The “Art of Wrestling” #278
Host: Colt Cabana
Guest: Bobby Roode
Release Date: November 26, 2015
DIRECT LINK TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD
Recap by Chris Davidson
Hot Topics
– Bobby Roode talked almost getting signed by WWE and his time in TNA.
– On the one-year anniversary of the C.M. Punk podcast, Colt Cabana talks DIY attitude.
Podcast Order
0:00 – Introduction
6:47 – Song of the Week
10:44 – Bobby Roode Interview
17:15 – Roode talks trying to get into WWE
25:43 – Roode talks early life
35:59 – Roode talks getting into wrestling
49:01 – Roode talks not getting signed by WWE
56:46 – Roode talks TNA and the future
1:00:42 – Colt wraps up the show
EPISODE SUMMARY
0:00 – Introduction – Colt kicked off the show wishing listeners a happy Thanksgiving and plugging new items in his online store. Colt brought up knowing Bobby Roode a long time and mentioned some shows he and Roode wrestled together. Colt said he enjoyed the interview because it reminded him that he has an open platform for his thoughts, unscripted, and unproduced, where he can tell his story. Colt reminded listeners that this is the one-year anniversary of his post-WWE podcast with C.M. Punk. Colt said he is thankful for the fans, listeners, and those he has inspired with his do-it-yourself attitude. Colt covered other recent appearances
6:47 – Song of the Week – The song of the week this week is “Boo On Me” sung by Larry Zbyszko.
10:44 – Bobby Roode Interview – Colt opened the interview joking with Roode about being called “Bobby Roo” by ring announcers. Roode said that Jeremy Borash started that because he’s too lazy to hit the end of his name when welcoming him to the ring. Colt told Roode he had been called a social media “Neanderthal” and Roode told him that he didn’t have Twitter until Dixie Carter asked him to make one. Roode spoke about promoters requesting wrestlers to tweet specific things for the promotion. Colt asked about sustaining longevity in wrestling, and Roode spoke about the last 12 years in TNA and all the young wrestlers coming in and how it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. Roode credited his adaptability to different styles to keeping him around as long as he has been, because he has been the guy in TNA to wrestle the big names coming in to the company, such as Booker T and Rikishi.
17:15 – Roode talks trying to get into WWE – Roode started in TNA as a fill in for Teddy Hart at a time when he was “spinning [his] wheels” with WWE tryouts and having good matches that went nowhere (approximately 1999-2004). Colt brought up that when this was happing was pre-developmental, and it was common to work dark matches in WWE. Roode said that he would drive long distances for no guarantees except for $250 and the chance to maybe be seen by someone higher up. Roode was invited to a WWE camp in Cincinnati where he was asked to show a lot of inexperienced wrestlers some drills. Roode was asked if he would sign a WWE contract and move to Cincinnati, which he agreed to, but he was never even offered an actual deal.
25:43 – Roode talks early life – Roode grew up near Toronto where he went to a lot of wrestling shows in his smaller hometown, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Roode and Colt joked about having a “C” crew for the shows in his town. Roode grew up watching WWE and a local Canadian wrestling TV show. Roode said that he loved the entertainment value of wrestling, and remembered how great it was if there was actually a big-name wrestler on TV, such as Hulk Hogan. Roode brought up collecting wrestling action figures, and that one year for Christmas he got 18 of them. Roode talked about playing hockey growing up and going to school to be a corrections officer before he started training for wrestling with Val Venis.
35:59 – Roode talks getting into wrestling – Roode wanted to go to the WCW Power Plant, but met Val Venis at the gym and asked him to train him. Roode trained for free for a while until Venis left for WWE and he ended up meeting Shane Sewell and training with him. Sewell eventually invited Roode to wrestle in Puerto Rico. Roode talked about traveling on the road in Canada with Rene Dupree and various Canadian veteran wrestlers. Roode said that he was never on ring crew while traveling, which was very lucky for him. Roode told a story about the promoter not wanting to play music for wrestlers, so he held a microphone up to a boombox for entrance music. Colt said that he wonders how Canadian wrestlers find enough work, but Roode said that it was never really an issue for him. Roode mentioned the Super 8 Tournament as something that helped him get exposure and work with some great talent.
49:01 – Roode talks not getting signed by WWE – Roode talked about being frustrated with WWE and not going anywhere with his career working small independents, before he got signed with TNA. Roode said that after he was offered a TNA contract, WWE had him come to a few shows. Eventually, WWE said they didn’t have anything for Roode and he was too good for developmental, so he signed his TNA contract. Roode talked about Vince McMahon coming to him and saying that he liked what he saw in the ring, but then John Laurinaitis told him there was nothing that would fit him, which was upsetting. Roode talked about the gratification with being with TNA so long and then finally getting the Heavyweight Championship. Roode said that Jeff Jarrett helped him stay positive
56:46 – Roode talks TNA and the future –Roode talked about the gratification with being with TNA so long and then finally getting the Heavyweight Championship in 2011. Roode talked about the tough times in TNA, but he felt like he learned a lot. Roode said that Jeff Jarrett helped him stay positive by reminding him that the cream always rises to the top. Roode mentioned Global Force Wrestling and said he was looking forward to working with Jarrett again. Colt picked on Roode for not knowing his Twitter handle, plugged Impact Wrestling, and ended the interview.
1:00:42 – Colt wraps up the show – Colt said the interview was taped days before Impact’s move to the Pop channel was announced, so fan’s can look forward for that. Colt thanked his fans, Bobby Roode, and his sponsors, plugged his upcoming appearances, and signed off.
OVERALL SCORE
Score: 6.7 – Bobby Roode and Colt Cabana have known each other a long time, and it definitely showed in this episode. Roode has a great personality, and wasn’t afraid to let it show through during the podcast. Roode wasn’t overly energetic, and based on his conversation about Twitter, I get the feeling he felt weird being on a podcast at all. Roode didn’t really talk about TNA too much, and he didn’t say anything negative about his current company at all, which is to be expected.
Roode was also fairly complementary of WWE, noting that they were interested in working with him but they just wanted him to wait for their schedule. If you are a TNA diehard, or someone who likes listening to wrestlers talk about not ending up in WWE, this is a great episode. Otherwise, it was a fairly hum-drum episode of the Art of Wrestling.
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