Dean Ambrose Vs. Baron Corbin Official For WrestleMania 33
The two will square off the Intercontinental championship.
With less than two weeks to go before WrestleMania 33, you would think that the card was set in stone already. While the majority of the matches have been unveiled, it’s still shocking that high profile bouts continue to be added this close to the show, but that’s the world WWE dwells in.
One long-rumoured, but previously unannounced match that appeared to being built towards would pit Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose against Baron Corbin. And now, after this week’s SmackDown, we now know that match is official for the big event in Orlando.
Some might see Ambrose’s position on this year’s card as a demotion from where he was last year, and while that might technically be true this match actually provides him with an opportunity that his bout with Lesnar did not - the chance to come out of it looking like a star.
As we’ve seen recently from Kevin Owens, just being in the ring with Brock Lesnar doesn’t automatically give a wrestler “the rub” and improve their status. Ambrose’s street fight against “The Beast” at Mania 32 was much-maligned and widely considered to be little more than a pointless, glorified squash of Dean.
Booking him with the upstart Baron Corbin - a relative newcomer to the main roster who is starving to make an impact in his first WrestleMania singles match - is a much better spot for Ambrose. He’ll be working with someone who wants to come out of the show with a raised profile rather than just coast through the performance to get it done and earn the enormous UFC payday that awaited.
With the angle the two have been working in the past few weeks, featuring the inclusion of various weapons as well as the use of a forklift (in a callback to Halftime Heat) it wouldn’t come as a surprise if we see “The Lunatic Fringe” compete in his second consecutive “street fight” type bout. The only thing we know for sure is that the two will contend for Dean’s IC title.
Are you excited for Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin? Let us know in the comments.