5 feuds to facilitate Bobby Roode’s much-needed heel turn

It seems like a long time ago that Bobby Roode was thriving in NXT as one of the brand’s most popular acts. But it has been less than a year since Roode made his main roster debut in August of 2017.

However, eight months of floating around on Smackdown Live and doing nothing of note has seen his stock drop dramatically and resulted in Roode falling well short of expectations since his call-up.

But has this been down to the performer or the booking of his character?

It could be argued that it’s a bit of both, but one thing is for sure is that the ‘Glorious’ gimmick simply does not work on a babyface character. Bobby Roode has become a boring, ineffectual member of the roster who seemingly has nothing more going for him other than a catchy entrance theme.

Roode recently switched to Raw in the 2018 ‘Superstar Shake-up’ which gave WWE the chance to reset his character and revert back to what made him so over in NXT. However, thus far, he seems to be continuing as a bland babyface.

Since his arrival on the main roster, Roode hasn’t had a feud that has really captured the imagination of the WWE Universe. However, there are a number of potential feuds for him on Raw that could facilitate a much-needed heel turn for the ‘Glorious One’ and reignite his stagnating career.

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#1 Roman Reigns

Will Reigns drop down the card following his recent losing streak?

I know, I know, nobody is a heel when they are up against Roman Reigns. Jinder Mahal got cheered when he confronted Roman on this week’s Raw, even Donald Trump would probably get a hero’s welcome if he interrupted a Roman promo!

Although this wouldn’t result in a fully-fledged heel turn for Bobby Roode, he could benefit from being in a high-profile feud and would presumably be given the opportunity to develop his persona and lay the groundwork for his eventual turn.

Hopefully, this would lead to a more well-rounded character for Roode, instead of being just a guy that says “Glorious” every week.

Moving Roman away from the title picture might also be best for him after a torrid few months for the ‘Big Dog’.

#2 Braun Strowman

Will the 'Glorious One' get these hands?

At the opposite end of the scale to Reigns, everybody loves Braun Strowman and anybody who goes up against him will likely get booed. Therefore, he could be the perfect opponent to help Bobby Roode transition into a heel.

An angle between the two could see Roode develop into a whiny coward who refuses to get in the ring with someone like Braun Strowman.

Bobby Roode doesn’t normally get credit for his comedic delivery, but he is more than capable of performing a deadpan, humorous promo which would be a great foil for Strowman’s current character direction.

A few weeks of Roode running scared from Braun but getting the upper-hand on him with sneak attacks from behind could be great for both men.

#3 Chad Gable

Gable looks set for a singles push after joining the Raw roster

A classic face vs. heel dynamic in wrestling is a valiant young underdog squaring off against a bitter veteran of the business. This age-old tale would be perfect for Bobby Roode in his current situation and the ideal underdog in this scenario would be Chad Gable.

Chad Gable looks set for a singles run after being split from Shelton Benjamin and moving to Raw. Gable has impressed in singles matches in the past, most notably against AJ Styles in a great match on Smackdown Live last year.

A feud between Gable and Roode could potentially get Gable over as an up-and-coming babyface while simultaneously allowing Roode to transition into the arrogant heel persona that worked for him in NXT.

If Gable was to pick up another shock win over Roode, as he did against Jinder Mahal a couple of weeks ago, it would allow the former US Champion to develop a more aggressive in-ring style and become more of a threat to the top superstars on Raw.

#4 Finn Bálor

Will Bálor be able to get both himself and Roode over?

Finn Bálor has been picking up some momentum recently with a series of excellent matches with Seth Rollins. Their latest, which took place on this week’s Raw, was arguably their best but Finn ultimately came up short in challenging for Rollins’ Intercontinental Championship.

So what now for Finn Bálor?

Some have suggested that Finn may turn heel, but after only recently introducing his ‘Bálor Club is for everyone’ t-shirt, I personally do not see this happening anytime soon. Which means he needs a heel to work with, enter Bobby Roode.

Obviously, Roode is still a babyface right now, but in case you haven’t got the point of this article yet, he needs to turn heel.

Working a series of matches against Bálor could help Finn keep his momentum while also giving Bobby Roode a significant role on Raw. If successful, the winner of the feud may put themselves in line for a future Championship opportunity.

#5 Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins has been on fire in recent months

Bobby Roode as a heel is perfect championship material for WWE. While his U.S. Title run on Smackdown was underwhelming, to say the least, a heel run with the Intercontinental Championship on Raw could be great for Roode.

As we all know, Seth Rollins is the current Intercontinental Champion and has been on fire in recent months. He is likely to hold onto the title for a number of months but Bobby Roode could be the one to dethrone him further down the line.

The potential feuds previously mentioned would help establish Roode as a top heel on Raw and if all goes well, it wouldn’t be long before he turns attention to a championship.

If Bobby Roode was able to recapture some of the magic that made him a hot commodity in NXT then he would make for a more than worthy Intercontinental Champion and could have a great feud with Seth Rollins on his road to capturing it.