Bobby Roode On Never Hanging Out With James Storm Much, Being Inspired By Samoa Joe And Finn Balor
Recently on Sam Roberts' Wrestling Podcast, professional broadcaster and professional wrestling enthusiast Sam Roberts interviewed NXT Superstar Bobby Roode. During the show, Roode talked about his relationship with James Storm, looking at the NXT success of Samoa Joe and Finn Bálor as inspiration, and how often he is in Orlando, Florida for NXT.
According to Roode, he has not spoken to Storm, his former tag team partner, since leaving TNA. Supposedly, the Beer Money, Inc. duo did not really hang out together a lot when they tagged. 'The Glorious One' stated that he had to look out for himself when he decided to leave TNA.
"Honestly, James and I haven't talked since I left [TNA], so we've always, even when we were a tag team together, we've always kind of done our own thing. I think that made us special at the time. We were two different guys. We never really hung out a ton, but we were able to go out there and create magic together. So, honestly, I don't know. Everybody, in this business, you kind of have to look out for yourself and I just wasn't happy anymore and I had a chance to leave. My contract was up. I didn't know if I was going to come back one day. I didn't know where I was going to end up. I didn't know if I wanted to wrestle again. So I mean, James has been successful in the past and I'm sure he will continue to be successful in his career."
Apparently, Roode saw the successful transitions of Samoa Joe and Finn Bálor to NXT as proof that he could make it in NXT as well. Additionally, 'The It Factor' stated that all he wanted was the opportunity to prove himself.
"Yes, Samoa Joe, obviously. I know him on a personal level and worked with Joe for many years, so when Joe came over, I spoke to Joe days before he came to NXT. He didn't really know what was going to happen either. Like me, he just wanted an opportunity and kind of like a fresh start to be rejuvenated and he got that. And, obviously, Joe's super talented and a unique competitor, so he gave NXT something different, the NXT fans something different, and he had fan following already, which is a huge plus to start with. So I've seen Joe. I've seen him go in there and the success that he had immediately. A guy like Finn Bálor too, who I had a chance to get to know in Japan when I went over there for some short tours with New Japan, so I knew how talented he was. When he got to NXT, when he got to WWE, they used his talents. He became a superstar, so I knew that if I wanted to be the superstar that I knew that I think I could be that I had to go there. And I think, obviously, I would have to get an opportunity to prove myself, and they've given me that opportunity. I hope to continue to impress."
Also, Roode shared that he goes to the WWE Performance Center about once a month and gets the best of both worlds between the independent scene and NXT.
"I kind of get the best of both worlds. I was actually down in Orlando last week. I was down there Wednesday, Thursday, at the Performance Center and then, Friday and Saturday, I did the Florida live events, so about once a month, I go down there and, usually, I'll try to surround it around the television tapings in Orlando. So I'll go down there and spend a day or two at the PC and then do the TVs and then the events in the Florida area. If we don't have out-of-state traveling shows, I'll stay down there and work, but NXT is a hot brand. It's really picking up. We're on the road all the time."
Click here to listen to the interview. If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit Sam Roberts' Wrestling Podcast with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast