It wasn’t too long ago there were gripings about how WWE was burying younger talents Baron Corbin and Rusev. I didn’t see it that way, and by the looks of things — including last week’s SmackDown Live beat down on Raw — neither does WWE.
When SmackDown Live invaded Raw last week on WWE’s live prime-time Monday night broadcast on the USA Network, did you notice who was leading the way for Commissioner Shane McMahon?
Baron Corbin and Rusev.
These two young talents and powerhouses continue to elevate themselves on a competitive roster. They’ve come a long way from their FCW and NXT days.
Corbin is the current U.S. champion, owning multiple victories over The Phenomenal One AJ Styles.
How can someone being buried do that?
That’s because he’s not being buried.
Corbin won Money in the Bank in June but lost when he cashed in. Then he lost to John Cena at SummerSlam in August. Rusev lost to Randy Orton in seconds at that same SummerSlam.
The noise of their demise began to resonate loudly via social media.
What did they do backstage to deserve this treatment from WWE?
Nothing.
Forget the wins and losses. How can you be buried by being a Money in the Bank winner? How can you be buried by having a match against one of the company’s top stars on a major stage?
If you are a wrestler and win Money in the Bank, that’s a career-builder. If you wrestle John Cena at SummerSlam, WWE’s second biggest PPV of the year, that is some feather in your cap. The same can be said for a wrestler having a match with Orton, another future WWE Hall of Famer, at SummerSlam.
Maybe Rusev’s quick loss at SummerSlam was WWE testing its Universe. Remember WrestleMania 28 in Miami Gardens, when World champ Daniel Bryan lost within seconds to Sheamus? Fans were so upset that the next night on Raw they backed Bryan, birthing the “Yes” movement.
Bryan’s stock elevated quickly.
If fans cared so much about Rusev losing to Orton in seconds at SummerSlam, they had their chance to show their support at the same venue a couple of nights later.
That’s how much power fans do have.
But to think Corbin losing to Cena and the way Rusev lost to Orton at SummerSlam was some form of company punishment, well, I can think of many more ways to do that, including omitting them from the card.
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Rusev has a spot on SmackDown Live, and Corbin has also been featured constantly on the show. The U.S. Champ Corbin is currently working a program with Intercontinental Champ The Miz. He can learn from The Miz, someone who’s overcome the odds and survived the misconceptions.
What better place to do that than Survivor Series?
Next week on SmackDown Live, Rusev’s opportunity to join Team SmackDown at Survivor Series is through AJ Styles — a mega star Corbin’s already beat.