ESPN ran an interview with Bobby Roode this week. In it, he discussed his time in NXT, his entrance music, and goals going forward with WWE.
“Being a part of NXT has definitely helped the casual fan or maybe the fans who never tune in to NXT. Guys like myself, Joe and Finn, it really helped us get our feet going and make a push in the right direction with the familiarity of our characters.
Regarding his entrance song:
“It wasn’t me at all, actually. I had a different song picked out. I was about to debut on NXT, and about a week or two later, as I waited for some paperwork to be finished up, I had a conversation with Triple H about the character and what I wanted to do. He came up to me that TV taping and said, ‘Hey I’ve got this song that we have, and I think it kind of fits your character a little better, so why don’t you have a listen?’
“So it could’ve gone one of two ways: It could’ve really sucked or it could’ve been really great. And it’s been better than great, glorious, I guess you could say. The song itself was a blessing. It’s been a gift because, in this business, everyone talks about the entrance, but without the song, there is no entrance.”
On his time in NXT and what he hopes to achieve going forward:
“Being the focal point, being the guy who was put on the posters and having a good championship run, and being the guy they had faith in to carry the company and be in the main event every night, that was such an incredible feeling for me to come here. Coming from a different place, and 19 years in the business is a long time. I had a lot of experience, but I wasn’t sure kind of what to expect.
“Being a part of a WrestleMania is at the top of that list. There are a lot of guys in those SmackDown and Raw locker rooms that, given the opportunity, I’d love to have matches with, tell stories with and do stuff with. It’s kind of like a whole new career start for me. It’s like I’m a kid again.”
Rush’s Analysis: It took me a minute to place who Bobby Roode reminded me of in this interview and I finally put my finger on it. In They Live, there’s an older drifter living amongst all the day laborers in an outdoor camp. He disappears for a time and, much later in the film, Roddy Piper encounters him at an alien headquarters. Only now, the drifter is decked out in formal attire and singing the praises of the alien race.
He fought for many years to arrive here and it’s fun to listen to him enjoy the moment as much as he is. I only hope he will advance quickly beyond his current predicament, being seemingly thrown together at the last minute to face the rudderless Dolph Ziggler on PPV. I’m not sold on whether or not Roode deserves a place amongst the elite of the Smackdown brand, but I’d sure love to see him given a shot against guys like AJ Styles and Kevin Owens.
To read the entire article, visit ESPN.com.
I couldn’t care less about his entrance or that song. He’s boring.