10 Things WWE Suddenly Wanted You To Care About (After Programming You To Hate Them)

6. Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin
WWE.com
"Under your leadership, Monday Night RAW has sucked. It has sucked because of you. That roster, that locker room back there, that is some of the most talented men and women that Monday Night RAW has ever seen, and you've got no idea what to do with it. This whole Baron Corbin experience has been an abject failure."

Seth Rollins, Monday Night RAW, December 10, 2018

The message was just about coded: Yes, we've pushed Baron Corbin well beyond whatever connection he may have with the audience, his featured role has proved very unpopular, and this is our (deeply weird) way of conveying that to you all.

Rollins captured the Universal Title from Brock Lesnar a few months later at WrestleMania 35. Which talented man or woman in that locker room did WWE have an idea of as Rollins' major rival in the late spring months?

Baron Corbin.

Predictably, the programme was met with derision or at best apathy, as was WWE's decision to have Corbin retire Kurt Angle at WrestleMania. Chronically ineffective heel heat - Corbin was the embodiment of the Lionel Hutz 'There's heat, and there's heat' meme - this cooled Rollins as a babyface to such an extent that he misinterpreted the online reaction and turned himself heel.

Hey, little buddy! That was presumptuous of you.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!