Should Baron Corbin Win The US Championship?

‘The Lone Wolf’ challenges A.J. Styles for the United States Championship; is it time for Baron Corbin to win his first title in WWE?

On a roster thin on true heels, Baron Corbin made strides by irking the crowd at every turn. But then he went and p***ed off the wrong people: WWE management.

He seemed to be receiving the coveted ‘push’ that WWE Superstars so desperately strive for. Winning the ‘Money in the Bank’ Briefcase virtually guarantees a WWE Championship reign, as JBL loved to repeat incessantly. Then, to the surprise of many, including Corbin himself, his title shot turned to dust in his hands.

Some errant tweets put Corbin squarely in WWE’s bad-books, and Corbin got rolled up by Jinder Mahal after cashing in his contract. As rare as it is to see WWE boldly support a future star, it’s even more staggering to see them turn their back on one so bluntly.

After such a disastrous episode, Corbin is looking to get back on track with an A.J. Styles feud over the United States Championship. Should Corbin walk out of Hell in a Cell with his first ever title belt?

The Case for Corbin

WWE’s more clued-in fans often take shots at Baron Corbin for being relatively one-dimensional, both as a character and in the ring. He is armed with a few crowd-popping moves, such as the Deep Six, but his value is truly measured in the chorus of boos he receives. He even brought his natural antagonism to social media, happily dealing with his detractors online.

Of course, being belligerent on Twitter is what got him in this mess. The question now becomes: does WWE feel that justice has been served?

Corbin’s fall from grace has been swift, but WWE won’t want to abandon their pet project entirely. After all, there are worse punishments than a program with the in-ring master, A.J. Styles. Corbin is clearly being given a platform to claw back some of his lost momentum, and having him as SmackDown Live’s No. 2 Champion would allow him to foster deeper hatred from the crowd.

Styles Drop The Belt?

Interestingly, the most significant factor dictating Corbin’s chances of winning at Hell in a Cell have nothing to do with him, or even the US Championship.

SmackDown Live has entered the ‘Upside Down’ in recent months. When you observe the storylines surrounding the WWE and US Championships, it’s hard to decipher which means more. A.J. Styles and Kevin Owens are two recent World Champions, even dragging Shane McMahon into their US Title bust-up. Meanwhile, Jinder Mahal somehow wrangled the World Title away from Randy Orton in a feud that featured the Punjabi Prison and a Great Khali cameo.

The WWE Championship scene is still a mess, with Shinsuke Nakamura unable to truly grow into a major role with such a bafflingly-weak opponent. Most Styles fans would say he’s doing fine right where he is, and should have no intention of entering that shambles.

However, Jinder’s bewildering reign could be coming to a close. If Nakamura can somehow walk out of HIAC with the WWE Championship, things will be starting to brighten up. Then, the Styles/Nakamura dream match becomes one step closer to reality.

If Nakamura wins, A.J. must lose. If A.J. loses, but so does Shinsuke, do not fear. Without John Cena, both men will retain strong positions at the top of SmackDown Live. Their feud still has great potential down the line, and the thought of it will keep us going through the rest of Jinder’s rule.

Next: WWE NXT Winners And Losers

Ultimately, Baron Corbin defeating A.J. Styles would benefit both men. They could end up dragging it out further, but they both have opponents better-suited than each other. Styles could end up freeing us from the yolk of Jinder’s tyranny, and has potential money-making dates with Nakamura and Orton. Corbin meanwhile could use the US Championship to cross paths with Sami Zayn in a ‘good vs evil’ battle for the ages.

Corbin has suffered enough WWE. Give him a real shot at redemption with the US Title in-hand.