Things looked bleak for Baron Corbin in the initial stages of Triple H's formal takeover, but a formulaic loss to Ricochet in July already seems like a smoother path than the one he's since been sent on.
Linking arms with JBL in what's presumably supposed to scan as a natural alliance has drastically lowered the former "King"'s stock. Switching "Baron" for "Happy" wasn't the daftest decision, but Corbin's charm was his ability to lean much harder into his obnoxious side than just about anybody else on the roster.
Pairing him with a man that parlayed that specific skill all the way to a World Title reign and Hall Of Fame spot does the opposite of enhancing Corbin's status, and 'The Game's broad insistence on longer matches won't help.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
