WWE: Baron Corbin is the most improved wrestler of 2018

Baron Corbin was on the outside looking in to start 2018; now he’s commanding main event space with some of the best on the WWE Raw roster.

The year of 2018 is drawing to a close, and there’s a lot of great wrestling action to look back upon. While every wrestler hasn’t had the opportunity to shine this year, there’s one that has stood out – not quite because of their match quality, but for their growth in a role that very few fans expected them to have. Baron Corbin is a name that should be on the tip of anyone’s tongue who is talking about the most improved wrestler of this year. These last few months have seen an interesting shift for the man that was introduced as the “Lone Wolf.”

Corbin’s win-loss record may not stand out as anything too spectacular, nor has he held any major titles this year. But he has stood out in his role as the constable to Stephanie McMahon – and now as the acting General Manager of Raw.

This is such a change from the wrestler that came into NXT as the brooding, face-smashing machine who was lost among the masses when he made his main roster debut in 2016. For many reasons, he should be looked at as the most improved wrestler of 2018.

First, we must talk about his abilities on the microphone. When Corbin initially came into the WWE, it seemed like he was going to be nothing more than a “biker” who would squash foes while the fans counted down their demise.

Initially, Corbin struggled to connect with the fans and much of that can be attributed to the range of the character that he was asked to play. Even putting the US Title on his shoulder didn’t help, but we did see a big change in Corbin, and that started when he was moved over to Raw as a part of the Superstar Shake-Up in April.

The transition to authority figure started in June when he was placed in the role of an assistant to Stephanie. From there, he was given more time on the microphone and less in the ring, but he made a successful transition into that character. Corbin has become the weasel-like heel and can act as a foil to many of the big faces on the roster at a moment’s notice.

He’s been involved with storylines with Kurt Angle, Finn Balor, Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns and others in the last six months of the year. Corbin is successfully playing the main event foil to many of the favorites, and oftentimes he’s doing it without stepping into the ring.

But when Corbin does step into the ring, he’s showing growth in that area as well. Corbin still has one of the most destructive-looking move sets in the WWE and his delivery of each has continued to improve. His finisher, the End of Days, is still one of the most protected finishers in the WWE today, as no wrestler has kicked out of it yet. This shows his value to decision-makers within the organization.

Baron Corbin should be on any person’s list when talking about the most improved wrestlers of 2018. He went from someone who was struggling to find their footing after being called up from NXT, to a person who commands a prime-time slot week in and week out. On his current track, nobody should be surprised if he’s carrying the WWE Universal Title at some point soon. Either way, this year has been a year of recognizable growth for the man from Kansas City.