Was Baron Corbin Carried Through That Incredible WWE Championship Match?

SmackDown ended the year with a big triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, as AJ Styles and Dolph Ziggler’s planned title match got a monkey wrench shaped like Baron Corbin thrown into the works. Corbin, who made his debut this year, ended 2016 finding himself in a title match. More than that, he was dominate for much of the match, even if he didn’t end up winning. The question is, is this a sign of things to come? More to the point, should it be?

The WWE clearly liked Corbin to begin with, because in his debut he won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. That’s an easy way to give a guy a boost and make him look tough. It was something of a hook for him, even if it became increasingly silly to hear him announced as the winner of said battle royal. Then, he found himself feuding with guys like Ziggler and Kalisto, always ending up with the upper hand in the end. He was on Smackdown’s main Survivor Series team, until he was “injured” by Kalisto and Shane McMahon took his spot. Getting in that match would have likely signified big things for Corbin. Just look at where Braun Strowman’s trajectory has gone since he was in that match. Instead, he had to wait a little until he got something even Strowman hasn’t gotten; a title shot.

httpss://youtube.com/watch?v=FE6eie8XcrE

Corbin was good in the match, but he definitely benefited from working with Styles and Ziggler. They were taking huge bumps and making Corbin look great. That’s not Corbin’s fault. Styles and Ziggler make everybody look good. That’s part of what makes them such talented wrestlers. However, Corbin showed he could carry his own. He seems like he has the skills to be a key cog in the Smackdown machine. He has something of a personality. That whole “Most Metal Athlete” thing helps just as much as the battle royal win, probably. He’s middling on the mic, but as a big heel, that’s all he really needs to be. It’d be too early to give Corbin a real feud with somebody like Styles. They need to find a good face for him to have a program with. Perhaps Dean Ambrose would be good for that, but he’s tied up with The Miz at the moment. Corbin ended 2016 showing the potential he has. Now he just needs to capitalize on it.

Do you think Baron Corbin can be a star? Let us know in the comments, and check out the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page.