8 Ways WWE Have Screwed Up Baron Corbin

6. His Lowly Early Days

Baron Corbin
WWE.com

There was nothing good about Baron Corbin's first few months on the main roster. Nothing.

Debuting in April 2016, he was immediately slotted into a lame, go-nowhere feud with WWE's biggest goober, Dolph Ziggler. This may have been worthwhile if 'The Show-Off's' fanbase hadn't all but abandoned him by this point, but putting Corbin against such a listless performer killed any chance he had of getting over, and the feud's structure was terrible too.

A mess of inconclusive finishes and directionless 50/50 booking, it didn't portray Corbin as a dominant monster, but somebody unable to distinguish himself from one of WWE's most useless wrestlers. Things were about to get worse, though.

After injuring Kalisto, Corbin's next major rival was the equally uninteresting Apollo Crews, who he pinned at Backlash. He then lumbered into an atrocious rivalry with Jack Swagger, whom he submitted to without actually tapping out, before putting him away at No Mercy. A fun rivalry with Kalisto followed, but by this point, Baron's Andre The Giant-winning momentum had already become a distant memory.

Corbin's initial main roster booking should be used as an example of how not to heat a new superstar up.

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Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.