WWE Raw: Now that he’s Robert, Roode can be Glorious

Bobby Roode is now Robert Roode. Here’s why a simple name change could mark the beginning of glorious things on WWE Raw for the former NXT Champion.

Last Monday on WWE Raw, we learned that Bobby Roode was going solo after his tag team partner, Chad Gable, made the move to SmackDown Live. In the same breath, we learned that Bobby decided to rebrand himself completely. Not only is he now donning a Rick Rude style mustache, he re-named himself as Robert Roode. As it turns out, this may be the best thing the former United States Champion has done since getting called up the main roster two years ago.

Honestly, despite his slogan, Roode’s run these last couple years has not been so glorious. The former NXT Champion had a wealth of potential upon getting called up. Hell, he came into NXT with a wealth of potential. The TNA alumni’s NXT signing was hyped as one of the hottest signings in WWE history. Following a 203-day reign with the NXT Championship, it’s safe to say he lived up to that hype. When he got called up, it was a different story.

For whatever reason, Roode struggled to achieve similar success and WWE struggled even harder to book him. Perhaps it had to do with him being called up as a face rather than the heel he worked as in NXT. Roode just wasn’t a natural babyface who could connect with fans on the main roster, even if he has won a few titles along the way.

Thankfully, now, he’s back to his heel ways and it’s already paying off with a win over Ricochet.

I’m gonna be frank for a second: I always hated the name Bobby Roode. Even when he wore that name on IMPACT, the name “Bobby” just screamed blue collar worker living out of a pickup truck. Considering his character back in the day was of an old school aristocrat with wads of money, I didn’t think the name fit him at all. “Robert” just sounds more sophisticated and upper class. When he was still Robert Roode in TNA, those were his best years as a competitor. Not just because he was in the prime of his career as an in-ring competitor, but because his gimmick was at its most believable.

The same can be applied to his current WWE run following the name change. It may seem silly to suggest that a name change alone could revitalize his WWE career, but the name seems to have come a long way already.

Beyond racking up a win, Roode just seems more motivated in the ring than he’s been since his NXT days. More recently since arriving to the main roster, his in-ring performances seemed to see him in auto-pilot for the last year or so. As a result, his matches became dull to watch. His match with Ricochet was refreshingly exciting and it’s not just because of The One and Only’s tricks and flips. Each move Roode executed against Ricochet looked crisper than more recent years and suddenly, he’s wrestling like he hasn’t lost a step in his 20+ year career.

For the first time in a long time, Roode looked like a million bucks last Monday and all WWE had to do was change his first name. If everyone continues to play their cards right, Robert Roode could be a consistent highlight of Monday Night Raw. In fact, his new heel run could be GLORIOUS.