Although now signed to Smackdown, Bobby Roode had one of the most successful pre-WWE careers of all time. The ring veteran may still create some memorable moments for himself on the blue brand, but he already has an impressive resume of ups and downs that many wrestlers would beg for.
Like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe before him, Roode made a name for himself as one of TNA: Impact's biggest home-grown stars before signing with WWE. Here are five glorious moments (and five that weren't) from the star's entire career across both companies.
10 Wasn't: First WWE Run
Before he was signed to TNA Impact, where he would become a superstar, Roode had a very short run with WWE. Performing first as "Total" Lee Awesome and then as Bobby Rude, the rookie would wrestle a series of dark matches, and one mediocre match on Velocity.
After less than a year, Roode left the company and signed with TNA immediately after. Interestingly, even though his look leaves a lot to be desired, there are elements there of the character Roode would ultimately embody later in his career.
9 Glorious: Beer Money Becomes Tag-Team Champs
The unlikely pairing of James Storm and Bobby Roode would end up becoming arguably Impact's greatest tag-team. The two would start tagging seemingly out of having nothing else to do, but pretty quickly they would establish themselves and challenge LAX for the titles.
After a back and forth feud, Beer Money Inc. would defeat LAX at the 2008 PPV Hard Justice to a massive reaction, thus starting the first of five reigns the team would eventually have as tag-team champions.
8 Wasn't: Roode's Early TNA Run
When he first took the scene in TNA, Roode was part of a short-lived team called Team Canada. After breaking away to be a singles wrestler, the show had a series of famous managers such as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Sherri Martel come by and ask to manage him.
Roode would end up hiring Traci Brooks and doing nothing of note for six months. The momentum he was poised to have gone away instantly and Roode would not find any relevance on the show until the formation of Beer Money Inc. later on.
7 Glorious: Defeating AJ Styles To Become The Longest Reigning Champion
2012 was quite a year for Roode. He was world heavyweight champion for most of the year and had a non-stop series of great matches and moments throughout it. One of the best matches was his world title defense against Styles on an episode of Impact.
Roode was one day away from becoming the longest-reigning champion in the company's history. A feat that was held by AJ Styles at the time. Roode defeated Styles after some shady tactics and set the record. Then he made sure the crowd knew it.
6 Wasn't: Loss To Kurt Angle
While the mistake would ultimately pan out for TNA when Roode turned heel a month later, the initial loss to Angle was considered one of their worst booking decisions at the time. Angle had been champion too long and Roode was experiencing a massive push as the number one contender.
The stage was set for Roode to go over at Bound for Glory, the biggest PPV of the year. However, in the weeks leading up to the show, Hulk Hogan went on a press junket where he repeatedly buried Roode, saying that he wasn't ready for the top spot. His public bashing caused TNA to change the decision only a day before the show and an injured Angle would beat Roode in a lackluster main event.
5 Glorious: Losing The Title To Austin Aries
While it may seem weird to put Roode's title loss on a list of his achievements, the moment is remembered as one of the best in Impact's history, and both men deserve credit for telling the story.
Roode had established himself as top heel through his world title run, and Austin Aries was experiencing a natural popularity boost similar to Daniel Bryan's in WWE. Fans were begging for Aries to get a title shot and he finally did. The match was great with Roode trying multiple dastardly tricks and Aries surviving them. Finally, Aries pinned the champ to one of the biggest reactions the company would ever get.
4 Wasnt: WWE Main Roster Call Up
Roode's call-up seemed promising, with his fantastic WWE entrance looking even better on Smackdown than it did on NXT, but unfortunately, his first entrance was maybe his peak so far on the main roster.
Being turned face, and given no mic time to establish himself, Roode quickly disappeared into the mid-card. Even now, with two tag-team title wins and one completely forgettable United States title win under his belt, it is hard to say Roode has done anything memorable since moving to the bigger brand.
3 Glorious: Becoming NXT Champion
Roode's run in NXT was truly something else. His entrance being one of the best ever, and his treatment as a genuine threat to the title the second he debuted created an aura around Roode that helped the star's switch to WWE go as smoothly as possible.
His run in NXT would peak with his winning of the NXT title from Shinsuke Nakamura. The match was phenomenal and so was the glorious celebration that followed it on the next episode of NXT.
2 Wasn't: Wellness Policy Suspension
Just when it looks like his time on the main roster could only go up, Roode has been suspended from WWE for 30 days over a wellness policy violation. While not historically a career killer, a suspension right now does kill any semblance of momentum the 42-year-old was building on the Smackdown brand.
With any luck, and a litte forgiveness, maybe this will be an opportunity for WWE to slightly repackage Roode and make his return feel important.
1 Glorious: Beating James Storm To Become World Champion
Roode's quest for the title had been months in the making, with it looking like he'd win it from Kurt Angle. However, when he lost to Angle, his partner and friend James Storm would defeat Angle and become champion instead.
This lead to a title match between the two members of Beer Money. After a hard-fought match from both men, Roode did the unthinkable, and hit Storm in the head with his own beer bottle. Roode pinned the champ, turning heel in the process, and he turned into the top heel in the company's history.