Robert Roode’s Historic Night At 3/1 NXT Show.
Peterborough, Ontario native Robert Roode made history three weeks ago during the Mar. 1 episode of WWE NXT.
That night, Roode and longtime tag team partner Dolph Ziggler squared off against Tommaso Ciampa and Bron Breakker in a tag team bout. Ciampa and the second-generation wrestler wound up winning the match, but Roode set a remarkable historic first in the loss.
As noted by several outlets, including GiveMeSport, Roode became the first wrestler to have wrestled both Breakker and his father, wrestling icon Rick Steiner. Roode and James Storm (Beer Money, Inc.) faced Rick and his brother, Scott, in a tag team match back in Dec. 2009. The Steiner Brothers emerged victorious in that match.
There are currently 11 matches on the card for WWE WrestleMania 38, but Breakker, Ciampa, Ziggler and Roode haven’t been announced for the show. WWE rarely features NXT superstars on the WrestleMania card, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Vince McMahon decided to add all thre — including the up-and-coming Breakker — to the show.
For WrestleMania 38, Drew McIntyre has the highest betting odds among all competitors at -850 for his match with King Corbin (+450). Ronda Rousey is a giant -600 favorite for her SmackDown Women’s Championship match with Charlotte Flair (a+350 underdog). Bet365 offers a large welcome bonus to new customers in Ontario, and the many pros of Bet365 include quick payouts, live streaming and 24/7 customer service.
Rick Steiner hasn’t wrestled a match since April 2019. He faced current WWE superstar AJ Styles on several occasions in the 2000s decade, so The Phenomenal One could soon join Roode on the short list of wrestlers to have competed against both Rick and Bron.
AEW star Eddie Kingston faced Rick back in 2013. If he ever comes to WWE, or if Breakker ever joins AEW, perhaps Kingston will join Roode and/or Styles on that list.
Roode Has A New Home In Feud With Breakker
After a “glorious” stint on WWE NXT that saw him hold the brand’s championship on one occasion, Roode joined the main WWE roster in the summer of 2017.
Throughout the years, Roode has bounced around from feud to feud. WWE hasn’t given him a clear direction whatsoever, and many fans and pundits disagreed with the idea of using Roode as a face on the main roster. He had flourished as the top heel on NXT, after all.
Rather than push Roode as a main event talent, WWE has mostly used him in the tag team division. But finally, it looks like the 44-year-old and longtime fan favorite finally has a long-term program and home here with Ziggler, Ciampa and Breakker.
Before he entered a career in professional wrestling, Breakker (real name Bronson Rechsteiner) tried to become a professional football player.
The Baltimore Ravens signed the Kennesaw State University product in the 2020 offseason, but he was released before the start of the season.
Breakker wrestled his first match for WWE on the Sept. 14 edition of NXT, where he defeated LA Knight. With an elite in-ring skill set and plenty of charisma, it didn’t take long for Breakker to quickly get over with the fans.
At the New Year’s Evil pay-per-view, Breakker defeated Ciampa and became the new NXT Champion at just 24 years of age. However, the aforementioned Ziggler would claim the title at NXT Roadblock by pinning Ciampa in the triple threat match, thus dethroning Breakker as the champion.
The arrogant and obnoxious heel persona that Ziggler brings is perfect for a feud with a rising main event star like Breakker. Having Roode team up with Ziggler and another former NXT Champion in Ciampa work alongside Breakker simply benefits all four parties here.
To his credit, McMahon has been excellent in getting strong production out of talented but underused stars over on NXT. Mandy Rose, the current NXT Women’s Champion, and Finn Balor are excellent examples of this.
Roode and Ziggler weren’t getting much usage on the main roster. But now they have a nice long-term program to work around here with Ciampa and Breakker. Perhaps this will lead to a path for Roode to eventually receive better booking on the main WWE roster.
