Bobby Roode made a glorious return to confront Dolph Ziggler on Tuesday's WWE SmackDown Live. It was about time that somebody saw fit to stand up to Ziggler, who has spent weeks now mocking and mimicking the more extravagant entrances of various WWE superstars, then insulting the fans for buying into the hype. Ziggler has been insisting that while anyone can come out and do a fancy entrance routine, no one else can match his level of skill between the ropes.
It's fitting that it was Roode who ended up being the one to take Ziggler to task, as Roode himself is in possession of one of the most crowd-pleasing entrances in WWE today. In fact, some would argue that without his "glorious" theme song and entrance, Roode wouldn't be nearly as popular with the fans. Whether or not that's true, Roode is no rookie, having won championships around the world prior to his arrival in WWE last year. He then proceeded to win the NXT Championship, dominating that brand before getting called up to SmackDown awhile back.
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Despite his grand arrival to the SmackDown roster, Roode has been conspicuously absent over the last several weeks. Whatever the reason for his short disappearance, the "Glorious" one seems to have picked his spot with the idea of making an impact. Roode not only verbally blasted Ziggler, he then challenged the former world champion to a match at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. This will mark the first time Roode and Ziggler have ever shared a ring.
It's really a bit odd how Roode managed to go from being a smarmy, lying, money-obsessed heel on NXT to one of the most beloved performers on SmackDown so quickly, but let it never be said that the WWE landscape isn't always changing. Were Ziggler to have encountered NXT-era Roode, it's almost possible to imagine the two characters being buddies, laughing together at those they see as beneath them in ability. What a difference a few months makes.
One wonders if a good, solid beating from Roode will be enough to finally snap the formerly fan-adored Ziggler out of the whiny rut he's found himself in for the last year, and get him back to being the guy that wowed the crowd on a regular basis. On the other hand, losing to Roode might only cause Ziggler to become an even bigger jerk. If Ziggler wins, he'll likely become even harder to live with, which certainly wouldn't be good news for anyone in the SmackDown locker room.