Roode became an unrestricted free agent at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2013. During his free agency he was courted by several organisations including the WWE, TNA, ROH and NJPW. On July 8, he announced on a live ESPN special titled The Decision that he would sign with the TNA. The telecast, broadcast from the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich, Connecticut, raised $2.5 million for the charity and an additional $3.5 million from advertisement revenue that was donated to other charities. The day before the special, fellow free agents AJ Styles and Sting had also announced they would sign with TNA. Roode decided to join with Styles and Sting in part so that he could shoulder less load offensively, thinking that his improved teammates would give him a better chance of winning a championship than had he left to tryout for Vince McMahon's WWE. TNA president Dixie Carter played a major role in selling Roode on the idea of working with Styles and Sting. Relieved of the burden of drawing, Roode thought he could be the first wrestler to win multiple world championships in a season since Kurt Angle.
