5 potential opponents for Bobby Roode after his Smackdown Live debut
Well, it's official. After all the speculation following NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III where former NXT Champion Bobby Roode dropped the gold to Drew McIntyre, he has made the jump over to the main roster as the newest member of Smackdown Live on Tuesday nights. The Glorious Age of Smackdown Live is well and truly here.
Roode emerged to one of the loudest pops of the year and quickly did away with Aiden English in a squash match. He gave a rousing in-ring interview with Renee Young after the bout but there was nothing concrete revealed as to his plans on the main roster.
Is he going to be put into a title picture straight away or will he be given a program to dip his feet in and get a feel for how things are going to go on the blue brand? Is he going to be a babyface or a heel? We all know that Roode is a main event calibre heel, but his initial work seems to lean towards a babyface.
There are plenty of questions that still need answering and we're here to look at which opponent will be the first on The Glorious One's radar on Smackdown Live. So, without any further ado, here are 5 potential opponents for Bobby Roode after his Smackdown Live debut:
#5 Rusev
Working under the assumption that Bobby Roode is indeed going to be a babyface following his raucous welcome from the Brooklyn crowd in attendance on Tuesday night, a brutish heel opponent might be the best place to start him out. And, it doesn't get more brutish than The Bulgarian Brute, Rusev.
Despite the 10 second, one RKO Outta Nowhere loss to Randy Orton at WWE Summerslam 2017, Rusev has enough credibility that Roode will get a great rub from taking him down. It will enhance the former NXT Champion's status while not compromising any other promising talent's place on the card.
Rusev is on the down anyway and he might as well make a star out of Roode on his way to obscurity.
In an exclusive report, it seems Rusev and Lana have both asked for their release from the WWE due to the lacklustre booking of the Bulgarian Brute. If the company does hand him a release, going out by putting over Roode would be a smart move