Bobby Roode Made His WWE In-Ring Debut At NXT’s Download Festival Show In The UK

Ever since former TNA world champion Bobby Roode was shown in the crowd at NXT TakeOver: Dallas, fans have been speculating when he would make his NXT in-ring debut.

Roode was advertised in a since-deleted tweet for the NXT tour of the UK, but Triple H played it close to the vest when asked about Roode and Eric Young in a conference call before NXT TakeOver: The End this past Wednesday. Still, when Roode was seen backstage during an interview with William Regal during that same TakeOver special, we knew it was only a matter of time.

And now, Roode in an NXT ring is finally a reality. Roode had his first official WWE matchup (not counting his various Heat and Velocity matches in the early 2000s) at the NXT Download Festival in the UK on Friday, where he knocked off Angelo Dawkins in singles action.

A certain Lone Wolf also made a surprise appearance at the event, marking his first return to NXT following his full-time call-up to the main roster following WrestleMania 32.

Supervising the NXT show wasn’t the only thing that kept HHH busy at The Download Festival either, as he was the recipient of the first ever Spirit of Lemmy award in honor of the former Motorhead lead singer that also penned Triple H’s numerous theme songs.

Getting back to Roode, he did not appear on the latest set of NXT tapings (there are spoilers at that link!), but one would figure he would be a shoo-in for the next round of television at Full Sail (which will go down at the end of June or beginning of July).

There’s also the possibility that with the brand split coming up, Roode’s stay on NXT is a short one and he heads up to the main roster like his fellow former TNA champ AJ Styles did, but that might be a surprise, considering how much Roode has been hyped up for a run in NXT, and given the yellow brand is said to desire star power for an increased touring schedule going forward.