When you remove the traits of his character then it simply doesn’t make any sense. Sure, the song was very catchy, but it didn’t fit who he became on the main roster. In fact, Roode’s character on the main roster seemed to be a man who loved spouting his glorious catchphrase. There was no other depth or nuance to who Robert Roode was. It didn’t help that the company wasn’t booking him in a compelling manner either. Robert Roode just felt like another guy on WWE’s roster and he failed to stand out because officials decided to strip him of who he was. His United States title run meant nothing. He won the belt in convincing fashion, but fans still didn’t care about his character. It was notable how much of a disconnect there was between NXT and WWE. Roode was ready for the main roster, but it didn’t seem as the main roster knew what to do with him. He essentially did nothing with the belt and instantly floundered once he lost it quickly at WrestleMania 34. Even after Roode finally turned heel two years after his main roster debut, they company still didn’t do anything significant with his character. Roode was branded as a mid-carder and WWE did nothing to change that.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with being a mid-card wrestler. Often times, the Intercontinental or United States title scene was the best thing going on in WWE, but the modern era has reminded audiences that they were worthless. The booking of Roode didn’t change that notion, and it didn’t help that he was fighting with the low card down in the 24/7 Championship department. For the remainder of career thus far, Roode has been working with Dolph Ziggler as a tag team, but they’re nothing more than glorified jobbers. WWE didn’t understand his character, and when they finally turned the man heel, they did nothing of note that could’ve really skyrocketed him into the main event scene. Given the fact that Roode is close to 50, it’s unlikely that he’ll taste a WWE or Universal title run because the company’s new focus on younger stars. Roode has nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to his entire career, but he could’ve been so much more. Never say never, as he could become a top star within the next few years, but it’ll take a lot of work for audiences to take Roode seriously as a top star. Vince McMahon was given a perfect character that’s easy to book, but the company heard his theme song and ran with it. Robert Roode could’ve had a glorious run at the top, but it seems he’ll be held down at the bottom.
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