Robert Roode on why he was away from WWE for many months

Robert Roode made his return to Monday Night RAW last week, where he challenged Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship. He had been absent from WWE television for seven months.

 


 

Roode spoke to TV Insider, where he discussed his absence from the company. It was related to the COVID-19 pandemic and had nothing to do with him being sick. While it was a difficult time for Roode to sit at home for so long, it made him eagerly wait for his inevitable return.

“I had a lot of free time on my hands. The travel ban made it difficult for me to get to work every week, [so] I’ve been a fan. I’ve been sitting at home on my couch watching WWE Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown and catching some NXT here and there. It was a long layoff, around seven months. [There was] a lot of downtime to heal up physically and mentally and [a lot of] just wanting to get back to work. Thankfully, last week was my opportunity.”

“It was definitely different. I’ve been in this business for more than 20 years. This is the longest period of time I’ve been off and at home. When your lifestyle is like this for 15, 20 years, it’s a hard adjustment. In a way, it was enjoyable to not live out of a suitcase and get to spend time with family. [But] the circumstances [were] different this time with the pandemic and being forced to stay home. It wasn’t because of injury. The first couple of months, I definitely missed doing what I’m used to doing every week. This business is in my blood. It’s a passion. You miss the camaraderie, the schedule and life on the road, in a weird way. I’m happy to be back.”

Roode managed to do well in his first match since his return. Currently, the company could be planning a RAW Tag Team Title match for him at Hell In A Cell.

Harrison Carter
Harrison Carter
Harrison Carter has been a huge pro wrestling fan since 2002, and it's been his first love ever since then. He has years of writing experience for all things pro wrestling. His interests outside of wrestling include films, books and soccer.

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