WWE needs to book Bobby Roode as the heel everyone loves to hate

Bobby Roode has made his GLORIOUS debut on SmackDown Live. As he begins his run on the main roster, WWE needs to ensure to keep him as the heel we love.

It was quite amazing how the mood in Barclays Center changed. What looked like it would be another mundane Aiden English singing promo — maybe an attempt to resurrect Tye Dillinger off the scrap heap on SmackDown Live — quickly turned into something else.

The spotlight turned off English and the familiar piano tune struck up for the first time on the main roster. It was, in a word, GLORIOUS.

Bobby Roode, after spending a career knocking on the WWE’s door and building a fan base around the world, had finally made it. Even as he turned around to face the full WWE Universe for the first time, it seemed like there was a genuine moment of awe. The fans were welcoming the 40-year-old former NXT champion into the fold. And for him, he finally made it.

There are still loose ends to tie up in his old promotion with NXT. During Wednesday’s NXT broadcast, Roode cut a promo promising to pay Roderick Strong back for blowing him a kiss after his defeat to Drew McIntyre and promising to get his rematch for the title (eds. note, I am avoiding any NXT spoilers after Thursday’s taping at Full Sail). But Roode is now on the full-time SmackDown Live roster.

What comes next?

The crowd reaction at the Barclays Center was one of a conquering hero. The SummerSlam week crowds tend to be a little snarkier; they cheer for who they want and not for who the story dictates.

Roode is charismatic enough. He has the theme song and the technical wrestling skills to remain over with the crowd. But plenty of other call-ups have struggled in the spotlight. The rumors that he will take Baron Corbin’s place in the mid-card will only increase the pressure on Roode to make an impact quickly.

Roode’s call up seems reminiscent of AJ Styles when he came to WWE at the Royal Rumble in 2016. Styles had a slow introduction to the WWE crowd, working with Chris Jericho before jumping into the title picture against Roman Reigns. He played the face, finally living the dream.

But Styles’ best work did not start until he turned heel. It was the best way to set up the “dream match” with John Cena. And Styles can do just about anything — not to mention, his turn was executed perfectly.

There is a problem with this comparison though. Roode already has a relationship with the WWE Universe. Not only that, some of his storylines in NXT are going to continue. It might get confusing for him to play the heel to finish up feuds there.

Roode will get an initial face pop just from having him in the main brand. And in this current wrestling fan climate, heels get pops. That may never go away with Roode so long as he engages the fans and puts on good performances. But plenty of heels make that work — none better than Kevin Owens.

Roode may get a few more squash-ish matches to get him started. And he absolutely has to win his first feud before entering a more prolonged feud. That could mean he ends up starting against Sami Zayn or even Mojo Rawley to build up some heel credentials and score an easy win.

What is important now for WWE is to build Roode as a big player, but not to rush him too quickly into a defeat. Giving him a shot at the United States Championship against AJ Styles so soon might torpedo his momentum. To fans unfamiliar with his work in NXT, a loss in that feud would greatly weaken his position rather than building him up to a mid-card title run.

This isn’t to say WWE should not push Roode hard. And engaging storytelling is still the ones where the result is not so inevitable. That becomes trickier when trying to build up a newcomer. That inevitability in the first feud usually makes them pretty uninteresting.

That is why it is important even more for Roode’s first feud to build up his heel bona fides and establish himself as that bad guy. It needs to be an introduction of him to the rest of the WWE Universe, who mostly do not watch NXT.

A feud with Sami Zayn may continue to bury Zayn. But pairing Roode with Zayn will create an engaging and entertaining match that would highlight the proud, hubristic nature of Roode’s “Glorious” character with Zayn’s seemingly whole-hearted goodness. It is not like Zayn losing has hurt him . . . too much.

Roode is talented enough and charismatic enough in the ring to carry just about any feud. It is going to be hard to mess him up. Especially if WWE plans to push him into the title picture sooner rather than later.

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How they handle his first feud will be key to his ultimate success. The one thing they should know, despite how the WWE Universe reacted to him Tuesday, is Roode is the heel everyone loves to hate. They need to highlight what makes him so bad in his initial feud and as they push him into the title picture.