Also read: WWE Money In The Bank 2017 Results, Top Stars Return and more
What’s the story?
Baron Corbin catapulted to the upper echelons of the WWE food chain after he won the Money in the Bank briefcase at the recently concluded PPV. As we’d reported leading up to the show, WWE changed the winner of the match thrice, with Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev originally pencilled in to win the match.
WWE being high on Corbin is no secret, but that wasn’t the only reason why WWE gave him a guaranteed title shot.
In case you didn’t know...
The six-man MITB match started off in chaotic fashion after Corbin viciously assaulted Shinsuke Nakamura when the latter was making his entrance. The King of Stong Style was forced to miss a majority of the match, while the rest of the stars put on a high-octane and spot-heavy bout.
The Artist, though, returned in the dying stages of the match and delivered a Kinshasa to every star in sight before going face to face with his former NJPW rival AJ Styles in a dream confrontation.
The two battled on top the ladder before Corbin entered the ring and pushed them straight to the mat. He then went on to climb the ladder and unhooked the briefcase to earn the lucrative contract.
The heart of the matter
As we’d reported back in April, WWE expected Corbin to be a top SmackDown star by the end of 2017, and the first step was for him to become Mr Money in the Bank. More backstage information as revealed by our contributor Billi Bhatti shed light on the person responsible for the former NXT Star’s monster push.
SmackDown LIVE Creative Head Brain James, aka Road Dogg, was the one who pushed for Corbin to win the match and despite countless opposition, he was successful in convincing the higher ups on going ahead with the big decision.
In an earlier report from Wrestling Observer, WWE officials were said to be very high on the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner and saw more potential in him than the breakout star of 2017, Braun Strowman. That speaks highly of how Vince McMahon and company view the current MITB holder.
What’s next?
We’re not sure when or how the cash-in would be at the moment and whether it would be on Jinder Mahal or another WWE Superstar who may defeat The Modern Day Maharaja. Both the stars had a staredown on Talking Smack after MITB, but it’s highly unlikely Corbin would cash-in on a heel WWE Champion.
He will most likely get into a programme with Shinsuke Nakamura heading into SmackDown’s next PPV, Battleground. Working with a veteran talent in Nakamura will help him hone his in-ring skills before he is ready to carry the belt.
Author’s take
While personally, I would have loved a face to have won the briefcase for a change, Corbin is the best option going forward. While I’m still not entirely sold on Corbin, I agree he’s an untapped gold mine with the potential to make it big on SmackDown.
The only thing WWE needs to do is to book him strong and sensibly.
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