Bobby Roode Makes His WWE Main Roster Debut On WWE SmackDown Live

This weekend was full of big moments for wrestling fans, and one of the biggest moments took place during the main event of NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III. Bobby Roode walked into the event as NXT Champion, but he didn’t walk out of the event with the NXT Title. Drew McIntyre challenged Bobby Roode for the belt, and Drew defeated Bobby in the middle of the ring after he hit him with a Claymore.

Related: New NXT Champion Crowned At NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III, Adam Cole Debuts

It’s said that WWE officials are high up on Bobby Roode, and after he dropped the title there was a lot of speculation that he could be getting called up to the main roster very soon. Roode got a lot of people talking Monday afternoon when he was reported to be backstage at Monday Night Raw, and the chatter continued on Tuesday when he was spotted arriving at the Barclays Center for SmackDown Live.

The speculation intensified even further when a photo of WWE testing Bobby Roode’s entrance video on the titantron surfaced online. Fans then waited for SmackDown Live to kick off, and they wondered if they would hear the familiar sound of Bobby Roode’s “Glorious” entrance music on Tuesday night.

Aiden English made his way to the ring to cut a promo, but he didn’t get very far before Bobby Roode’s entrance music hit and the crowd popped big time as they sang along to every word.

Bobby made his way down to the ring as the crowd chanted, “Roode! Roode! Roode!” and he took off his robe then prepared for a match with Aiden English with the crowd popped big time for the former NXT Champion.

It appears that the former NXT star was working as a face, as he went one on one with Aiden English, and the fans continued to cheer for him throughout the match. The commentators played up his 20 years of experience in the professional wrestling industry. JBL even name dropped Beer Money.

Roode made short work of Aiden English as he put him away with the Glorious DDT after just a few minutes and he played up the adulation from the crowd after the match ended.

After the match Renee Young interviewed Bobby Roode and asked him what brings him to SmackDown Live. He thanked Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon for “breaking the bank and cashing in on the hottest free agent in sports entertainment today.”

Roode said that in a New York minute, SmackDown Live went from being great to being “absolutely glorious,” as the crowd sang along to his entrance music, and Roode was hit with spotlights as the lights went down and he stood in the middle of the ring.