Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1977 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada), known simply as Bobby Roode, is a Canadian professional wrestler best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and WWE.
He made his debut in 2004 as a member of Team Canada, a group of heels under the tutelage of Scott D'amore. With fellow stablemate and Canadian Eric Young he went on to capture the NWA World Tag Titles
twice and went by the nickname of "The Canadian Enforcer" as he was The Dragon of the group.
When Team Canada was disbanded he declared himself the hottest free agent in wrestling, being interviewed by many prospective managers (including Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and "Sensational" Sherri Martel), in the end taking on Traci Brooks as his manager. He also inherited a company from his late grandfather and became rich (though it was never said what the company exactly was). He then bought out former friend Eric Young's contract and basically treated him like dirt, ignoring they were former two time NWA World Tag Team Champions for a long time. After Young won his freedom, however, he turned his mistreatment on Ms. Brooks until they finally had it with each other and he "fired" her.
Come 2008, after another run with a buxom assistant (Payton Banks) that didn't last long, Roode was paired with "Cowboy" James Storm. The two went on to become Beer Money Incorporated, arguably TNA's most successful and greatest tag team. Beer Money captured the TNA tag titles four times, the last being the longest tag title reign in company history as well. From 2008 to 2011 they feuded with many teams such as Team 3D, LAX, The Motor City Machine Guns, and others, and they produced several great matches. However, near the end, they both had their eyes on a bigger prize—especially Roode.
In October of 2011, Roode was facing Storm in a match for the TNA World Heavyweight Title (Storm having won it two weeks ago against Kurt Angle, who Roode had come up short against) and during it he got knocked outside and near Storm's beer bottle. After a moment of hesitation he grabbed it and slammed it into Storm's head, knocking him out and winning the title whilst ending Beer Money. Roode underwent a Face–Heel Turn as he turned his back on his best friend and become concerned with only one person: himself.
Bobby Roode's title reign would go on to be the longest TNA world title reign in company history at 256 days. During that time period many people praised his promo skills and match skills, as his every move successfully turned his character into the biggest jerk in the business, with even The Rock himself approving of him.
Roode has since lost the world title, gone through various feuds and title chases, gradually come to regret and even repent from his Jerkass ways after being on the receiving end of mistreatment from Dixie Carter and MVP, and finally (albeit briefly) retaken the World Heavyweight Championship after defeating Bobby Lashley in late 2014.
In 2016, he signed with WWE and competes on NXT. In January 2017, Roode became a NXT Champion after beating Shinsuke Nakamura at Takeover: San Antonio. This resulted in the start of what he called the "Glorious Era" of NXT, as well as a feud with Nakamura which ended when Roode beat him again at Takeover: Orlando. Roode eventually dropped the belt to Drew McIntyre in August 2017 at Takeover: Brooklyn III. He made his main roster debut on Smackdown Live the following week.
"GLORIOUS tropes!":
- Alliterative Name: The formal "Robert Roode", which he used in TNA from the time he left the disbanded Team Canada in 2007 to the time he turned face with Fortune in 2011. Reverted to this in WWE on the April 22, 2019 episode of WWE Raw to complete his main roster heel turn after he and recent partner Chad Gable were drafted apart.
- Ascended Meme: Inverted. His original Finishing Move in NXT was called the "Glorious Bomb", but that later became known as the name of the infamous video meme with Gargano and Ciampa playing his theme in his presence.
- Badass Boast: "I am the It Factor of Professional Wrestling!"
- Badass Longrobe: Got his from former WCW wrestler and TNA road agent Terry Taylor. He also had an alternate one with the colors switched around that he'd only wear at non-televised events. Then he went to NXT and got a bunch of new robes with either "Roode" or "GLORIOUS" on the back, even getting "Glorious" added to the back of Taylor's robe.
- Bash Brothers: Was this with Storm and Fourtune.
- Borrowed Catch Phrase: All he wants from Lashley is "One More Match!" Said match would turn out much better for him than it did for the original.
- The Brute: Was this when Fourtune was heel, then turned into The Lancer when they became face.
- Canon Discontinuity: According to Roode, Kaz, and Daniels, their Villain Team-Up, the Extraordinary Gentlemen's Organization (E.G.O.) was in fact a new alliance, ignoring their time in Fortune.
- Catchphrase:
- "It pays to be Roode!"
- Also borrowed James Storm's "Sorry about your damn luck!" during the Beer Money days.
- "GLORIOUS!"
- Composite Character: Basically a fusion of "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase (the Corrupt Corporate Executive aspects), Triple H (a guy who as a heel wears suits when not wrestling but could get tough in the ring, has Red Barons synonym with "top dog" and uses Arn Anderson's moves) and Rick Rude (a guy in a robe who, as a heel, looks down on the fans and uses the Rude Awakening neckbreaker) in one wrestler. He also may or may not have raided Ric Flair's surplus closet on the way (with The Naitch's permission, of course).
- Continuity Nod: When he asked Bobby Lashley if his real passion was "Professional Wrestling, or MMA", Roode actually wasn't referring to Lashley competing in both TNA and Bellator at once, but rather Lashley's first TNA run, which ended due to his desire to focus exclusively on MMA since no one there threatened his wife the way Scott Steiner was. It becomes a much more loaded question when one remembers that angle.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Explained shortly after his initial heel turn and singles push: His grandfather died and left him a huge, profitable company, he did some smart investing and made it even more huge and more profitable. While Roode Inc. was still a major part of his gimmick, we saw Roode employ such markers of its resources as hiring buxom assistants such as Traci Brooks and Payton Banks, employing a one-night security team for Christian Cage, and supporting James Storm's Bar and Grille before they officially became Beer Money. Despite all this, it was never made clear what, exactly, this company does.
- Crossover: During TNA's 2014 hiatus, he got to take their World Heavyweight Championship to Maritime Sports and Wrestling events, as well as to the World Wrestling League against Glamour Boy Shane… which didn't actually happen due to the flight not making it. It's the only wrestling show Roode's ever been scheduled for and missed. Roode's been on other WWL shows though.
- Crowd Song: The NXT audience got this going with his theme song, "Glorious Domination" during his debut match entrance at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II. And the crowd now does it EVERY TIME he has an entrance.
- Divide and Conquer: His dealing with Bobby Lashley, Kenny King and MVP always saw Bobby Roode trying to create dissension in their ranks. MVP eventually called Roode out on it, insisting he would never be able to break them up. Roode wasn't…until he got Kurt Angle's help…and MVP overestimated Lashley's loyalty…specifically his tolerance for bullshit.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: His first NXT match. The crowd weren't as noticeably over for him (although they still popped when he entered) and he hadn't yet got his GLORIOUS new theme.
- Enemy Mine: He was the member of Fortune who took the most advantage of Kurt Angle's mutual dislike of their enemies.
- Finishing Move: Many. In rough chronological order, Northern Lariat (lariat to the back of the head), Pay Off (fisherman suplex), Fujiwara Armbar, Crossface, and Roode Bomb (neckbreaker slam). Occasionally uses the RR Spinebuster to finish a match as well. Since joining NXT he for a short time had the Glorious Bomb (a simple pumphandle slam) and now uses the Glorious DDT (Impaler DDT).
- Fleeting Demographic Rule: The way Roode used special enforcer Sting to retain the title at Against All Odds 2012 was an adaptation of Bret Hart's WWF Championship victory against The Undertaker with Shawn Michaels as the referee at SummerSlam 1997, except Hart's looked a bit more like he lucked into it thanks to Shawn hating him so much whereas Roode actively goaded and baited Sting like an evil genius.
- Foreign Wrestling Heel: In Team Canada.
- Fun with Acronyms: His Villain Team-Up with Kaz and Daniels from August 2013 up to February 2014 was called the Extraordinary Gentlemen's Organization (E.G.O.).
- Glorious Leader: Blatantly invoked and cleverly inverted in WWE, stating that his dominance would make NXT so lucrative it would replace the working-class crowd with Fortune 500 ticketholders in order to get heel heat from the faithful while walking out to entrance music that sings about how glorious he is.
- Heel Realization: Seemed to have this in early 2014. Oddly enough, this was used to set up his next two feuds as a heel before he got his Heel–Face Turn a few months later.
- Hypocrite: In his Selfish Generation heel gimmick in TNA. No one is allowed to talk about his kids (see Papa Wolf below), but he's totally cool with pissing you off by bringing yours up if it gets him what he wants. Just ask James Storm, who Roode goaded into putting a world title shot on the line by threatening to pursue his girl as soon as she's of age.
- Identical Stranger: For two guys that aren't closely related, he and Triple H bear an uncanny resemblance to each other, which gets pointed out every time they share a photo together (which is a lot).
- It Will Never Catch On: Went to a WWF training camp and was said to be the standout there by his peers, yet didn't get signed. In all fairness, it is not as if the WWF did much with Josh Matthews or Sean O'Haire even though they were signed as well as said to promising (Matthews) and proven (O'Haire). Chris Jericho actually told him to stop bothering with WWE, suggesting he'd get a better shot from TNA.
- It's All About Me: Do the words "Leader of the Selfish Generation" really make it obvious?
- It's Personal: Before his 2011 heel turn, he considered Immortal firing Jay Lethal, a friend of his, this. Resulting in him giving Hulk Hogan a major "The Reason You Suck" Speech and telling them its soon to be game over.
- Large Ham: His intensity is profound.
- Legion of Doom: Joined back up with Bad Influence, along with Dixie Land, The Bromans and Brian Stiffler to finally rid TNA of AJ Styles, and Sting for trying to stop them from getting rid of AJ Styles. That was an eleven on two advantage!
- One-Steve Limit: Bobby Roode is the reason Lashley was rarely referred to by his first name while in TNA.
- Papa Wolf: A very understated example during his "Leader of the Selfish Generation" gimmick. While berating his friend Tracy Koleski for bringing up how his family wants him to stop being a selfish cheater, he derides his parents and sister for supposedly not supporting him until he became a top champion and accuses them of going after him for money, but when he gets to the part about his kids his tune is decidedly different:"Don't you ever, EVER, talk about my kids!"
- Promoted Fanboy: Invoked when he hired Payton Banks, who had already been waving signs in his support from the crowd and "stalking" Traci Brooks.
- Punny Name: The Dirty Heels tag team with Austin Aries. The name was first adopted by fans as a joke based on their wearing matching shirts with those words once on Impact, eventually becoming their official name first in House of Hardcore then in their second team-up in TNA.
- Putting the Band Back Together: When Beer Money finally reunited in earnest at the start of 2016.
- Red Baron: The It Factor of Professional Wrestling. The Leader of the Selfish Generation. Was previously the Canadian Enforcer for Team Canada and the Wizard of Wall Street for his Robert Roode Inc. gimmick.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue to Storm's Red in Beer Money.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Other heels don't like him much, but are willing to do his dirty work and attack his opponents if he pays them.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: His actions during the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in WWE NXT. In the first round, his newly formed tag team with Tye Dillinger drew the debuting SAnitY. Enter four unfriendly-looking figures in masks that look like they stumbled out of the Commonwealth, and it becomes pretty obvious from the jump that none of them are quite all there in the head. Roode's reaction to this was basically "Nope. To hell with this." He flees the ring for safer ground and leaves Dillinger to absorb the beating by himself. And then it turns out one of those guys is his old friend/enemy Eric Young. He was probably relieved to have left.
- Shout-Out: If the name didn't give away the clear take on "Ravishing" Rick Rude, he's even used the Rude Awakening a couple times. He also has one to Arn Anderson, using the spinebuster as a signature move and calling it the Double R. Fitting since he was the enforcer for Team Canada and Fourtune and Anderson was one for the Horsemen.
- Stay in the Kitchen:
- Earlier in his career. Fittingly, this ended when he first started hanging around with James Storm and Storm's then-sidekick Jacqueline Moore, an obviously different shade of woman from either Brooks or Banks and one who he could better identify with.
- Restored this attitude to audacious levels toward Dixie Carter in particular in his main event Face–Heel Turn.
- Tag Team: In TNA Beer Money Inc with James Storm. In WWE with Chad Gable and Dolph Ziggler.
- Tar and Feathers: After Eric Young had taken the pin in a match against Team 3D on the 8/2/2007 edition of "iMPACT", Roode and Brooks arrived to tar and feather him.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Has had this with James Storm in recent one-off Beer Money reunions.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Took massive levels when he won the title.
- Undying Loyalty: With the departure of James Storm, Roode was one of the last three TNA Originals left in the company, alongside Eric Young and Abyss. Considering how Roode's initial run with the TNA World Heavyweight Championship came about under Hogan, that means a lot, especially when you think of how that sort of treatment is what drove AJ Styles away from TNA. And then he served his notice in 2016 and turned up in NXT.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: When Roode helped Team Dixie by capping off their career assassinations of AJ Styles and Sting, the worst people thought Roode was doing was taking out the heart of TNA in hopes of getting a title shot that was promised to him. Little did he know, he was also opening the door for an even more resourceful, cunning, and heartless tyrant to come in the door and take Dixie's power for his own while playing himself off as the incoming hero. Even a year after entering the company and months after losing his booking authority, MVP was still laying TNA under siege and making Roode's life among others miserable. It took a real-life negotiating mistake on the part of MVP and TNA management to put an end to the threat that Roode helped open the door to.
- Villain Team-Up
- Him and Austin Aries. They vowed to capture all the titles in TNA together, but it's obvious neither will let the other become World Heavyweight Champion.
- Quietly dissolved as the two moved in different directions in the Bound for Glory series, with Roode deciding to link up with the Bad Influence of Christopher Daniels and Kazarian.
- He hired Aces And Eights to take out Jeff Hardy.
- Villainous Breakdown: Losing the belt to Austin Aries did a real number on him and he could barely form sentences without going into a rage. Even after recovering it took him two years before he could admit that Aries' victory over him was not a fluke.
- Wham Line: To James Storm. If the feud wasn't personal before, he pretty much certified it with this:Roode: You'll need all the luck you can get. Considering your history with your two dead brothers and your dead father, you have NO luck.
- Would Hit a Girl: He was not very nice to Miss Brooks, though at her complaints that he stooped to hitting women he did eventually hire "Miss Payton Banks" to beat Brooks for him, while he moved onto other things.
No, I won't give in
I won't give in
Oh, so glorious
Until the end
Until the end
