Former NXT Champion Bobby Roode is set to return from injury “soon”, according to a welcome new report. Roode hasn’t wrestled since June 2022 after suffering from an undisclosed injury at a house show which has kept him out of the ring for a number of months.
He was last seen on TV back in April and over the last few years has teamed up with fellow former NXT Champion Dolph Ziggler, in a team known as “The Dirty Dawgs”. Also known as Robert Roode, he is one of the most experienced members of the WWE roster, having wrestled for over 20 years in TNA and WWE and was a huge loss for the company when he went out with an injury.
He revealed in September that he’d undergone a medical procedure at Southlake Orthopaedics in Birmingham, Alabama but gave little notice about when he would be fit to return to the ring. However, a recent report from PWInsider has stated that he has been seen around Birmingham, Alamaba, where the officers of the resident WWE doctor are located. If that is true then he is likely to be there to get checked for a return to the ring. He was spotted there on November 9, 2022 so could be set to return as early as this week. They also claim he will move to Smackdown upon his return.
“Bobby Roode was spotted in Birmingham, Alabama yesterday. In asking around this morning, we are told the hope is he’ll be back soon from his injury issues. We are told that he’s been talked about for the Smackdown brand when he returns.”
The move to Smackdown would end his team with Ziggler, who currently wrestles on Monday Night Raw. He would have the chance to go solo for the first time in years and try to fulfil his potential that he had when he first signed to the WWE.
When he first came into NXT, he was immediately pushed to the moon by Triple H. He soon defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win the championship and held it until being defeated by Drew McIntyre before being moved up to the main roster. He became a viral hit after his theme song “Glorious” made it’s way around online, and it helped to turn him face on the main roster despite his overly heelish actions in the WWE.
He was never pushed as singles star by Vince McMahon, who never saw him as world champion material. He did win the United States Championship and the Tag Team titles alongside Dolph Ziggler, but never went close to the WWE Championship. However, with Triple H now in charge of the WWE he has his best chance to fulfil his potential, despite being 46 years of age and past his prime in wrestling.
