WWE King of the Ring may finally elevate Baron Corbin to the main event

By virtue of winning WWE’s 2019 King of the Ring tournament, Baron Corbin may soon be destined for greatness at the main event level.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that WWE’s King of the Ring crown has largely failed to create new stars over the past decade and a half or so.

Wade Barrett was basically a punchline when he won King of the Ring in 2015 and the chances of him moving up to the main event scene where he belonged became slim to none. Sheamus was already a top talent by 2010, but becoming King of the Ring actually caused him to embark on a lengthy losing streak. William Regal could have benefited from winning the prestigious tournament in 2008 had he not gotten himself suspended for 60 days by the company for violating the Wellness Policy. In other words, it’s been a great while since King of the Ring actually elevated anybody.

Not only could Baron Corbin prove to be the exception, the crown should be what finally makes him a main event player in WWE after years of unsuccessful attempts.

It’s interesting to note that despite spending several years in NXT, Corbin never held the NXT Championship, let alone contended for it on television. He spent a majority of his stint on the black-and-gold brand targeting independent wrestling sensations such as Samoa Joe, Apollo Crews and Austin Aries. It worked wonders for him, as he was rarely defeated and didn’t need a title to remain over with the audience.

Although WWE doesn’t have the greatest track record when it comes to NXT call-ups, Corbin was booked fairly well his first year on the main roster. He won far more often than he lost, came across as dominant, and got chances to chance against the likes of AJ Styles, Sami Zayn and Dean Ambrose.

With the steady push he was getting at the time, it made sense for him to win the 2017 Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match. It was only after he cashed in the contract unsuccessfully that August (in embarrassing fashion to boot) that his stock started to plummet.

To no fault of his own, Corbin just wasn’t the same star following that failed-in cash-in. He enjoyed success as United States champion, reigned as the interim Raw General Manager for a time and even retired Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 35, but nothing seemed to click quite as well as what he was doing a few years ago.

When the King the Ring’s return was announced in late August, Corbin was one of the last participants fans wanted to see win. His series of matches with Seth Rollins over the Universal Championship this summer didn’t exactly light the world on fire and he still felt overexposed despite taking time off after Extreme Rules.

Throughout the tourney, Corbin turned a ton of heads with his standout performances and brought his best to every match-up he had. Whether it was The Miz, Cedric Alexander, Ricochet, Samoa Joe or Chad Gable, The Lone Wolf gelled well with everyone he stepped in the ring with and emerged victorious in clean fashion on each occasion.

King of the Ring has almost always been a heel gimmick, so not only does it fit Corbin to a tee in that sense, it should serve as a launching pad to bigger and better things for him. Gable destroying the royal regalia on last week’s SmackDown Live is an encouraging sign that Corbin won’t have don the dumb crown and cape going forward and can stay serious.

Those two should feud in the weeks to come and face off in a rematch at the Hell in a Cell Pay-Per-View. There, Corbin can beat Gable again (50/50 booking doesn’t do anyone any favors) and continue his ascent toward the top of the card.

Building Corbin back up as a legitimate threat will take time, but if executed properly, he can eventually evolve into the world championship caliber competitor he has been destined to be from the start.

Needless to say, it would be criminal of WWE to waste the momentum Corbin has coming off his King of the Ring victory by keeping him at the level he’s been for the past two years.

That doesn’t necessarily mean he should be put right back into contention for either the Universal or WWE Championships any time soon, but that is where he should ultimately end up. Booker T was the last winner of the tournament to be elevated to main event status, meaning Corbin should be the one to break the curse of Kings of the Ring settling for mediocrity.

Aside from “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, a majority of WWE’s heels at the moment lack credibility. If the company can ensure that King Corbin doesn’t fall victim to same tired booking tropes he did before, he may very well be able to fill that void.