Examining Bobby Roode’s WWE NXT Promo; Can it Happen?

During his promo, Bobby Roode described a wrestling business that seems farfetched, however, is it what needs to happen? Can it happen? And would fans welcome such a change?

On NXT, Bobby Roode made his television debut and cut a great introductory promo, solidifying himself as a clear heel with a glorious entrance theme. However, one of the more interesting points about his promo was when he began to describe a wrestling world that he would like to see exist.

He spoke of wanting to see the faces of presidents and vice presidents in the crowd. Business men and women, Fortune 500 executives. All of whom, Roode wished would effectively replace what we have come to define as the prototypical wrestling fan base of the last thirty or so years.

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upon further examination, there may be some underlying truths to what Roode said. The last five years have seen WWE attempt to return to the good graces of mainstream pop culture

While on the surface, Roode was simply cutting a mere heel promo, upon further examination, there may be some underlying truths to what Roode said. The last five years have seen WWE attempt to return to the good graces of mainstream pop culture. This move has been most evident in WWE’s partnership with ESPN. If you recall, upon Brock Lesnar’s return to the company in 2012, the word ‘legitimize’ was frequently thrown about in reference to Lesnar coming back to bring some much needed realism to what many have already come to know as a pre-determined product.

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WWE had, and apparently is currently going to keep, bringing celebrity guest hosts to Monday Night Raw to help boost brand awareness and stay connected with pop culture. Overall, the tactic has been met with lukewarm reception from the fans through the years, with a lot of the cross-over being hit or miss, although fans tend to enjoy it more when some of the celebrities actually participate in the action such as Stephen Amell actually wrestling in a match, John Stewart costing John Cena the United States Championship, and Machine Gun Kelly getting powerbombed off the stage by Kevin Owens.

This new wrestling business that Roode alluded to in his promo appears to be a combination of the time before wrestling was revealed to be a work and the modern day boxing/MMA business

This new wrestling business that Roode alluded to in his promo appears to be a combination of the time before wrestling was revealed to be a work and the modern day boxing/MMA business. Interestingly enough, Bobby Roode was introduced, to a thunderous pop, without warning as a noted guest of importance in the crowd at NXT Takeover: Dallas in a similar manner to how UFC spotlights certain luminaries in attendance during their PPVs. Roode detailed in his promo that he wants very important, prestigious people in positions of power to essentially sit in the crowd and watch wrestling matches much like how it is in boxing, especially during the days of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, when boxing was at its peak. Ironically, Ali patterned his personality after being directly influenced by a professional wrestler in Gorgeous George. Perhaps Roode wants to re-establish that connection and, in his words, take it to the next level.

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Some of the things Roode described had already happened, case in point, WWE’s expansion into Wall Street. WWE is, and has been for some time now, a publicly traded company. Although this aspect of the business has been kept away from the actual product and its fan base, Roode’s promo seems to hint that he wants it to actually become part of the show, to bring about this sense of big business, much like boxing and MMA. Aspects of WWE already mirror this; the wrestlers’ dress code comes to mind, where they had to wear three piece suits and look like professional athletes, prior to their Tapout sponsorship. Roode’s world appears to reflect the endorsement-laden and sponsorship-infused scene one would normally find in NJPW, with their mat adorned and tattooed with the logos of business partners.

what Roode wishes to see happen to the wrestling business would be hugely beneficiary and in some instances, necessary

There’s no denying that what Roode wishes to see happen to the wrestling business would be hugely beneficiary and in some instances, necessary. But, would the fans or even the wrestlers themselves, welcome such a drastic shift? Wrestlers have always sought to protect the business from outsiders, which would be at odds with Roode’s vision. Fans bemoaned and continue to complain to this day about WWE’s change in direction to a more PG, family oriented product; if they were resistant to such a shift, would they do so again with what Roode is proposing? Obviously from a character standpoint, Roode berated the NXT Full Sail audience, becoming a heel in the process and describing that the average wrestling fan is out, and as a result, was booed.

it would only seem natural that upon being called-up, Roode would become a member of The Authority

Roode’s promo would appear to have him closely aligned to The Authority and their nefarious approach to what is “best for business”. Roode dresses like he is already part of the Authority. He cut down the crowd in a great Authority-esque promo that would have made Triple H proud. Based on his promo and what his gimmick appears to be, it would only seem natural that upon being called-up, Roode would become a member of The Authority.

He didn’t pull back the curtain, he simply threatened to merge the WWE Universe with the actual universe we live in on a daily basis

Roode’s promo was great because it blurred the lines of reality and fiction without ever actually exposing the behind the scenes of the business. He didn’t pull back the curtain, he simply threatened to merge the WWE Universe with the actual universe we live in on a daily basis. He vowed to inject our safe place, our happy place, with the very people and entities who cast wrestling and the fans to the side as social misfits in the first place, an act of betrayal to some.

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The average wrestling fan uses wrestling as an escape, to leave their troubles of real life behind if only for a moment; bosses, financial issues, and what not. Roode’s promo essentially has him seeking to turn our escape into what we all dislike about the pressures of the real world in the name of bettering the wrestling business. If this is what Bobby Roode’s WWE character is going to be about, then we are about to witness perhaps one of the best heels in the making in recent memory. Truly glorious.