WWE has been missing one glorious piece for over five months now. Bobby Roode has been out of action since June, and his last televised match stretches as far back at April. While the lack of TV time in between April and June could be attributed to a stall in creative plans for the former NXT Champion, his absence since then is seemingly injury-related. Roode underwent a medical procedure in September for an unspecified injury, as he shared on a past Instagram post that he had a “successful trip” to Southlake Orthopaedics and Andrews Sports Medicine in Birmingham, Alabama.
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“Heading home after what is hoped to be a successful trip to Birmingham, AL,” Roode wrote. “Big thank you to Southlake Orthopaedics and Andrews Sports Medicine for taking great care of me this week. Especially to the first class medical staff of Dr. Micheal Ellerbusch, Dr. Andrew Cordover, and Dr. Charles Carnel.”
With that procedure going down over two months ago now, it looks like Roode could be gearing up for an in-ring return. The Glorious One recently took part in a World Cup-themed photoshoot for WWE, donning the kit of his home country of Canada.
It’s worth noting that other superstars that took part in this photoshoot, like Raw’s Rhea Ripley and SmackDown’s Kofi Kingston, had their respective brands shown on the video wall behind them. Roode’s picture coming alongside SmackDown graphics indicates that the former WWE United States Champion could be making the blue brand his new home upon a return.
This would effectively separate Roode and long-time tag partner Dolph Ziggler, who currently competes on Monday Night Raw. Roode and Ziggler have tagged together as The Dirty Dawgs since 2019, capturing tag gold together on two separate occasions.
Many have penned Roode as someone that is poised for success in the Triple H regime. Like Johnny Gargano and Karrion Kross, Roode is a former NXT Champion that had an entire era of the black and gold brand built around his reign. Both Gargano and Kross have been put in prominent programs since returning to WWE, with Gargano regularly featured on Raw and Kross collecting a big victory over former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre at WWE Extreme Rules earlier this fall.
Beyond that, time is also winding down to strike with Roode. While he has not expressed any concrete retirement plans, the veteran wrestler is currently 46 years old.
Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates on Bobby Roode’s WWE status.
