WWE's Robert Roode Out 6-14 Months After Neck Fusion Surgery
Robert Roode will be gone from WWE for a long time after going under the knife.
Robert Roode could miss between six and 14 months of action after undergoing neck fusion surgery last week, reports Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
How long the 46-year-old will be on the sidelines depends on the kind of procedure he went in for and how his recovery goes. On 2 December, Roode used Instagram to post a picture of himself in a hospital bed, revealing he had had his C5 and C6 vertebrae fused by Dr. Andy Cordover at St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama.
Roode also went under the knife in September, foreshadowing a lengthy hiatus - though details were scarce at the time.
A 25 June house show in Amarillo, Texas hosted Roode's last WWE match, with the former NXT Champion defeated by Omos. Prior to this, the veteran had been used only sparingly on WWE television in 2022, with his last appearance coming as part of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on 1 April. This was won by Madcap Moss.
Roode has been signed to WWE since 2016, joining the promotion after 12 star-making years in TNA/IMPACT Wrestling. He was quickly pushed to the top of NXT, capturing the brand's title within nine months, becoming the oldest person the hold that strap in the process.