Bobby Roode says WWE was the goal all along

“I always wanted to be a part of WWE. I have been in this business for almost 20 years. 19 to be exact. Back in my early days I had many tryouts here, and tried to show my face as often as possible whenever WWE would come around. The timing wasn’t right for whatever reason things just didn’t happen for me back then, but I was able to continue on in this business and make a name for myself in other places all over the world, and the timing was right. The time was right for me to move on and come to WWE.”

source: Baby Huey & Bimbo Jimbo – Bobby Roode Interview 09-12-17