WWE SmackDown 5 Takeaways: Threats to Team SmackDown Arise

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4. Baron Corbin Still Has a Long Way to Go

The reigning and defending United States Champion has had an up and down career in the WWE so far.  Baron Corbin has career highlights such as winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32 and winning the U.S. Championship, but has also unsuccessfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract as well as having apparent backstage issues.

But despite his ups and downs, Corbin has had more ups as of late since becoming the U.S. Champion.  His feud with A.J. Styles for the title did a lot of good for the Lone Wolf, but the past two weeks on SmackDown have been subpar, to say the least.

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His two recent matches with Sin Cara on SmackDown have done absolutely nothing for Corbin and in fact, they have seemingly helped cool off whatever momentum he had going into the matches.  Maybe it’s just the way the WWE has booked him against Sin Cara, but they were two uninspiring performances that made him look like a weak champion.

Last night was especially hard to watch with Corbin and Sin Cara having absolutely zero chemistry in the ring before the Lone Wolf got disqualified and lost to Sin Cara for the second straight week.  There has to be a time where Corbin has a great feud with someone who doesn’t have to carry him like Styles did recently.  At least the WWE realized he wasn’t ready for the WWE Championship.

The Lone Wolf has the potential to be a top heel on SmackDown, but he has a ways to go in that quest.