A Deep Dive Into WWE's Fascinating Rise, Fall, And Rise Of Baron Corbin (original) (raw)

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From 2019-2022, WWE had a lot going on, whether it was the pandemic, the arrival of Roman Reigns' Bloodline, or even the Thunderdome. However, there is also an unsung hero during this time who was one of the most effective heels the company had during a difficult time and helped push numerous wrestlers to new levels: Baron Corbin. While many people may see him as an afterthought, Corbin produced some of his best work of his career and arguably some of the best character work of the era on WWE TV. Unfortunately, that perspective can easily get lost with all that was happening during this arc.

We all remember this time so well. The COVID-19 pandemic left WWE events with no live audiences, which led to the Thunderdome: where fans could "Zoom Call" into the shows and have their faces on screens placed throughout the arena. We went deeper down Bray Wyatt's rabbit hole as the Firefly Funhouse became an even more bizarre world. We saw Roman Reigns finally, at long last, come into his own as the best heel the industry has seen in ages. We saw the rise of Bray Wyatt and the Firefly Fun House, and Roman Reigns growing into what would become the Head of the Table of The Bloodline.

However, not all of it was interesting or quality television. Remember when Austin Theory stole Vince McMahon's fancy, expensive egg that was a tie-in to the Netflix movie Red Notice? How about that time The Miz had a no audience PPV match that resulted in him being eaten by zombies?

When it came to Baron Corbin, though, this was a time where he flourished, developed new characters, and became one of the most talked-about wrestlers for the summer of 2021. He went from King of the Ring to Sad Corbin to Happy Corbin. Between September 16, 2019-September 3, 2021, Corbin was doing some outstanding character work. So let's take a look at everything that happened with him during this time period and why it's important.

Creating King Corbin

On August 19, 2019, the King of the Ring tournament returned. This was the 21st incarnation of the tournament, and the event hadn't been around since 2015 when Bad News Barrett won. This time, the tournament took place entirely on Raw and Smackdown, including the finals. Over the course of four weeks, Raw and Smackdown held single-elimination matches leading to the final, which was held on the September 16 episode of Raw.

On the September 16 episode, Corbin fought Chad Gable in the finals. After Corbin won, he immediately had his name changed by commentary to King Corbin, which was reinforced by a backstage segment featuring the Street Profits, calling him King Corbin.

Being King Corbin

Corbin went through some immediate changes during this time. His entrance music got a "regal" upgrade, he started wearing a crown and robe, carrying a scepter, and demanded royal respect.

On the September 17 episode of Smackdown, Corbin was coronated, in which he was given his cheap, plastic crown and purple cloak. On the surface, it seemed like a minor upgrade at best, if not a potential downgrade.. But this was all setting the stage for what Baron Corbin would become, especially once Chad Gable showed up to rain on his parade and destroy the cheap crown.

Then, on the September 23 episode of Raw, Corbin debuted his new look. He had a nicer, more sturdy-looking crown and a fur cloak. He really became a new version of the tired King gimmick. He would constantly refer to his own royal standing, while still being the same cocky heel he was before.

The turning point: Money in the Bank

Money in the Bank 2020 was innovative. It was during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when WWE had ceased filming in front of live audiences. Given the circumstances, the company had to pivot, and turning the annual Money in the Bank match into a more cinematic affair led to one of the greatest cinematic matches in WWE history.

The men's and women's matches happened at the same time. The contenders started on the first floor of WWE's corporate office and had to race to the roof, where there was a ring, a ladder, and two briefcases suspended high above. The match lasted around 30 minutes, and it was wild, featuring fighting, bizarre cameos, comedy, and lots of running.

King Corbin had a few very important moments during this match. Early on in the bout, Corbin was fighting with Daniel Bryan in the gym. Corbin got kicked, grabbed a weight plate and threw it toward Bryan. It missed Bryan and broke a giant mirror. There was a five-second shot on Corbin as he reacted to what happened. See, it wasn't necessarily that he realized he legitimately could have killed someone hurling a weight plate at them. It was the bad luck he'd just incurred. If you're superstitious, then you know breaking a mirror leads to seven years of bad luck. And honestly, rewatching that moment led to this entire piece--to see if Corbin actually had bad luck after MITB 2020.

Later in the match were two very memorable moments. During the battle next to the ring, on the top of WWE World Headquarters in Stanford, Connecticut, Corbin threw Rey Mysterio off of the roof--presumably killing him. He then did the same thing to Aleister Black. In hindsight, rewatching the event, it's pretty clear they didn't plummet to their deaths, even though an establishing shot later on doesn't show a clear area for them to fall one story. Regardless, it's more fun to imagine Corbin is a murderer in this situation, especially after that whole weight plate thing.

As the match reached its climax, AJ Styles and Corbin were climbing the ladder to grab the briefcase. However, that's where the shenanigans come in. The duo release the briefcase at the same time, each with a hand on it. Then Elias appears to hit Corbin with his guitar, the briefcase comes out of Corbin's hand, leading Styles to fumble it. Ultimately, it landed in the hands of Otis.

This bizarre turn of events started the steady downfall for King Corbin.

King Corbin feuds

King Corbin's first notable feud was with Chad Gable, who smashed his crown. Gable then went on a winning-streak, and the feud quickly fizzled out. Following that, Corbin went on to have a more meaningful and memorable feud with Roman Reigns. The soon-to-be Head of the Table was being pushed as a face, but it wasn't working. Reigns and Corbin feuded for months, and Corbin lost over and over again. The most memorable moment from this feud is when Reigns was handcuffed to a ringpost and Corbin dumped dog food on him.

Later, Dominik Mysterio headed to Smackdown, along with his father. Corbin got into it with the Mysterios, and the real point to this feud was to put over Dominik and give him some experience as a solo competitor with Corbin. Dom was still considered green in the professional wrestling business--and commentators made sure to point that fact out--so this was a great way to get fans on the young wrestler's side. Corbin's feud with Nakamura brought the King Corbin character to an end, while also helping Nakamura to a new character and putting the spotlight on Rick Boogs. It was a really satisfying and compelling storyline as well.

The death of King Corbin

After MITB, Corbin went on a losing streak of four matches right off the bat. He had brief feuds that ended quickly with Otis, who stole his crown for a short stint; Matt Riddle, which went nowhere; and Drew McIntyre, which really helped push McIntyre as a threat to Bobby Lashley.

However, it was Shinsuke Nakamura who ended King Corbin, by stealing his crown and title, which led Corbin into a downward spiral. We'll get a little more in-depth into the Nakamura/Corbin feud very soon.

Why King Corbin ended

This felt like a natural end to the King Corbin gimmick. The character had run its course, but it never outstayed its welcome. It served the purpose of putting Corbin in main event matches, only to see him falter over and over again. He also deserves some credit for helping Reigns get more notoriety before the pandemic. It's because of the pandemic and lack of live audience that we really got to see Reigns shine, but Corbin was a great stepping stone to get there.

Ultimately, the King Corbin version of the character lasted nearly two years, from August 2019 until June 2021, which is a good run for many gimmicks or characters.

Creating Sad Corbin

A hallmark of the King Corbin character was the wrestler often talking about how great his life was. He would boast about the fine foods he ate, how much his outfits cost--which kept changing, much like Gob Bluth on Arrested Development--and his love of fancy watches. Corbin was on cloud nine during this time. However, after Nakamura took his crown, the good times were over.

On June 25, 2021, we caught our first glimpse of what Sad Corbin would become. Nakamura was crowned the new king--even though he never won the tournament. When the camera cut to the backstage area, viewers saw a visibly distraught Corbin. His hair is growing out and unkempt, there are tears in his eyes, and he mentions losing money in some investments. This was the beginning of Sad Corbin.

Being Sad Corbin

During this time, Corbin's social media was the star of the show. His TikTok and Instagram accounts were the best places to see what he was doing. Corbin stayed completely in character as he documented the depths to which his life had sunk. The "spend a day in my life" video may be one of the best things he did outside of wrestling as the Sad Corbin character.

As this character progressed, Corbin's look did, as well. He let his hair and beard grow out and wore the same shirt to the ring weekly as it got dirtier and more gross to look at. The icing on the cake was that he had no entrance music or video. It was just a sad walk to the ring. Even in matches, he looked completely checked out and unhappy to be in the ring. Corbin changed everything about the way he worked.

As for the story behind the character, Corbin spiraled. His car was repossessed. The bank took his house. His wife and daughter left him. The former king was reduced to eating spaghetti out of a can and living in WWE's production trucks. He took the bus to Smackdown tapings, his identity was stolen, and his credit rating was destroyed. He even started a crowdfunding page to help with his misfortunes and winds up begging wrestlers for financial assistance.

Although he spent a lot of time mainly involved in backstage segments, there were some great feuds here as well.

Sad Corbin feuds

During this short period of Sad Corbin, he had two feuds. Kevin Owens tried to help him out with the situation, which resulted in Corbin insulting Owens time and time again. A lot of Sad Corbin's in-ring matches happened at WWE live events, rather than on TV. The final match in the feud was called "Corbin's Last Plea," where if he beat Owens, he would get $1K. Then, there was his feud with Big E, which involved Corbin stealing E's MITB contract, and E beating Corbin in a match to get it back.

The death of Sad Corbin

All good--and sad--things must come to an end. Sad Corbin had become a fan favorite, and it felt like as soon as he won everyone over, the journey quickly came to an end. The character could have gone a lot longer. The end of Sad Corbin left the audience wanting more, given that we only got two really good feuds out of the character. The transition of Sad Corbin to Happy Corbin happened overnight. Corbin went to Vegas, and he went on a winning-streak, making him rich. It was as simple as that. He went from sad to happy because he got rich.

Why Sad Corbin ended

Corbin himself during a Ryan Satin interview said that, originally, Sad Corbin was only supposed to last a couple weeks. He had a lot of fun because it was the opposite of anything he's ever done. According to Corbin, it ended because he was in Las Vegas, and Vince McMahon thought it would be a great rags-to-riches story. We guess that makes some sense, even if it wasn't particularly earned at that point.

Sad Corbin lasted less than two months. It felt like WWE wanted to keep Corbin a heel, and Sad Corbin really won over the crowd, even if he was still giving heel promos. So we can assume WWE creative wanted to keep the audience hating Corbin, so making him an unsympathetic, boasting, rich jerk was the best way to go at that point. And as memorable as this storyline was, it only lasted for two months (June-August, 2021), even though it felt like a lot longer, and that's probably because of all the secondary social media included with this story.

Creating Happy Corbin

Overnight, Corbin's luck had changed in Las Vegas. He turned 35into35 into 35into100, and he thought about buying a new shirt. The winning-streak in Vegas continued, and he bought a new shirt. When he returned home, he shaved his head and bought a bunch of brisket.

He transitioned into his new character so smoothly, even though it was an abrupt change. Perhaps that's because, personality-wise, there's a lot of crossover between Happy Corbin and King Corbin. Additionally, going from one of the funniest but saddest characters in WWE--at the time--to a rich, scheming heel so quickly made Happy Corbin incredibly hated by the viewers. It didn't hurt that being a bad guy seems to come naturally to Corbin.

Being Happy Corbin

There have been a lot of talk shows throughout WWE's history, some great, some terrible. Happy Corbin got his own in-ring TV show called Happy Talk at a time when the wrestler-hosted talk show landscape was a little too busy already. There was Ding Dong Hello (Bayley), MizTV (The Miz), and the KO Show (Kevin Owens) all happening at the same time. So how did Corbin make the first episode of Happy Talk stand out? With the biggest guest he could land, of course. Corbin's first guest was himself.

Eventually, Corbin got his own co-host for Happy Talk: none other than Madcap Moss. Corbin's new sidekick was there to keep Corbin laughing. Each week, he could be seen telling Happy jokes, either on Happy Talk or backstage. They weren't good jokes, but this recurring bit allowed Madcap to introduce himself to the world, giving him stage time, and eventually in-ring time. This is a time where Corbin is really building on his character, getting involved in feuds that push other superstars, while taking Moss under his wing.

While most people despised Corbin, they'd still clap when he said at the beginning of Happy Corbin, "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands." He felt like a heel the audience really leaned into for fun.

Happy Corbin feuds

There were two major feuds to come out of the Happy Corbin era. The first was with Drew McIntyre. Corbin and Moss didn't have a lot going for them, early in the gimmick. Moss needed a bump to put him on the radar of the average fan, and there's no way better to do that than to have a feud with Drew McIntyre, whose popularity was quite high. The secondary purpose of this feud was to sow seeds of discontent for Moss. This also marks the feud where Corbin bragged about buying NFTs, which is pretty funny in hindsight.

The second feud pitted Corbin against his sidekick Moss. Eventually, Moss got tired of being treated as Corbin's lackey, and he turned on his friend, toning down the "jokester" gimmick a tiny bit. This led to matches on two PLEs and one final match on Smackdown, where Moss got the win and got a solo run afterward.

The death of Happy Corbin

The idea of Happy Corbin was great, but its intention really felt like introducing the world to Madcap Moss and elevating Drew McIntyre. During the final days of Happy Corbin, the character had diverged from happiness and become "frustrated." He found himself on a losing streak. Happy Talk segments weren't happening weekly and got to the point where it was off TV entirely.

Why Happy Corbin Ended

Happy Corbin ran its course after a year. It was a great reinvention for Baron Corbin, and it was fun. But the character started to become a bit stale after the feud with Moss. There were a couple minor feuds toward the end, one with Pat McAfee and one with Ricochet, but neither of those had the same impact as the previous ones, as Happy Corbin didn't have that same "overly optimistic" quality he had when the character first appeared on television. It didn't feel the same, so it felt like a natural end and good time to give Corbin something new, but Happy Corbin had a great run, lasting between August 2021-September 2022. Ultimately, he wound up back in NXT. He's now on the Smackdown roster once more.

The importance of Baron Corbin during this time

Going through Corbin's television run throughout all these personas, he didn't have a winning record. He went roughly 24-66 throughout this time--there are some undetermined wins and losses on shows and the Royal Rumble isn't included. That brought his win percentage in WWE to 36%. Records don't necessarily matter though. Memorable matches and moments are what mattered.

Whether you like it or not, King Corbin, Sad Corbin, and Happy Corbin are all exceptionally memorable characters around and during the pandemic era of WWE. They were entertaining and added flair to the mid-card and main event for weekly television.

More importantly, Corbin helped the careers of newer superstars and made established wrestlers better faces in the eyes of the viewers. His feud with Reigns helped Reigns transition into the pandemic era and into the Head of the Table character. Corbin isn't responsible for The Bloodline in any way, but he did help Reigns gain sympathy from the audience and get more eyes on him in a way that didn't feel as forced. The same could be said about McIntyre, as well. Corbin's purpose during these years was to put on great matches, introduce the WWE Universe to new characters, and help them win over the crowd while Corbin delivered some great work as an egotistical bad guy.

Corbin gave Dominik Mysterio some solid solo in-ring action early in his career and helped strengthen the bond between Dominik and his father--before he turned on him to join the Judgement Day.. The same can be said about Moss, Boogs, and Gable--although those feuds didn't really lead to much else during that time. They all looked stronger having worked with Corbin. And the audience was well-entertained..

This era for Baron Corbin was incredibly important. He delivered fantastic character work, helped push other wrestlers, and worked some great matches. His run during this time is overlooked. There may be moments that stick out in people's minds during this time, but his work, as a whole between 2019-2022 is incredibly important for the development of other wrestlers and delivering entertaining content, week-to-week, that kept the viewers invested in the product, primarily during the mid-card of Smackdown. Corbin played the cock heel to perfection during this time and deserves to be remembered in this way.