3. A Drab SmackDown Main Event
There is a universe out there where Baron Corbin returns to WWE to save Bron Breakker from being a third wheel in the Austin Theory-Maxxine Dupri make-out session and reunites the Wolf Dogs.
However, here on Earth-616, we have to suffer through Corbin returning as a plodding heel challenging for midcard titles. Sunday, Corbin defeated Trick Williams to end his underwhelming United States Championship run. The match really could be described as a series of moves strung together and mostly executed well, with a hefty dose of Lil’ Yachty sprinkled in to spoil things.
No matter how many times Michael Cole said that this was a new Corbin, he wasn’t really able to present himself as more than a one-dimensional heel in a two-dimensional match. Yachty didn’t help matters by threatening Baron with a kendo stick, then woefully missing his spot to whack him with the stick later on (bear in mind that Trick was the default babyface here). Corbin had to make eye contact and yell for him to get ready, and Yachty still wasn’t there in time.
None of this should scan as an indictment on Trick or Corbin – both men have something to offer and are great in their own respects – but this match layout did nothing to benefit them and was entirely skippable.
Odds are that Trick is onto bigger and better things, but this wasn’t exactly the kind of match you’d want to have before potentially being elevated to the main event level.
