NXT star and former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode recently took part in an interview with Brian Fritz for Sporting News.
Roode talks about joining WWE and competing for the NXT brand, leaving TNA after a decorated tenure, his Glorious theme song being so popular with fans and more. You can read a few excerpts below:
Roode comments on Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano starting the ‘Glorious Bomb’ videos:
(laughs) I do owe them a lot of gratitude. It’s funny, it was one of those things that just kind of happened. Again. We’re in a gym on the road doing live events one Saturday and they said we want to do this thing where we play your song, because they love the song. So they played the song and I was working out and they said just kind of acknowledge the song or whatever. It just kind of happened. We never really planned it. They just did it in a gym full of people. We posted it on social media; the thing blew up. We did like seven or eight more. To this day, I continuously get social media people tweeting doing “Glorious Bombs” from all over the world. You have little kids doing them. You have moms doing them who have no idea what they’re doing but they’re doing it. It’s become one of those entertaining things.
Was it difficult to leave TNA considering how long he had been there?
At the time, not really. I don’t really have a negative thing to say about that company. I was treated extremely well there for 12 years and financially I was taken care of. Honestly, it was just time for me to go. I never really got into this industry for the money although it’s nice. I’ve been able to make a career and support my family for the last 12 years doing what I love to do. But that was just it. The last two years of that company, I didn’t love it any more. I started to lose my passion which was concerning to me. I didn’t like being away. I didn’t like performing. TNA became a place where it was just a television product and I got into this business to perform and be on the road. There was a time in that company where you could do that. You could go on the road and do live events. I’ve always been about learning. No matter how long I’ve been in the business or where I’ve been in a company, I’ve always wanted to continue to learn. During those times in TNA when we were on the road doing live events, I would always ride with guys like Bully Ray or Kurt Angle, Christian at the time. Guys like that and sit under the learning tree and learn from these guys.
It got to a point those last two years there in TNA that we literally just went and did television and it wasn’t fun for me anymore. I had 12 great years and I just felt like at my age and at my stage in my career I wanted a different opportunity and that’s all I wanted. My first conversation with WWE was just that. I want opportunity and they’ve given me the opportunity and here I am today.
Roode talks about his WWE experience so far, how it’s re-energized him:
It definitely is. From the moment I walked in those doors, the passion came back right away. Obviously, I was fortunate enough in my first WWE experience was to be at WrestleMania in Dallas. That itself was pretty incredible, just to meet everybody and to get familiar with the NXT guys. I can honestly say I was welcomed with open arms. It’s such a great locker room, the great comradery, the talent itself there. I’m chomping at the bit to get in the ring with all these guys. Of course, knowing some of the guys there when I got there made the transition a little better too, guys like Samoa Joe and Austin Aries were there. It’s been such a great experience so far and I’m just grateful for the opportunity.
Is he content with NXT or is the goal to make it to the WWE roster?
The way that I look at it, NXT is such a hot brand. It’s probably the hottest brand under the WWE umbrella right now. It’s not viewed any more, in my opinion, as a developmental territory. It is but it’s a touring brand now and we have our own television show. If TakeOver is any sign, selling out the Barclays with over 15,000-plus people for an NXT event, it’s a brand and I’m happy to be a part of that brand. I’m happy to be a big part of that brand right now. Wherever my career takes me, whether it be “moving up to the main roster” or staying in NXT doing what I’m doing now, I’m quite content having my passion back for this business and doing what I love to do.
