Opinion
Bobby Roode: A Surprisingly Good Fit On WWE Raw
It’s easy for WWE superstars to get lost in the shuffle on Monday Night Raw. Performers like Seth Rollins and Finn Balor would be part of the main-event scene on SmackDown Live but are propping up the mid-card for the red brand. They are putting on fantastic and entertaining matches and are a major reason why a lot of hardcore fans haven’t tuned out, but neither performer seems primed for a push into the Universal Title picture.
As such, landing on Monday nights during the superstar shakeup can be the kiss of death for a certain caliber of star. That doesn’t appear to be the case for Bobby Roode, however.
Bobby Roode is officially on #RAW and feels like a bigger deal in one night than the whole time he spent on SmackDown. pic.twitter.com/JLWY7IMVp6
— Colt – Wrestling Coverage (@WWEColt) April 17, 2018
On SmackDown, he struggled to get over due to the lack of compelling competition at the mid-card level. No one’s going to get over in feuds with a disengaged Randy Orton in 2018 and there’s a good chance that not even Kenny Omega could milk an entertaining match out of Jinder Mahal, whose entire schtick is to be slow and boring in the ring.
Adding Roode into the mix for the United States title along with those two did him absolutely no favors. That program was simply a vehicle to get Orton his grand slam and was centered around a made up social media ranking list.
Is there any performer in the WWE who could have made a feud over what amounted to a Bleacher Report listicle work? If there is, Orton and Mahal aren’t among them. Put another way: Roode’s run on SmackDown Live failed to utilize his talent, both in the ring and on the microphone.
He tried, and the crowd was aching to cheer for him. But asking them to get behind the Glorious One because of a months-long fight over a fake list was asking too much.
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Roode landed on Raw during the Superstar Shakeup, though, and he finds himself in a much better spot than he was in just a few weeks ago. Sure, he lost his first match to Elias, but it was easily the most entertaining bout the former TNA/Impact standout has had his making his main roster debut back in August.
It showed that Roode can absolutely work as a mid-card draw while involved in feuds with others who are actually drawing a reaction from crowds…besides going to the bathroom during their matches.

Fun Fact: Jinder Mahal’s entrance gives you enough time to use the bathroom *and* snag another beer from the fridge.
Maybe it seems like we’re being a bit hard on Orton and Mahal, but the middle segments of SmackDown have been lacking in quality for a while now. Getting Roode out of that mix and — presumably — placing him in a program with Elias finally gives him a chance to shine.
It’s 100 percent speculation on our part, but there could be a good ol’ fashioned double turn waiting somewhere down the line should Elias and Roode continue to feud. The former has been getting face reactions over the last several weeks and has quickly established himself as one of the most entertaining acts on Raw… despite technically being a heel who trash-talks every city he wrestles in.
As Brandon Stroud wrote for Uproxx.com:
“This week’s first match is the battle between a guy who desperately needs to be heel (Bobby Roode) and a guy so good at being a heel it’s bordering on turning him face (Elias).”
Elias believes his own BS too much to not continue to grow as a superstar. Then there is Roode, who has worked hard to get over as a face but is a natural heel. His entire run in NXT was as a “bad guy” who’s full of himself, and a return to that kind of character could be exactly what he needs to reach that next level.
Because this just isn’t working for him.
Can you imagine NXT or TNA/Impact Roode cutting a backstage segment like that? No way, no how.
Roode turns 41 next month, so it’s not like he’s got an endless number of feuds ahead of him. Getting him into intriguing feuds now is a must is the WWE wants to capitalize on one of the strongest characters in the company. He’s never going to blow anyone away with his in-ring work, but he’s solid enough — as we saw on Monday — to get the crowd going when he’s paired up with the right opponent.
Getting him into a match with Elias was a slick call by creative, and we hope that this isn’t the last we’ve seen of these two superstars in the squared circle.
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Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
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Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
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