WWE Superstar Bobby Roode was a top heel in NXT, but like many of the wrestlers who went through that developmental brand, Vince McMahon majorly dropped the ball on him when he hit the main roster.
When we last saw the former TNA star, Roode was sporadically tagging with Dolph Ziggler and not being pushed in any real way. The former NXT Champion ultimately ended up on the shelf with a serious neck injury and, these days, he works backstage in WWE as a producer.
Talking to Chris Van Vliet this month, Roode shared an update on his health.
"A lot of wear and tear over the years," Roode said of his injury. "I can kind of relate it back to almost 10 years to the day that I got reinjured. It was just a weird circumstance. I was in a match with Rob Van Dam and just something happened, I don't know what it was. It wasn't his fault, wasn't my fault it was just...something happened."
"Rob and I worked together for a month at least on doing Live Events, doing this exact same thing and just so happened to be on pay-per-view that this happened," he adds. "My leg went numb for what felt like a minute and a half, two minutes. It felt like my leg I had no feeling in my leg."
Roode ended up working through the injury - despite losing strength in his wrists - but a decade later, it returned with a vengeance following a clash with Omos. That was at a 2022 live event and, two years on, the former United States Champion has been cleared to wrestle.
However, an in-ring return may still be off the table!
"I just got greenlighted. The fusion has completely fused," Roode confirmed. "So as far as like looking at it from a medical point of view, it's safe to get back in the ring. But at almost 48 years old, given the opportunity that I've been given now to work as a producer - which was my goal coming to WWE almost eight years ago - I'm quite happy doing this. I feel like I've had a good run, as they say, and I'm happy to do what I'm doing now."
We're glad to hear Roode has recovered and while it's a shame to learn he may be done as an active Superstar, it sounds like he's doing a lot of good work backstage for the company and, most importantly, is having fun doing so.
You can watch the full interview in the player below.