Bobby Roode’s trajectory in the WWE is off course

Bobby Roode has a successful track record for being a top performer, so why is he struggling within the WWE?

While a wrestler may be a star in one location, it can never be a forgone conclusion that he or she will translate said stardom to another promotion. Just as Steve Austin transformed into Stone Cold during his move from WCW to WWE; wrestlers like Vader went from being featured athletes to the mid card when they moved over to WWE. Bobby Roode’s current direction is setting him on pace to be more like the latter even though he developed into a massive star elsewhere.

This past week on Monday Night Raw, Roode was once again relegated to a role that borderlines comedic. Since moving over to Raw after the Superstar Shakeup, Roode has consistently lost matches and been a minor player in nearly every storyline where he’s been involved. But for anyone who has watched closely, this isn’t a new development. Since moving up to the main roster, Roode has been booked as a babyface and that character hasn’t translated into anything special. Long gone is the character that garnered steam in NXT but originally grew to fame in TNA.

For more than a decade, Roode rose through the ranks to become the centerpiece in TNA. His run with that promotion is frequently compared to that of Triple H and when you look at the trajectory of each; it’s understandable why that line is drawn. Starting out as a background member of Team Canada, creating a pivotal tag team in Beer Money, to his christening as heavyweight champion; Roode did nearly all there was to do in the company.

During that run he became known for his ability to be a classic heel; akin to the days of Ric Flair and what Triple H would grow to become. Roode was everything that wrestling fans were taught to hate in a heel, but they couldn’t stop watching his performances at the same time. Look back at his feuds with the likes of Kurt Angle, James Storm, AJ Styles and others to see exactly why people were excited when Roode showed up at NXT TakeOver: Dallas in 2016. In some ways it was almost surprising that WWE made the decision to send him to NXT when Roode long proved that he could be the top guy when booked in the right angles.

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And that is exactly where the issue starts; booking Roode in the right angles. The fact that WWE Creative is set of pushing him as a face, in light of his run in NXT as a heel is a conundrum. Imagine Roode being booked as a top heel and feuding with the likes of Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Finn Balor, Braun Strowman and others. While those are all programs that could be used to build everyone involved, quite like what occurred in TNA, WWE is determined to get Roode over as a babyface which clearly isn’t working. Instead, Roode is being placed in a situation that is degrading to his ability and what we’ve seen him deliver in the past.

The chapter on Bobby Roode’s run in the WWE is far from done and there’s a lot of story to be told. There’s an opportunity for the WWE to build Roode as a heel that could lead to some interesting storylines in the future. But if we keep on the current path, this story will not end well for the multiple-time champion.