The Curious Case of Baron Corbin

[OYDK]

I rarely create threads, but this is a topic that's kind of been on my mind for a while now so I thought I'd throw it out there for discussion. I know Baron Corbin is regarded as the ultimate Buzz Killington around these parts, and I don't necessarily disagree, but I also think there's kind of been a lack of appreciation for the way that Corbin has been able to re-invent himself over the past year or so. He went from the grungy, stringy-haired Lone Wolf to the preppy corporate douchebag pretty much without missing a beat. And it wasn't only his look that changed, his entire gimmick was revamped. From the way he talks, to the way he carries himself, to the way he interacts with other wrestlers, this Baron Corbin is a completely different character from the one he came in with. A lot of people might find him boring (to put it mildly), but I can't help being impressed with how thoroughly he's bought into his current gimmick. That being said, it's difficult to take somebody seriously when they wrestle in a vest, dress pants, and a dress shirt. Or be entertained by a corporate stooge who's no longer corporate.

Which brings me to the point of this thread. Is Corbin really as bad as people seem to think, or is he being perceived poorly because of his aimless, nonsensical character? He seems to have the right tools to succeed, and he's improved a ton over the last year, but obviously something has just never seemed to click between Corbin and the audience. Maybe it's just a lack of charisma or the fact that he's never been able to put it all together, but something has always seemed to hold him back. Personally, I see potential there. He plays his character well, he's pretty funny, and he's shown himself to be extremely adaptable. With a little bit more polish inside and outside of the ring, I think he can be a stalwart in the WWE. Maybe not a World Champion, but someone who can fill in specific roles when needed for years to come. But maybe I'm just a poor judge of talent.

So what say you? Is Baron Corbin really THAT bad or is it something else that's holding him back?

[Y 2 Jake]

There are so many undervalued and talented guys in the company that Corbin just comes across as a dinosaur.

[BestSportsEntertainer]

He's not horrible, but he's not nearly as good as his push would indicate.

He's a decent mid-card heel. Definitely not the guy who should've been the focus of Raw for months nor the guy who's wrestling Kurt in his final match.

[Yaz]

My biggest issue is that they had a few chances to pull the trigger with him, but chose to throw him into months long feuds with Braun and Kurt and Finn that were constant rematch fests. The failed MITB cash-in, his short lived US TItle reign, his failed attempt to capture the IC Title when Dean didn't need it, his short lived indie killer gimmick. All fine chances to do something with him, but instead they put him in six minute matches that feature twelve chinlocks and multiple people interfering on Corbin's behalf. I didn't much care for him in NXT until the feud with Rhyno and then Aries. He really showed growth there. His initial Smackdown run was fine too. I just don't know why they killed each chance he had to make something of himself, only to finally decide to push him once everyone lost interest.

And I wouldn't call the transition flawless. He went from ugly mean heel to Constable Corbin for no reason other than Stephanie said, to corporate stooge Corbin, to now guy who fights some combination of Angle, Braun, or Finn each Monday night. He beats them one week, then loses the next. He was blamed in kayfabe for Raw being shit, and faced no punishment. He is still the exact same character he was when he was in charge of Raw, except now he doesn't threaten to call Stephanie on his powered off iPhone every twenty minutes, but he still uses too many chinlocks.

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

Baron Corbin shouldn't be wrestling every week. I think the perfect role for him would be an annoying douchebag manager of a tag team (The Bar?!) As he tries to rub elbows with The McMahons or authority figures to get them title opportunities. Then maybe every few weeks he could also have a wrestling match himself or team with his tag team for 6 man tag matches.

[mrluck_07]

Baron Corbin shouldn't be wrestling every week. I think the perfect role for him would be an annoying douchebag manager of a tag team (The Bar?!) As he tries to rub elbows with The McMahons or authority figures to get them title opportunities. Then maybe every few weeks he could also have a wrestling match himself or team with his tag team for 6 man tag matches.

Might be the best scenario for him.

[Jack-Hammer]

There are just so many problems with Corbin, in my opinion, that he's just not somebody that strikes me as remotely special.

There are a lot of guys on the main roster who never see the light of day who're vastly more talented than Corbin is, yet Corbin is someone we see on Raw almost every week or is featured on a ppv nearly monthly. My guess, and that's all it is, is that Corbin is someone that's managed to gain Vince's respect by allegedly speaking out when he doesn't agree with something. For instance, I remember reading some articles not long after Corbin hit the main roster that he would vocally challenge the assessment of WWE doctors when they were giving the talent talks regarding head and neck trauma, as well as discussing the various findings of concussion studies. This is considered a breach in protocol, especially for someone as green as Corbin, but he didn't suffer any sort of consequences, at least nothing I heard about, for speaking out. My guess is that even though Corbin spoke out, he did so in a way that conveyed that he disagreed with what was being said but did so in a very professional, thoughtful and even intelligent manner. He didn't just start shooting his mouth off like some loud mouth, mouth breathing lunk who doesn't have a clue as to what he's talking about or doing. We've all heard stories that Vince, allegedly, does like for someone to step up but doing so can be a death nail in the coffin of your WWE career, so I think it depends on how someone conducts themselves and how they approach things when speaking out against the company's beliefs or positions on things.

Inside the ring, Corbin isn't bad but there's nothing special about him either. If you put Corbin into a 10 minute match that's well paced, he tends to perform quite well; that's what went on usually in NXT but the main roster has him dominating 85% of the match, using reverse chinlocks 3 or 4 times during said match and it just kills the energy of the match. Corbin's a tall guy, but he doesn't have the muscularity to be a big, badass powerhouse but that's what Vince constantly tries to paint him as.

As a character, Corbin can be a great douche but he was cast as a heel authority figure despite his newness to WWE and despite the fact that it's become the most overused character in pro wrestling history. If they'd kept him on TV for a few minutes, it wouldn't have been an issue but Vince made him the centerpiece of Raw for months at a time and it led to some of the worst programming in the history of WWE television. Baron Corbin gets all the hate but, in all honesty, it's not like anybody else wouldn't go along with it either. He's ultimately doing what he's told in a heavily scripted, heavily controlled environment where the CEO of the company decides every little thing most of the talents say. Also, as far as his push goes, it's not like anyone else would turn it down if the opportunity came along. Even if everyone around him tells him that he sucks and even if he himself believes he sucks, he's gonna keep on keepin' on because the supreme lord and master of WWE likes what he's doing enough to keep him in a prominent place on the biggest platform in pro wrestling. Corbin has been shown on Raw every week for the better part of a year and is featured on just about every ppv in one form or another, all because the CEO likes what he's doing and that trumps everything else. Getting such a spot is why everyone signs with WWE in the first place as it means more money in their pockets and, quite possibly, bigger contracts later on down the line. So yeah, we give Corbin hell, and rightly so, but we'd all do the same damn thing.

[EnviousDominous]

Two words: Air Head.

It's not enough to have the WWE write you into a gimmick where you're a badass who rarely loses, you also have to be mildly interesting. The ability to sell yourself on the microphone goes a long way. Baron was doing alright in NXT playing the quiet professional type, and then he started talking. From what I remember, Baron sounded like a dying cat the first time he held a microphone in NXT.

Baron's finisher is fucking stupid. He falls backward with you, and forces you to land on him. Supposedly his opponent's head hits the mat when they both fall. As you all have seen and heard; the interwebs appropriately described his move as "He Rock-Bottom's himself". The move's name is "End of Days", because apparently if you want to sell a finisher you should name it after the worst movie of Arnold Schwarzenegger's career (not an easy accomplishment).

I get that Baron reinvented himself, but I really don't think it was successful per se. He cut his thinning hair and he threw on a casual version of Jack Gallagher's outfit, apparently to indicate his new status as a member of management. Does he act differently? Sure, he occasionally flashes a douche-bag smile. That's it.

What I see holding Baron back is that Baron is an air head. He puts on paint by numbers matches, and his promos make us dumber for watching them.

Baron is what would happen if Al Snow joined Right to Censor.

Baron is what would happen if Skinner was given the Million Dollar Man gimmick.

Baron is what would happen if Vince Russo and Curtis Axel had a baby.

Baron is what would happen if a botched clone of Stevie Richards was trained to wrestle by Ed Leslie.

Baron is what would happen if Eugene joined Evolution.

Baron is what would happen if you put Brian Knobbs in a spanx lined suit and told him to do his best impersonation of Steve Carrell from the Office.

[smarkmouth]

RAW is in a very strange place, creatively. It seems as if you're a priority, then you're all over the show, while others struggle for the occasional vignette or "strong showing against a veteran" that oft goes forgotten. There's no middle ground, and frankly that's something Baron needs right now. He's good, I think he has a lot to offer, but not good enough to book him for 4 segments per show. Less is more with a guy like Corbin.