Daily DDT
Fansided

Analyzing Baron Corbin’s Potential in WWE

By Rob Wolkenbrod

facebooktwitterreddit

How far could Baron Corbin go on WWE’s main roster?

At WrestleMania 32, Baron Corbin surprisingly won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He had been rumored to be part of it just hours before, was nonchalantly mentioned by commentary, and won the match. Winning this was Corbin’s biggest win since re-debuting at NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-way in Sep. 2014.

This turned out to be the Lone Wolf’s official call-up to the main roster, as he arrived on Raw the night after WrestleMania. He would go straight into a feud as the heel against Dolph Ziggler. It’s going to be the first of many programs for Corbin on the main roster, but just how far can he go?

More wwe: WrestleMania 33 Match Card Projections

Upon first glance, Corbin’s size obviously stands out. He’s 6-foot-8 and has an imposing presence, something that WWE has salivated over for decades. That size is also going to make it hard to be believable for him to lose, which plays in the former offensive lineman’s favor, but possibly books WWE into a corner. They will have to book him carefully like past big men that have come through the company. How often can some of the smaller talents be seen as a believable opponent for him?

Corbin is also a natural heel. His original gimmick of being the silent babyface who cracks the occasional smile seemed out of place for him, which led to the heel turn in 2015. Baron has since come into his own, developing heel traits in the ring, getting better on the microphone and drawing heat. Many bad guys in WWE over the past few years have had a tough time trying to get the crowd against them. The only other person who it seems to work for is Chris Jericho and he even gets cheered here and there in his current role.

Some might say getting booed is a bad sign for Corbin, but he makes you want to hate him by attacking the wrestlers you love the most. This was the case in NXT with guys like Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn, and Apollo Crews. He’s simply doing his job as a heel and not trying to be ‘cool’ up to the standards of the modern-day wrestling fan.

More from WWE

The great thing for Corbin is that WWE badly lacks heels. Outside of Owens and Jericho, finding someone well-established in that department is difficult. Bray Wyatt was up there for a while but questionable booking took that away. Sheamus had some heat in the spring of 2015 before his Money in the Bank run. Seth Rollins, formerly WWE’s top heel, has been out with a knee injury for months and may not return until deep into the summer. All of this gives Corbin an opportunity to ascend to the top of the heel ladder sooner than some may have expected.

For where the Bearer of the End of Days is currently at, he’ll dispose of Dolph Ziggler soon, likely at Payback. Pushing the feud into a multi-month affair doesn’t do anything for either man, especially with the Showoff looking as disinterested as ever. This would also be the case of 50-50 booking and cause fans to lose even more interest in Ziggler while not caring much about what Corbin is doing.

After this feud with Ziggler, Corbin will likely bounce threw a few feuds. He could open one with Dean Ambrose, going back to the Indie Killer routine where he went after those talents who came to NXT.

It would not be surprising to see Corbin get a run at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by year’s end. Have him wreak havoc on the roster for months, leading up to a Battle of the Behemoths between him and Roman Reigns, who may hold the title for a long time. Pulling the trigger on at least doing this match would help establish Corbin as a main player among the heels, which is badly needed.

More from Daily DDT

A win against Reigns wouldn’t be guaranteed and may not even be needed. Corbin will get a run with the top title at some point, maybe even multiple times. He fits the stereotypical WWE look that they have always wanted, so they’ll treat him well.

As for his WrestleMania future, headlining the event may not be such a given. There is still ample time to develop his persona into this big-name heel on the roster, his future status doesn’t scream “WrestleMania Main-Eventer”. If WWE can get this guy momentum and not blow it like they have with past heels, he may have a shot. Others have a greater chance of headlining future WrestleMania events who haven’t yet, though, like Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles. Plus, Reigns will be taking up a main event spot for years to come, just as he held one at WrestleMania 31 and 32.

Related Story: WWE Payback 2016: Updated Match Card and Speculation

Baron Corbin will be one of the most interesting Superstars to watch over the next few years to see how WWE develops him. Does he join the mid-card like many other NXT call-ups? Could he rise to a main event spot one day?

Home/WWE