10 Wrestlers Who Can Succeed Finn Balor As NXT's Icon
3. Bobby Roode
After months of speculation, Bobby Roode is finally set to make his televised NXT debut. Despite brief appearances at the last two TakeOver events, Roode has yet to officially “arrive” at Full Sail University, but now appears set to wrestle next week, with a possible TakeOver: Back to Brooklyn match with Andrade Almas also in the pipeline.
Roode is a ready-made star, and a talent WWE should arguably have signed a long time ago. Six Tag Title reigns and two stints as World Heavyweight Champion make him one of the most decorated wrestlers in TNA history, and a surefire Hall-of-Fame inductee. Experienced, skilled, and one of the best heels in mainstream wrestling, he brings a real intensity to his work, and connects with every crowd he performs for.
In the ring, Roode is a great brawler who wrestles a very methodical style with very little wasted movement. This makes his skill-set immediately transferrable to the WWE environment. There’ll be no adaptation period for Bobby Roode: he’ll slot right-in and become one of NXT’s most important wrestlers from day one, and a few months down the line, it’s hard not to see him at the top of the pile.
What makes Roode such an ideal candidate to be NXT’s next ace, however, is his immense experience working for televised audiences. Roode was with TNA for a full 12 years: there’s nobody on the NXT roster who can say they’ve been performing in this kind of environment for as long as he has, and his pre-existing sports entertainment experience will see him go over huge with the crowd.