Robert Roode

Robert F. "Bobby" Roode, Jr. (January 1, 1977) is a Canadian professional wrestler, currently wrestling for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is the reigning TNA World Heavyweight Champion. He originally made his debut for TNA in 2004 as a member of Team Canada and went on to become a two-time NWA World Tag Team Champion with stablemate Eric Young. In 2008, Roode formed the tag team Beer Money, Inc. with James Storm and together the two of them went on to become four-time TNA World Tag Team Champions, while also holding the record for the longest reign as champions. In September 2011, Roode achieved his first major singles accomplishment in TNA by winning the Bound for Glory Series to become the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, which he went on to win the following month. While growing up in Peterborough, Ontario, Roode attended Kenner Collegiate H.S. and was a stick boy for the Ontario Hockey League's Peterborough Petes for notable future NHL players, Tie Domi, Mike Ricci and Chris Pronger.

Training and independent promotions
He was trained in his hometown of Peterborough, Ontario, by fellow Ontarians Sean Morley and Shane Sewell. He completed his training after a year and wrestled his debut match in June 1998 as "Total" Lee Awesome against Pete Rock. He then went on to work for various Canadian independent promotions, as well as making appearances for the Puerto Rican promotion, World Wrestling Council. He also went on to work a series of dark matches for World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment between 1998 and 2004, before he was signed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Roode began working for Real Action Wrestling in 2001, where he formed a heel stable known as "The Kardinal Sinners" along with Kingman and Mike Hughes. He later rejoined them as a part of their Wrestling Reality show to be aired on The Fight Network, however, Roode will not be seen on these episodes due to contractual obligations with TNA.

While in TNA, Roode also wrestled for Blood Sweat and Ears in Ontario, Border City Wrestling in Windsor, Ontario and at NWA Shockwave in New Jersey. He is the former BCW Can-Am Heavyweight Champion. On March 18, 2006, he won the NWA Shockwave Internet Championship from Josh Daniels at an NWAS/New York Wrestling Connection cross-promotional event. Eight days later, on March 26, Roode won the vacant NWA Shockwave Heavyweight Championship at Disturbing the Peace 2006 in a four-way match. Roode held both titles until May 21, when he dropped the Internet Title and successfully defended the Heavyweight Title against Slyck Wagner Brown. Due the restarting of the company, all the NWA Cyberspace Champions were vacated including Roode's Heavyweight Title.

Team Canada (2004–2006)
In May 2004, Roode was brought into Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) by Scott D'Amore, the owner of Border City Wrestling, a Canadian independent promotion for which Roode had worked on occasion. Roode debuted in TNA as part of the Team Canada stable, and took part in the World X-Cup, which was won by Team USA. Team Canada went on to feud with 3Live Kru and America's Most Wanted. As the biggest and most powerful member of Team Canada at the time, Roode acted as the "enforcer" of the group, a role popularised by Arn Anderson. In early 2006, recognizing his comparisons to Arn Anderson, he made the request that he be called "The Canadian Enforcer" from that point onward, and began coming to the ring in sequined robes reminiscent of the Four Horsemen and Rick Rude flashy style in the late 1980s.

Roode began a feud with Dustin Rhodes in early 2005, losing to him at April's Lockdown pay-per-view in a best of three falls steel cage match, with the third fall a blindfold match. After that Roode feuded with Lance Hoyt, who he defeated at Slammiversary, and The Naturals throughout the summer of 2005. After defeating Jeff Hardy at Unbreakable in September, Roode and the remainder of Team Canada resumed their feud with 3Live Kru.

At Final Resolution 2006, Roode began a singles career, while still being linked to Team Canada, by defeating Ron Killings. Five months later, on the June 29 episode of TNA Impact!, TNA Management Director Jim Cornette forced the breakup of Team Canada. However, on the July 6 episode of Impact!, Cornette gave Team Canada one more chance to stay together but only if they could win a match a week later against Jay Lethal, Rhino and Team 3D (Brother Ray and Brother Devon). On the July 13 episode of Impact!, Team Canada lost the match when Jay Lethal pinned A-1, disbanding Team Canada once and for all.

Feud with Eric Young (2006–2007)
After the breakup of Team Canada, Roode began referring to himself as "TNA's hottest free agent". Vignettes began playing with various TNA managers such as Simon Diamond, Jim Mitchell, and Shane Douglas putting over the idea of Roode being an NWA World Heavyweight Championship contender and stating their interest in becoming his manager, but he eventually dismissed them. Having chosen not to work with a current TNA manager, segments began airing with Roode interviewing managers for the position; Bobby "The Brain" Heenan on September 7, Col. Robert Parker on September 14, and Sherri Martel on September 21. He revealed his chosen manager, Traci Brooks, at Bound for Glory, and promptly changed his name to "Robert Roode", with Brooks now being referred to as "Ms. Brooks". His first feud after the name change was against Eric Young, of whom he became jealous when he realized fans still were not cheering him, but cheered Young's every move. After Young beat Brooks in a bikini contest he demanded that Brooks "sign" Young to "Robert Roode Inc.". Finally, at the 2007 Against All Odds event Brooks successfully seduced Young into signing a contract with "Robert Roode Inc.", and Roode began to control Young by ordering him around.

Young, however, began to fight back, due to the advice of a mystery "friend". At Lockdown Roode faced Petey Williams, the man he believed to be Young's "friend", and won the match, despite Young attempting to help Williams. The following week, Young proclaimed that Williams was not his "friend", and Roode, who controlled Young's contract, gave Young a week to tell him who his friend was or he'd be fired. The following week, Young revealed his "friend" to be Jeff Jarrett, which resulted in Roode facing Jarrett at Sacrifice. Roode went on to defeat Jarrett after hitting him with the Payoff. Roode would eventually face Young in a match at Slammiversary 2007. Roode scored the pinfall after hitting Young with a steel chair, but, just as he was about to fire Young, Jim Cornette came out and ordered the match to be restarted. Young then pinned Roode with an inside cradle, in the process severing his ties with Roode.

Roode and Ms. Brooks then joined forces with Christian's Coalition to aid in their battles with Sting and Abyss, and on the July 26 episode of Impact!, Mike Tenay stated that Roode had officially joined the stable. Weeks after that, after Eric Young lost a match against Team 3D, Roode and Brooks "tarred and feathered" Young. On the August 7 episode of TNA Today Young issued a challenge for a "Humiliation match" at Hard Justice to Roode, in which the loser would be tarred and feathered. Roode won, but Ms. Brooks ended up tarred and feathered while Roode just watched from the stage, and, afterwards, as she questioned his loyalty, his apparent bullying of her became a key storyline and side angle.

Storyline with Ms. Brooks (2007–2008)
Roode then entered a mini-feud with Kaz, who had just left Serotonin, after Kaz became sick of watching Roode mistreat Ms. Brooks. Roode defeated Kaz at No Surrender. Soon afterwards, other wrestlers followed in Kaz's footsteps until it was revealed in an interview that the relationship between Roode and Brooks was merely that of employer and employee, and that Brooks chose to put up with Roode's actions because she needed to raise money for her ill mother. Since then, the "superstars' protest" portion of the mistreatment angle quietly faded, though Roode's egotistical bullying antics would get worse.

Roode participated in the Fight for the Right Tournament. He was the last person eliminated in the gauntlet section of the tournament by Eric Young and lost his opening tournament match to Junior Fatu. Around this time, Roode not only started mistreating Brooks even further, he started to show signs of full-blown misogyny in segments involving or referring to other women, such as Karen Angle, Gail Kim or Sharmell. In the loss to Fatu, the dissension was reciprocated by Brooks, who laughed as Fatu gave Roode a stinkface. On the November 8, 2007 episode of TNA Impact, Brooks finally stood up to Roode by shoving him away from his attack on Chris Harris, and herself attacking "Roode's #1 Fan".

Roode formed a partnership with Christian Cage against TNA newcomer Booker T, claiming that "has beens" like Booker T show up and gain main event status at the expense of long time Talent like himself. Roode and Cage then aligned themselves with Kurt Angle, after an invitation to join the Angle Alliance on Impact!. This only lasted for one night, however, as the Angle Alliance would lose to the team of Samoa Joe, Kevin Nash, Kaz, Booker T and Eric Young, when Nash pinned Roode. Cage and Roode then had a face to face altercation in the ring which lead to Angle and Roode attacking Cage, thus kicking Cage out of the Angle Alliance and turning the Angle-Cage tension into a full-blown feud.

At Final Resolution 2008, Roode teamed up with Ms. Brooks in a mixed tag team match against Booker T and his wife Sharmell. After losing the match Roode finally completed his turn on Brooks and as Sharmell ran back into the ring to stop it, Roode turned around and hit her in the jaw, knocking her out. As Booker T ran to the ring to aid his wife, Roode escaped the ring, and looking back at the ring he realized what he had done. The following Impact!, Roode faced Brooks and fired her, but was stopped by Jim Cornette when he tried to lay hands on her. Subsequently, Roode's "number one fan" attacked Brooks when she was leaving the ring. Roode's fan would replace Brooks, with her name revealed as Ms. Payton Banks.

After Final Resolution, and with Payton Banks by his side, Roode continued his feud with Booker T at Against All Odds, where the two faced off in a singles match. Roode would run from the ring and escape the arena in a car, only to further infuriate Booker. Booker and Roode would face off again at Destination X in a Stand By Your Man Strap Match, where the loser's manager (Banks for Roode, Brooks for Booker) would receive ten leather lashes from the winner's manager. Roode won after using a handcuff-armed fist, but Sharmell returned and whipped everyone with a leather belt, including Jim Cornette. The following week on Impact!, Cornette punished her by putting her in a mixed tag team match with Booker against Roode and Banks at Lockdown, which Booker and Sharmell won. After the match, Roode verbally abused Banks for losing, much like he used to abuse Ms. Brooks, effectively ending their alliance.

Beer Money, Inc. (2008–2011)
On the June 12 episode of Impact!, Roode, along with James Storm, challenged The Latin American Xchange (LAX) (Homicide and Hernandez) for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Storm and Roode won, after Roode performed a Last Call on Hernandez, with a belt wrapped around his boot. Hector Guerrero, LAX's manager, was at ringside, however, and got the match restarted by informing the referee about what had happened. LAX then retained, leading to Roode, Storm, and Jacqueline attacking LAX. The next week, LAX challenged Storm and Roode to a Fan's Revenge Lumberjack match at Victory Road. Roode and Storm then began calling themselves "Beer Money, Inc.", sometimes shortened to simply "Beer Money", based on their individual gimmicks (Storm for "Beer" and Roode for "Money"). At Victory Road, LAX won the match. At Hard Justice, however, Beer Money became the new TNA World Tag Team Champions, defeating LAX after hitting Homicide with a beer bottle. The feud continued through No Surrender with Beer Money, Inc. once again getting the win. At Bound for Glory IV, Beer Money successfully defended their titles in a four-team Monster's Ball match, after Roode pinned Hernandez of LAX.

After that Beer Money retained the tag team championship at Turning Point 2008 against The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin). Beer Money, Inc. later engaged in a feud with Matt Morgan and Abyss, retaining the titles against them at Final Resolution. Roode and Storm lost the titles to Lethal and Creed on the January 8 episode of Impact!. Roode and Storm would regain the titles in a 3-way match which also involved the team of Abyss and Matt Morgan three days later at Genesis. Beer Money, Inc. faced Creed and Jay Lethal at Against All Odds and retained the championship. At Lockdown 2009, Beer Money lost the TNA Tag Team titles to Team 3D in a Philadelphia Street Fight, where Team 3D's IWGP Tag Team Titles were also on the line. On May 21, Beer Money turned face by coming to the rescue of Team 3D, who were being attacked by The British Invasion (Doug Williams, Brutus Magnus and their bodyguard Rob Terry). They stated that from all of the times they have fought, Team 3D showed them that if you are going to fight, you should at least fight fairly. At Sacrifice Beer Money defeated The British Invasion to win the Team 3D Invitational Tag Team Tournament and earn the right to challenge Team 3D for the TNA World Tag Team Titles. At Slammiversary, Beer Money defeated Team 3D to win the TNA World Tag Team Titles for the third time. The following month at Victory Road, Beer Money lost the titles to Booker T and Scott Steiner of The Main Event Mafia.

The two teams would see their feud intervene with that of Team 3D and the British Invasion, causing a 4-way war that would last the next 3 months. Beer Money would go on to lose to the British Invasion in an IWGP Tag Team Championship match at Hard Justice, win a Lethal Lockdown match at No Surrender (teaming with Team 3D against MEM and the Invasion), and lose a 4-way Full Metal Mayhem match at Bound for Glory for both the TNA and IWGP Tag Team Championships, with Team 3D winning the IWGP belts and the British Invasion the TNA belts. Beer Money were permitted one last title shot the following Impact!, where they fought the British Invasion in a Six Sides of Steel match. Brutus Magnus would have his team disqualified by punching the referee, causing him and Doug Williams to retain the championships. On the November 12 episode of Impact! Beer Money defeated the British Invasion in a non-title match to join the Motor City Machineguns in the Tag Team Title match at Turning Point. At the Pay-Per-View The British Invasion managed to retain their titles after Kevin Nash nailed Storm with the TNA Global Championship belt. At Genesis Roode and Storm scored an upset victory over The Band of Kevin Nash and Syxx-Pac. With Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff taking over TNA at the beginning of 2010, Beer Money's TV time was significantly reduced. Upon their return to Impact!, Beer Money turned heel on the March 8 episode of Impact! by first volunteering to face Jeff Jarrett in a handicap match and then defeating him after a low blow and the DWI, claiming it was the only way they were going to get noticed by the new management. Roode and Storm have since acted as Bischoff's henchmen, taking on wrestlers he's had problems with, often in two-on-one situations. At Destination X Beer Money challenged Matt Morgan and Hernandez for the TNA World Tag Team Championship, but were unable to dethrone the defending champions. At Lockdown Beer Money, along with Sting and Desmond Wolfe, represented Team Flair in the annual Lethal Lockdown match, where they were defeated by Team Hogan (Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy). They then started a feud with the newly formed team of Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson, known collectively as The Enigmatic Assholes, who would go on to defeat them at Slammiversary VIII. On the following episode of Impact! Ric Flair, who had aligned himself with Roode, Storm, A.J. Styles, Desmond Wolfe and Kazarian, announced that he would reform the Four Horsemen under the new name Fourtune, stating that each of them would have to earn their spots in the group and that in order for Storm and Roode to earn their spots, they needed to become the Ole Anderson and Tully Blanchard of the group. After the TNA World Tag Team Championship was vacated in June, Beer Money entered a four–team, two–week long tournament to decide who would get to face The Motor City Machine Guns for the titles at Victory Road. Beer Money advanced to the title match at the pay-per-view by defeating Team 3D and Ink Inc. (Jesse Neal and Shannon Moore). At Victory Road Beer Money was defeated by the Motor City Machine Guns in the match for the World Tag Team Championship. After Victory Road Beer Money entered a Best of Five Series with the Motor City Machine Guns, contested for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Beer Money won the first two matches, a ladder match and a Street Fight, after knocking their opponents out with beer bottles. On the July 29 episode of Impact!, Ric Flair announced that Roode and Storm, who were just one victory away from becoming four–time TNA World Tag Team Champions, had earned the right to join himself, Styles and Kazarian to become the final two members of Fourtune. However, Shelley and Sabin came back to win the two following matches in the Best of Five Series, a steel cage match and an Ultimate X match, to even the score to 2–2 and set up a deciding match for the August 12 episode of Impact!. On the August 12 episode of Impact! Beer Money, Inc. was defeated in a Two Out of Three Falls match and as a result lost the Best of Five Series 2–3. Later that night Douglas Williams and Matt Morgan were added to Fourtune, as the stable attacked EV 2.0, a stable consisting of former Extreme Championship Wrestling performers. In the weeks leading to Bound for Glory, the stable's name was tweaked to Fortune to represent the expansion in the number of members in the group. At Bound for Glory Roode, Storm, Styles, Kazarian and Morgan were defeated in a Lethal Lockdown match by EV 2.0 members Tommy Dreamer, Raven, Rhino, Sabu and Stevie Richards. On the following episode of Impact! Fortune formed an alliance with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff's new stable, Immortal. At Turning Point Fortune defeated EV 2.0 in a ten man tag team match and, as a result, EV 2.0's Sabu was released from TNA. The following month at Final Resolution, Roode and Storm returned to the TNA World Tag Team Championship picture by defeating Ink Inc. in a number one contender's match. On January 9, 2011, at Genesis, Beer Money, Inc. defeated the Motor City Machine Guns to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship for the fourth time. On January 31 at the tapings of the February 3 episode of Impact!, Fortune turned face by attacking Immortal, when they interfered in a TNA World Heavyweight Championship match between Mr. Anderson and Jeff Hardy. Ric Flair, who did not take part in Fortune's turn due being out with a torn rotator cuff, returned at the February 14 tapings of the February 17 episode of Impact!, turning on Fortune and jumping to Immortal. On April 17 at Lockdown, Roode, Storm, Kazarian and Christopher Daniels, who replaced an injured A.J. Styles, defeated Immortal representatives Ric Flair, Abyss, Bully Ray and Matt Hardy in a Lethal Lockdown match, when Roode forced Flair to submit with a Fujiwara armbar. The finish was used to write Flair off television for a month. In early May, Roode began once again using the first name Bobby. On May 15 at Sacrifice, Beer Money, Inc. successfully defended the TNA World Tag Team Championship against Immortal representatives Matt Hardy and Chris Harris, Storm's old tag team partner who had made his surprise return to TNA on the previous episode of Impact!. On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Roode was a victim of a five–on–one beatdown at the hands of Immortal as a retribution for what he did to Flair at Lockdown. Two weeks later, Eric Bischoff attempted to strip Beer Money, Inc. of their TNA World Tag Team Championship due to Roode's injury, but was interrupted by the champions' former rival Alex Shelley (whose partner, Chris Sabin, had also become injured), who agreed to take Roode's spot in the title defense against the British Invasion at Slammiversary IX. At the pay-per-view, Storm and Shelley were successful in their title defense. Roode made his in-ring return on the June 23 episode of Impact Wrestling, in a tag team match, where he and Storm were defeated by Crimson and Matt Morgan. On July 13, Beer Money, Inc. became the longest reigning TNA World Tag Team Champions in the title's history, breaking the previous record of 184 days set by A.J. Styles and Tomko in 2007. On August 7 at Hardcore Justice, Beer Money, Inc. successfully defended the TNA World Tag Team Championship against Mexican America (Anarquia and Hernandez). Two days later, at the tapings of the August 18 episode of Impact Wrestling, Mexican America defeated Beer Money, Inc. in a rematch, following interference from Jeff Jarrett, to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship, ending Roode's and Storm's record-setting reign at 212 days.

TNA World Heavyweight Champion (2011–present)
From June to September, Roode was one of the twelve participants in the Bound for Glory Series to determine the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. When the group stage of the tournament concluded, Roode finished in the top four and thus advanced to the finals at No Surrender along with James Storm, Bully Ray and Gunner. On September 11 at No Surrender, Roode defeated Gunner via submission, moving him up to 52 points, tying the score of Bully Ray, who had defeated Storm earlier in the event, and setting up a tiebreaker match between Roode and Ray. In the tiebreaker match, Roode defeated Ray via pinfall to win the Bound for Glory Series and earn a match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Bound for Glory. In the weeks leading to Bound for Glory, TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle, in an attempt to cause dissension within Fortune, forced Roode to face each of his stablemates in a series of singles matches, promising them title matches, should they be able to defeat him. In the first match on the September 15 episode of Impact Wrestling, Roode defeated Kazarian via submission. After Daniels refused to take part in his match, Roode finished the series by defeating Styles and Storm on the September 29 and October 6 episodes of Impact Wrestling. On October 16 at Bound for Glory, Roode failed in his attempt to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship when he was pinned by Angle, after the referee failed to notice his arm under the ropes or Angle using the ropes for leverage. On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, after it was revealed that Roode was not eligible for a rematch with Angle, new authority figure Sting gave the next title shot to James Storm, who then went on to defeat Angle to become the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Roode defeated Samoa Joe to become the number one contender to Storm's title. On the November 3 episode of Impact Wrestling, Roode defeated Storm to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, after hitting him with his own beer bottle, turning heel in the process and effectively dissolving Beer Money, Inc. Roode and Storm had a rematch for the title the following week. As a result of a backstage attack, Storm came in to the match bleeding and eventually lost, after passing out due to blood loss. After the match, Roode was challenged by his former Fortune stablemate, A.J. Styles. On November 13 at Turning Point, Roode successfully defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Styles, pinning him while holding his tights. On December 11 at Final Resolution, Roode retained the World Heavyweight Championship, after wrestling Styles to a 3–3 draw in a 30 minute Iron Man match. Roode and Styles wrestled a sudden death overtime period on the following episode of Impact Wrestling, where Roode managed to retain his title. On January 8, 2012, at Genesis, Roode again retained the title, after getting himself disqualified in his title match against Jeff Hardy. On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, a rematch between Roode and Hardy ended in a no contest, following interference from Bully Ray. The following episode of Impact Wrestling, both Roode and Ray would interfere in a number one contender's match between Hardy and Storm, which ended the match in a no contest. On February 12 at Against All Odds, Roode defeated Bully Ray, James Storm and Jeff Hardy in a four-way match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. The following episode of Impact Wrestling, Roode retained the title against Hardy in a No Disqualification match, following interference from Kurt Angle.

Personal life
Robert and his wife Tracy have three sons Bobby III, Riley, and Nicholas. He is a boyhood friend of professional lacrosse player Tracey Kelusky.

Wrestling facts

 * Finishing and signature moves
 * Northern Lariat
 * Payoff
 * Frog Splash


 * Nicknames
 * "The Canadian Enforcer"
 * "The Natural"


 * Tag teams and stables
 * Beer Money Inc. - with James Storm (TNA)
 * Angle Alliance (TNA)
 * Kardinal Sinners
 * Planet Jarrett (TNA)
 * Robert Roode Inc. (TNA)
 * Team Canada (TNA)


 * Managers
 * Ms. Brooks (TNA) (2006-2008)
 * Payton Banks (TNA) (2008)
 * Scott D'Amore (TNA)

Championships and accomplishments

 * Border City Wrestling
 * BCW Can-Am Heavyweight Champion (1 time)
 * BCW Can-Am Tag Team Champion (1 time) - with Petey Williams


 * National Wrestling Alliance (Under TNA)
 * NWA World Tag Team Champion (2 time) - with Eric Young


 * NWA Cyberspace
 * NWA Cyberspace Heavyweight Champion (1 time)
 * NWA Cyberspace Internet Champion (1 time)


 * Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
 * TNA World Tag Team Championship (4 time) - with James Storm
 * Bound for Glory Series (2011)
 * TNA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)

External links and references

 * Cm logo.jpg Robert Roode profile at CAGEMATCH.net

Robert Roode