Best Theories: Why Bobby Roode Moved To Raw

The big fish to move from SmackDown Live to Raw was Bobby Roode. He wound up being the surprise fifth member of the 10-man tag match that ended Raw on Monday night, and there are likely reasons he was chosen to highlight the migrations from the blue brand to the red brand.

We can debate over and over if Roode is being used properly by WWE. Some will say he’s a great babyface while others are saying he’s miscast and should be given a chance to shine as WWE top heel. That’s a topic for another day. For our purposes here, we’re taking a look at the best theories as to why WWE moved Roode from one show to another and why he was the big name to make the switch.

WWE Wanted To Hit Refresh

Roode was pulled up from NXT to SmackDown Live and the expectation was likely that he’d impact the blue brand in a major way. That didn’t really happen. As such, perhaps people felt it was time to move Roode and give him a new show with a new audience (even though this isn’t really a new audience).

It will be interesting to watch if WWE chooses to really make a change and turn Roode heel. His run in NXT as the man who intended to save the brand and make NXT glorious was arguably one of the best character runs in NXT history. WWE may try to recreate that magic on Raw.

New Feuds

The primary reason WWE holds a Superstar Shake-up is to give each show a fresh feel with new matches, rivalries, and feuds that will give the WWE Universe something they potentially haven’t seen before. In the case of Bobby Roode, he finished off one of the most boring feuds of the year as he wrestled in matches against Randy Orton. WWE might have decided to remove him from that mess at the first opportunity.

Some will argue the company could have merely switched him to another opponent on SmackDown, but WWE failed to do so at in many cases where rivals wrestled each other over and over. It was likely best to move him completely off the show and away from familiar faces.

On Raw, Roode can take on names like Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and others who he hasn’t yet faced. Perhaps he faces off against a foe like Roman Reigns if given the proper push.

A Star In The Making

One thing we shouldn’t overlook is the potential WWE might see in Roode. If the company pegged him to be the biggest name to switch brands it may signify that WWE has big plans for him. He could be in line for a push to the main event scene or a run at the Intercontinental title, eventually moving up to a bigger role.

Clearly, the fans love his theme and the crowd pops big for his entrance. The next step is people staying invested in his matches and sticking with him after the lights and the music shut off.

Roode also seems to be a pet project of Triple H who is likely going to bat for Roode and believes he can be a big deal on the Raw roster. This may be the “The Game” saying "here’s your shot Roode, let’s see what you can do."

Roode was a surprise on Monday, but hopefully, WWE isn’t going by one appearance to gauge how well this move will be received. The initial response wasn’t overly positive and many fans were shocked to see Roode was the "big get" for Raw. He was lost in the shuffle of the main event and he’s going to need to find a way to separate himself from the pack.