Summary

Paul "Triple H" Levesque says Bobby Roode stood out almost immediately as someone who could grow into an important backstage role in WWE, and he revealed that he later asked Michael Hayes to help mentor Roode as a producer.

Levesque discussed Roode during an appearance tied to Cody Rhodes' *What Do You Wanna Talk About?* podcast. He said Roode arrived in NXT with a natural feel for the business, but quickly started absorbing WWE's television and psychology approach once he got into that system.

Those comments add more weight to the idea that Roode has become a trusted part of WWE's backstage setup. Earlier this month, Road Dogg also said Triple H leans on Roode in WWE's producer role.

What Triple H's comments mean for Bobby Roode in WWE

Triple H framing Roode as a fast learner and a "grown-up" in the room says plenty about how WWE now sees him after his neck injury pushed his in-ring career toward a close. This does not sound like a short-term transition. It sounds like WWE views Roode as a long-term producer with real value inside the creative process.

The Michael Hayes detail matters too. Hayes has long been one of the most influential voices in WWE production, so being put under that kind of mentorship suggests Roode is being developed for a meaningful backstage future, not just filling space after retiring from regular competition.

Quote from Triple H

Speaking about Roode's progression, Levesque said:

"He’s a sponge — it’s funny. When I very first — I didn’t know Bobby (Roode) at all, then he came into NXT, when we were there, and a couple things I realized very quickly about him was, one, he had an innate ability for this. Two, I don’t think he’d been taught a whole lot — not from the wrestling standpoint. He knew that — the television standpoint, and the psychology standpoint. I think because TNA was sort of a, hey, just go do it and then that’s what comes out. Nobody did TV like here… When he came in, he was like a sponge, and I would see him picking everybody’s brain, just for his own stuff. When his carer started to wind down, at that time, I remember thinking to myself, when he wants to be done taking bumps, like, he’s a good guy for this. I always start out with the, ‘He’s a grown-up, as well.’ He’s not a kid just looking to get another paycheck, right? He understands the difference between business and being one of the boys and all that stuff. Grown-up, but gets it and just has a great demeanor for it and is a sponge for it and then the more I got to work with him… unfortunately, he had a neck injury that wasn’t subsiding. He and I spoke about it. I said, ‘Why don’t you come in and start learning to be an agent? And if the medical stuff clears up, it’d be great. It’ll help your career. If it doesn’t, we’ll start using it’ but, man, he jumped on it, and just very quickly I started moving him up the line and then having the conversation with Mike (Hayes) about, ‘Mentor him.’"

Sources

As reported by Fightful.