In an interview with TVInsider.com, Robert Roode commented on his hiatus from WWE:
“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.”
