WWE WrestleMania 33: Pros and Cons of Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin

Will the Dean Ambrose and Baron Corbin steal the show or will it be just another mediocre midcard match lost in the WrestleMania 33 shuffle?

With one more SmackDown Live until WrestleMania 33 there is still the possibility that some kind of stipulation gets added to the Intercontinental title match. Even without a “No DQ” or an “Extreme Rules” stipulation, most fans expect a brutal contest between these two superstars.

The buildup has been largely overshadowed by the other storylines on SmackDown. It did not help that the Lunatic Fringe was taken off TV following the Lone Wolf’s sneak attack that ended with attempted murder by forklift. With the Intercontinental title at stake, WWE history will be written at WrestleMania 33. There are pros and cons to both men either winning, or losing, in addition to both superstars just putting on a good match.

Pros

The Intercontinental championship has long been known as the title for the true workers, competitors who can go in the ring and most likely carry a match. Many fans hold the title to a higher standard than just another mid-card belt, it’s more prestigious and a stepping stone to the main event.

Dean Ambrose could be considered the perfect superstar to be Intercontinental Champion going into WrestleMania. He was arguably the workhorse of the company the previous two years. Not missing a date, carrying both the Intercontinental and World titles over that time and main event numerous PPVs.  A former WWE World Heavyweight Champion wanting to hold and defend the championship keeps that prestige.

Baron Corbin won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at last year’s WrestleMania. Since then he debuted on the main roster and has objectively improved both in the ring and with his promos.

However, Corbin has yet to capture any gold. Becoming the Intercontinental Champion at WrestleMania 33 after winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal would only benefit both titles. Not only would Corbin winning continue the Lone Wolf’s momentum but it would also increase the significance of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Cons

If the match is terrible or forgettable, a la’ Lesnar vs Ambrose at WrestleMania 32, it will do little to help the winner of the contest. Many fans were excited for the Lunatic Fringe to take on Paul Heyman’s conqueror last year and it is safe to assume they were disappointed with the final result.

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While anyone who listened to or saw Stone Cold’s Podcast with Ambrose is aware it might have been more due to the Beast Incarnate and his lack of ambition, creativity and willingness to take bumps. That derailed a hyped contest that could have stolen the show last year. The same disappointment happened at SummerSlam 2016 in a WWE World title match against Dolph Ziggler.

So it is a very 50/50 toss up on what kind of Ambrose title match we will get. Will it be the Dean Ambrose that wrestled at RoadBlock 2016 and Money in the Bank 2016? Or will it be Dean Ambrose from WrestleMania 32 and SummerSlam 2016? Matchups are everything in sports and sports entertainment.

The Lone Wolf could be the ideal opponent for Ambrose in the sense both seem willing to take bumps and take risks to put on a memorable, if not great match. On the other hand, we have yet to get a great match from Corbin. Maybe the lone exception (pun intended) being the triple threat match for the WWE championship between Corbin, Ziggler and AJ Styles that was the main event of the final SmackDown Live of 2016.

Corbin has a lot riding on this match. SmackDown has been booking him like a monster in a similar fashion to Braun Strowman on Raw. The Blue Brand have not yet produced the monstrous results they probably wanted by WrestleMania season. Corbin possibly winning his first title belt in a mediocre contest would do nothing to help his push in the long run.

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Both these men should not put out anything less than a memorable title bout. Any match for the Intercontinental Championship should not be the popcorn match. These are two superstars who should put on a brutal contest for one of the most prestigious titles in professional wrestling.