5 theories on why WWE split up Bobby Roode & Chad Gable
The 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-Up saw five tag teams part ways, including former Raw Tag Team champions Bobby Roode & Chad Gable.
Following SummerSlam 2018, the “Glorious” duo began teaming together in matches against The Ascension, The Revival and AOP. They got off to a rocky start, with both men losing singles matches against Konnor, but they worked well as a duo and won seven 2-on-2 matches out of eight between September and November.
The run of success led to Roode & Gable defeating AOP & Drake Maverick in a 3-on-2 handicap match on Raw in December to win the Raw Tag Team titles. In doing so, Roode became a Tag Team champion for the first time in WWE, while Gable became the second person after Jason Jordan to hold the Raw, SmackDown and NXT Tag Team titles.
After a relatively underwhelming reign as champions, which included successful title defences against The Revival and AOP, the unlikely allies lost their titles against Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder on Raw in February 2019. The two teams continued to tear the house down at live events, but they never met again in a televised match following the title change.
Then, just when it looked as though Roode & Gable were going to revitalise their tag team run by switching from babyfaces to heels, they were split apart in the Superstar Shake-Up when Roode stayed on Raw and Gable moved to SmackDown Live.
In this article, let’s take a look at five theories on why WWE decided to end their tag partnership.
#5 Bobby Roode heel run
Bobby Roode established himself as the top heel in NXT during his seven-month reign with the NXT Championship in 2017. However, since becoming a member of WWE’s main roster after SummerSlam 2017, he has been a babyface the entire time, with the exception of the last couple of weeks when he has started to show a more aggressive side to his character.
Given that his NXT persona led him to the brand’s top male title, it was a surprise that he underwent such a drastic change in personality as soon as he joined the main roster. Granted, the “Glorious” gimmick and entrance works well for a babyface, but it is also just as well suited to a gloating heel.
Now that the former United States champion will no longer be teaming with Chad Gable, perhaps we will see him join Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre in becoming another one of the main heels on Raw.