WWE Royal Rumble 2020: 5 reasons why doing Roman Reigns vs King Corbin at the PPV is not best for business

Not the most inspired decision.
Not the most inspired decision.

The 2020 Royal Rumble is just over two weeks away and the excitement is setting in. Superstars are now entering themselves into the Royal Rumble match, and this week's episode of SmackDown was no exception.

While many names declared themselves for the Rumble, a one-on-one match was also sanctioned for the pay-per-view. Roman Reigns challenged Baron Corbin to a match at the Minute Maid Park, with the 2019 King of the Ring accepting.

This will presumably be the blowoff match in their feud and while a win for Reigns over the dastardly Corbin would be a satisfying sight, these two should not be facing off at Royal Rumble.

Here are five reasons why WWE booking Roman Reigns vs King Corbin at Royal Rumble is not a good decision.


#5 It should at least be a gimmick match

TLC was supposed to be the end.
TLC was supposed to be the end.

The feud between Roman Reigns and King Corbin began in November and their only pay-per-view match since then was at the forgettable TLC event, in a TLC match. Sure, this was done for a reason so Corbin gets even more heat than ever by using help to pin the Big Dog.

However, one cannot help but feel that the TLC gimmick has been cheapened for it. Years ago, the premise of a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match was only discussed when WWE wanted to end blood feuds. Now, it is just a small cog in a month-long story.

If the company wants the feud between Reigns and Corbin to continue, it should at least feature another gimmick match of sorts. Going from a TLC match to a normal singles match is backward and underwhelming.

Whether WWE facilitates the inclusion of The Usos, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode in the match or simply makes it a Cage match or something, they need to make a change for Reigns vs Corbin to even remotely work at Royal Rumble.

#4 The feud is dragging

Not the best TV.
Not the best TV.

Another thing about the issue between Roman Reigns and King Corbin is that their rivalry has not even been that great. Usually, non-title singles matches at Royal Rumble are reserved for blood feuds which are too heated to boil over in the Rumble match. Think of matches like Daniel Bryan vs Bray Wyatt and Edge vs Shawn Michaels.

Ever since the program began in November, some of the segments involving King Corbin and Roman Reigns have been pretty terrible. From the dog mascot to smearing dog food on Roman's face, fans have been wanting to see the back of this feud.

TLC was supposed to be the end of the Reigns vs Corbin saga, but it just labored on and on from there. Aside from the return of Jimmy and Jey Uso, it has pretty much been dull throughout.

Royal Rumble is far from the ideal place for WWE to book the end of this feud, as we will probably have to endure another two weeks of dog-related shenanigans.

#3 Both guys are in the Royal Rumble Match

Reigns winning twice, isn't he?
Reigns winning twice, isn't he?

Both Roman Reigns and King Corbin announced their entries into the 30-man Royal Rumble Match, making it likely that they will have a confrontation of some sorts in the main event itself. It makes their one-on-one match earlier on the card seem extremely unnecessary.

With the general apathy towards this program, the WWE Universe would not be interested to see either Reigns or Corbin perform double duty on January 26th. If the company was insistent on having this match at the event, it should have at least been a Royal Rumble Qualifying Match.

At least then, there would be some stakes to look forward to. With the gargantuan size of WWE's main roster, spots in the Royal Rumble match are extremely limited. And as NXT continues to rise, RAW and SmackDown might be receiving a lot less of them this year.

Therefore, having two Superstars already in the Rumble match face off earlier in the night might not be such a smart decision. There is a limited number of spots on the card, itself.

#2 Other interesting matches will get bumped to the Kickoff Show

What has happened to the IC Title scene?
What has happened to the IC Title scene?

Roman Reigns vs King Corbin takes away a possible opportunity of other matches getting some much-needed spotlight. The Royal Rumble pay-per-view will likely consist of seven matches, out of which five have already been announced. And with the WWE Champion entering the Rumble match, expect pretty much every other championship to be on the line.

Matches like Bayley vs Lacey Evans and Shinsuke Nakamura vs Braun Strowman could do with the rub of taking place on the main portion of a card at the Minute Maid Park. But now, one of them is likely to get the Kickoff Show treatment.

Also, on the RAW side of things, the Viking Raiders will probably defend their Tag Team Championships against The OC or the Street Profits. While that is a likely candidate for the pre-show, Andrade could possibly be defending his United States Championship as well.

And after being proclaimed a 'Top 5' performer by Ric Flair, he should not be made to wrestle on the Kickoff Show. This problem could have been avoided by opening up one more position on the main Royal Rumble event. Reigns and Corbin will surely face off in the Rumble match anyway.

#1 SmackDown on FOX needs some big matches

Credit: foxsports.com
Credit: foxsports.com

The limited number of opportunities on the Royal Rumble card makes doing Roman Reigns vs King Corbin at the show seem unnecessary. But what makes it even more baffling is the fact that a storyline like this would have been perfect to conclude on a regular episode of Friday Night SmackDown.

Ever since the Blue brand moved to FOX, the quality of the show has taken a tumble. It seems mediocre and the promise and excitement of WWE being on broadcast TV have now waned off. The show was supposed to be much bigger than it currently is.

One way of doing that would have been to actually book some cool stuff on SmackDown. After all, FOX is paying WWE a lot of money. They might as well put on a show and make it worth as much as secondary pay-per-views. The first step towards doing that would have been to book the blowoff between Roman Reigns and King Corbin on SmackDown itself.

It would have certainly boosted ratings and improved the quality of the show since we know that the pair of them can deliver in the ring. Reigns vs Corbin can be a good match, but only if WWE books it wisely. And putting it on the Royal Rumble card might not have been a wise decision.

A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE

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