The 12 WWE Wrestlers Who Debuted In 2017 - Ranked

5. Bobby Roode

Bobby Roode Baron Corbin
WWE.com

WWE Debut: SmackDown, August 22

It’s odd to point to a 40-year-old wrestler as a major debut, but former NXT Champion Bobby Roode (who was a major force in TNA for years) was just that when he came to the main roster this summer.

Roode and his elaborate entrance have been popular with NXT/WWE fans since he joined the company, and while he has enjoyed modest success on SmackDown, he hasn’t quite hit paydirt. Perhaps the most baffling decision has been that Roode debuted as a babyface, despite enjoying his best success in NXT as a villain.

But there’s always time and opportunity to have Roode turn on the fans and embrace his heelish side in 2018, which could provide a spark for the Glorious One. Until then, we’ll give him decent marks based on his pedigree and ample TV time to date.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.