WWE SmackDown Live: Bobby Roode’s Debut Complicates Main Event Scene
By Tom Thomas
Bobby Roode just made his main roster debut as part of WWE SmackDown Live. Here is why I think this would complicate the main event scene even more.
Bobby Roode made his glorious debut on Tuesday. The former NXT champion wouldn’t waste any time after dropping the title to Drew McIntyre last week. Though the glorious one’s debut is a welcome sight, there are many issues that come with it. More than anything else, Roode’s main roster debut showcases WWE’s abundance of talent at the moment. Moreover, it showcases creative’s inability to utilize that talent.
On a two-hour show where performers like Sami Zayn and Tye Dillinger are struggling for air time, creative just placed another future WWE champion. However, one cannot blame Roode’s positioning on SmackDown Live either. Seeing as how crowded Raw is at the moment there is nowhere else to go. In addition, NXT has moved on from Roode in a matter of minutes following the debut of Adam Cole. As such, the company had no other choice.
However, questions need to be asked. Where does Roode head to from here? Does he immediately begin a campaign for title contention? After all, Roode is a grizzled veteran of the game. His time between the ropes could very well be limited. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Roode rekindle his old rivalry with Nakamura soon.
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On the contrary, Roode could just as well content for the United States title. This would mean he could be the next person to step up against AJ Styles. Anyone who has seen at least one of their matches from the days of TNA would know these are gold-worthy. Moreover, this pairing would be a fresh one as far as the WWE universe is concerned.
However, this still does not address the underlying issue at play here. While NXT’s recent call up attempts to capture gold right away, what becomes of past call-ups who are still waiting for a chance? In addition to Zayn and Dillinger, even someone like Mike Kanellis could be foreshadowed by Roode’s sudden debut. As it stands, we are not yet sure whether the Glorious One is a face or a heel. However, given SmackDown Live‘s lack of quality heels, I would say he would be a heel. If he is indeed supposed to be a heel, he would make an excellent foe against the likes of Zayn and Dillinger.
Even if Roode doesn’t become a part of the WWE title picture at the moment, his place on the main roster is still an issue. If anything, another up and coming star’s air time and opportunity is being sacrificed here. At the same time, one cannot take anything away from Bobby Roode either. He deserves this spot as much as anybody else on the roster.
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As noted, the underlying issue here is creative’s inability to handle the abundance of star power the WWE possess at the moment. What do you think can be done to comprehend this scenario?