The winner of WWE’s King of The Ring tournament, Baron Corbin, isn’t content with his recent victory and coronation. Speaking with Digital Spy, Corbin shared his new goal now that he has procured the crown.
“I want to be in a championship match at WrestleMania,” Corbin stated. “So that’s the goal, and I think being King Corbin I can get that done. I can achieve that, it puts me on a level that I can compete for a title at WrestleMania because I think that’s the next step up. I don’t want to move backwards or laterally, so I want to find a moment whether it’s taking the Intercontinental Title from somebody, the US title or the World Heavyweight. It’s what I want and I want to be in that prime spot and to keep rolling.”
Embracing New Gimmicks
Ever since shifting away from his Lone Wolf gimmick, Corbin has been getting more promo opportunities. Fully confident in his skills, Corbin stated that embracing his new gimmick was the “best thing I could have done.”
“[…] it gave people an opportunity to hear me, it gave me an opportunity to kind of find my own way with the microphone. When I was just that kind of angry metal biker it was something that maybe not everyone could connect to, good or bad. People enjoyed the look and thought I was cool, but when I got the microphone and got to go, I got a chance for people to really hate me and that’s hard to do nowadays.”
Corbin participated in the opening segment of SmackDown’s FOX premiere episode. He would share the screen with WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and WWE Legend Dwayne’ The Rock’ Johnson, taking finishers from both Superstars.
Last night during WWE RAW, Baron Corbin’s throne broke while he was sitting on it. Randy Orton was also on the stage while the throne broke, and was unable to contain his laughter at what happened.
Users on Twitter posted the following video of Corbin’s throne breaking with him on it:
Corbin then used a “Michael Bolton from Office Space” GIF to respond to one Twitter account:
A fool?? I actually thought i was hilarious! Just like that fact that you have over a million followers but only get a few likes and comments. Somebody bought their followers didn’t they? https://t.co/UwnhvSQQM3pic.twitter.com/swTqak0vAk
Despite no longer having a working throne, Baron Corbin is the 20th person to have been crowned King of the Ring. He won 4 matches in a tournament to declare the first King since Bad News Barrett in 2015. Corbin defeated the Miz, Cedric Alexander, Ricochet & Samoa Joe in a triple threat match, and then Chad Gable.
Following his tournament victory, Corbin told WWE correspondents that spite motivated him to win.
“This crown is just another notch in my belt, it’s another trophy on my shelf, because I won this out of spite,” the new King said. “There were people all around the world whining and crying, ‘Anybody but Baron Corbin, please anybody but Baron Corbin.’ What do I do? I go out and win, out of spite.”
Baron Corbin has been vocal about standing up for WWE and has said before that he will always defend the company against haters. He also seems to can’t keep to himself when it comes to poking fun at supporters of AEW.
Recently, Corbin commented on an Instagram post about fans who overanalyze every little thing done by AEW such as the stickers on the company’s trucks, promos done on Being The Elite, its UK TV deal issues, etc.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B272bd1gMwx/
Corbin commented on the post taking a shot at AEW and its fans. According to Corbin, AEW is for people who nitpick and complain about everything. He wrote, “The ones who criticize every detail are literally their target audience haha.”
This is nothing new for Corbin, as he has taken shots at AEW fans before too. Corbin had much to say on an Instagram post criticizing fans who complain about WWE putting their titles on older stars but supporting AEW who themselves have Chris Jericho, 48 as the current AEW World Champion.
Corbin chimed in with his opinion, and commented, “All of these smarks have hated everything we do and complained about every detail that now they are forced to love everything these guys do even when it shows dumb they really are.” Corbin didn’t really hold back and called out what he sees as the hypocrisy of the WWE naysayers.
Corbin has said before that he will always support the WWE. “I’ll always stand up for WWE,” Corbin said in an interview. “We have the best superstars in the world, and we have the best people helping. We have Triple H, Michael Hayes, Fit Finlay, and Vince McMahon. We’re the best in the world, and I’m willing to stand up for that. I hold what we do to anyone in the world, no matter if it’s another wrestling company or the MLB or the NFL.”
Some WWE Superstars are motivated by money, others prestige, but not Baron Corbin, he’s motivated by spite. Corbin spoke to WWE.com following his King of the Ring tournament finals victory last night on RAW and said that spite is what drove him to do it.
“Look, I’m at the top of my game. This King of the Ring tournament was full of competitors who wanted to be King, and well, you are looking at the King,” Corbin said during the interview.
“This crown is just another notch in my belt, it’s another trophy on my shelf, because I won this out of spite,” he continued. “There were people all around the world whining and crying, ‘Anybody but Baron Corbin, please anybody but Baron Corbin.’ What do I do? I go out and win, out of spite.”
The full interview with Corbin can be viewed in the player below:
“No one can stop me when I’m at the top of my game, and that’s exactly where I am,” he continued. “And we’re here at the University of Tennessee. Did you see those people out there? These people are not worth a celebration of a king. Plus I noticed a few smudges on my crown.”
Corbin’s King of the Ring coronation will take place tonight on Smackdown.
Baron Corbin is your 2019 King of the Ring. He defeated Chad Gable in the finals of the tournament last night on RAW. During last night’s show, Corbin’s in-ring work was praised online by Lance Storm. Later, Randy Orton would echo Storm’s sentiment.
The 35-year-old former NFL player signed with WWE in 2012. He was in the company’s developmental program until 2016. Corbin didn’t win any championships during his time in NXT but that would change when he would get to the main roster in 2016.
Corbin won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy in 2016. In 2017, he would win the Money in the Bank contract, although he would be unsuccessful during his cash-in attempt against Jinder Mahal. He’d win the United States title later that year at Hell in a Cell as well.
Ahead of his finals match with Chad Gable, Baron Corbin spoke with Sports Illustrated. He opened up about being hated by the WWE Universe, explaining that his totally comfortable in the role.
He believes the fans dislike of him stems from his lack of experience in the independent scene before debuting in WWE’s development brand. Corbin compared his time playing Football to his experiences in WWE, explaining he received similar levels of hate because he came from Division II.
“I didn’t wrestle in the independents, I didn’t pay my dues the way people think you should in wrestling,” he said. “Someone like Seth Rollins, he wrestled in small gymnasiums for no money. I didn’t do that, but I’m still here—and none of those guys can do what I did. That absolutely fuels my ego.”
“I’ll always stand up for WWE,” Corbin added. “We have the best superstars in the world, and we have the best people helping. We have Triple H, Michael Hayes, Fit Finlay, and Vince McMahon. We’re the best in the world, and I’m willing to stand up for that. I hold what we do to anyone in the world, no matter if it’s another wrestling company or the MLB or the NFL.”
He continued, “We have no off-season, we’re on the road and sometimes doing the travel by ourselves. It’s a different grind. When I was in the NFL, it was all luxury team-owned planes and five-star hotels. We don’t have that, but we dominate the wrestling world and the entire sports world with some of the most talented and driven people I’ve ever been around.”
Prior to his finals clash, Corbin spoke with the Not Sam Wrestling Podcast. He reflected on his time in NXT. Corbin also shared his thoughts on Superstars ansd fans who blame WWE for how they have “misused” talent.
Misused Talent
When it comes to moving from NXT to RAW or SmackDown, Corbin stated that the responsibility is on the talent to make the most of the opportunities available.
“What’s crazy is when people say, ‘I don’t want these guys to get called up so that they can be misused.’ Nobody is being misused. They’re going to be given opportunities; they’re either going to make them successful or not, that is just the way it is. There is a reason why NXT and Triple H has built an amazing thing down there because it gets guys ready to come down here [to the main roster].”
He added that, if an NXT Superstar needs time to rebuild and figure out their new position on the main roster, that’s on them:
“When they get called up it is up to the guys to find success. John Cena is somebody who has always preached that. It’s on you, it’s not on anyone else. If guys are being misused it’s not anybody’s fault but their own. They have to find an avenue to get successful, to get creative, to pitch ideas, and it’s hard because you do get lost in the shuffle here. There are a lot of guys that I think do great things when given the opportunity, but it’s all about fighting and finding that opportunity.”
“It’s A Grind”
Corbin commented on his own ambitions, admitting he “had hoped to be world champion by now; it’s taken me three-and-a-half years. It’ll come, it’s just going to take that grind.
He continued, “Some guys have been doing it for six months and are like well, it’s not going to work out for me because I’m not champion. It’s a grind. Anything worth doing is a grind so it’s that kind of thing where you can’t feel sorry for yourself, and you have to keep pushing.”
For him, there’s no point crying about missed opportunities. He explained if he is overlooked, he’ll simply focus on his next route to get to where he wants to go.
The winner of this year’s WWE King of the Ring tournament has been determined.
Baron Corbin beat Chad Gable in the finals of the tournament on Monday’s episode of RAW.
There were 16 competitors in the tournament with eight from RAW and eight from SmackDown Live. The first round of matches started back in August on RAW from St. Paul, MN and SmackDown from Sioux Falls, SD.
The semi-finals took place last week on RAW and SmackDown Live when Baron Corbin def. Ricochet and Samoa Joe in a Triple Threat Match while Chad Gable def. Shane McMahon in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match.
RAW: Samoa Joe def. Cesaro, Ricochet def. Drew McIntyre, Cedric Alexander def. Sami Zayn, The Miz def. Baron Corbin
SmackDown: Elias def. Kevin Owens, Ali def. Buddy Murphy, Chad Gable def. Shelton Benjamin, Andrade def. Apollo Crews
Quarter-Finals
RAW: Samoa Joe vs. Ricochet, Baron Corbin def. Cedric Alexander
SmackDown: Chad Gable def. Andrade, Elias def. Ali
Semi-Finals
RAW: Baron Corbin def. Ricochet and Samoa Joe in a Triple Threat Match
SmackDown: Chad Gable def. Shane McMahon in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match
From 1993 to 2002, the tournament was produced as a pay-per-view event. Before the 2019 tournament, the previous King of the Ring took place in 2015 on an episode of RAW.
During the interview, Corbin spoke about facing Chad Gable in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament on Monday’s episode of RAW.
Corbin noted that he already has plans in place should he win the tournament that is intended to irritate WWE fans.
“I’m going to try to do a lot of little things to irritate people, starting with Ricochet,” said Corbin. “He has ‘King’ in his Twitter tag, and I’m going to make him remove that. Every little detail is going to matter to me. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins won’t be allowed to wear crowns any more, either.”
During a recent interview with SportingNews.com, Corbin reflected on his working relationship with RAW’s Executive Director Paul Heyman. He divulged that they have a “very good” relationship, based off Heyman’s fearlessness in giving Corbin feedback.
“[…] he’s not afraid to tell me if I’m doing something wrong,” Corbin explained. “He’s not going to sugarcoat things. He’s a man’s man in the sense of he’s not afraid if he hurts your feelings for me. He knows how to handle people. That’s what I relate to. That’s why I get along with Vince [McMahon] and Hunter and ‘Taker. Those guys will tell me that wasn’t good and I’m not going to get offended.”
He said that receiving feedback like that fuels him to make himself better. It makes him want to prove himself, showing them what he’s capable of.
He continued, “Paul, I think he’s a guy that’s perfect for me because he’s going to help push the envelope of RAW, but also push my envelope as well. He’s a guy who believes in me and what I do. He’s done so many amazing things from ECW to WWE, and it’s really awesome to have a guy in control that is going to push the envelope, and it makes guys like me who want to push it very excited for what’s to come.”
With his recent victory this week, Corbin will face both Samoa Joe and Ricochet on the 9/9 episode of RAW. The winner will go on to face the SmackDown finalist to crown the King of the Ring at WWE’s Clash of Champions event on September 15th.
Baron Corbin recently spoke with SportingNews.com to promote Monday’s episode of WWE RAW where he wrestled Cedric Alexander in a King of the Ring quarterfinal match.
During the interview, Corbin talked about how he is one of the most hated men in WWE by fans. Obviously, he’s a heel on television but there seems to be more of a go away heat from fans towards Corbin.
Thus, when asked how he manages to stay upbeat while taking the heat, he noted that he takes pride in getting heat.
“How can I not be excited and have an energy about that fact right there? I even said it on TV the other night – there was a poll, and this was a real thing, that the WWE Universe wanted anybody, and I mean absolutely anybody, to win King of the Ring but me.”
Corbin would continue by noting that he gets entertained to watch how angry and frustrated fans get. He would bring up how a six-year-old kid and then like an 85-year-old woman giving him the finger and that he thinks it’s funny.
The reason he finds it amusing is due to how ramped up that they’re so caught up in it.
Corbin understands that he did his job as fans believe every bit of it and finds it funny that when you get them that pulled in that they lose it.
The finals of the King of the Ring tournament takes place at the Clash of Champions PPV event.
Kurt Angle wrestled his final match this past April at WrestleMania 35. His opponent was Baron Corbin, much to the chagrin of the WWE Universe, several superstars and former backstage personel.
Many had expected John Cena to face Angle in his retirement match, given that the two competed during Cena’s debut.
Speaking with Collider Live, Angle discussed his WrestleMania retirement match, and why Vince McMahon elected for Corbin over Cena.
“I decided to retire at ‘Mania,” Angle said. “Vince didn’t tell me ‘Listen you’re done after ‘Mania.’ I went to him and said ‘Listen, I want to retire. I’m not able to do what I used to, and if I can’t be the old Kurt Angle, I want to be done now,'” he explained.
“I was hearing a lot of feedback from people that Kurt looks like he’s in pain in the ring and he’s slower then he used to be, and it’s like ‘Guys, I’m 50 years old, of course I’m slower.”
“I’m Not Throwing It Away”
Kurt thought that WWE was hoping he would be able to face Cena next year at WrestleMania 36. When he asked to retire at WrestleMania 35, Vince infortmed him he was already involved in a feud.
He recalled being told by Vince McMahon that “You have a program that you’ve been doing for a year; I’m not throwing it away. It’s with Baron Corbin, so whether you want to retire now or whenever, you’re going to wrestle Baron at WrestleMania.”
Angle agreed, saying “‘You know what, that’s fair. You’re right.’ I can’t just change the whole thing and what they had planned and say ‘Hey, add Cena in.’ So I think that if it was next WrestleMania [36], it would have been John and I.”
Kurt Angle recently appeared in a backstage segment during this past Monday’s RAW Reunion special. He helped set up a matchup between Rey Mysterio and Sami Zayn.
The Miz recently spoke with The Wrap about a wide range of topics and during the interview, he brought up Baron Corbin.
This was when he was asked about his own current positioning as a babyface on WWE RAW. Before this turn, he played a heel.
“It took 13 years for people to realize my talent, I think. If you really think about it– a lot of people say Baron Corbin is that heel that you just can’t stand, you don’t want to watch, blah, blah, blah,” Miz said. “I was that guy for a long time. It took a long, long time.”
WWE has pushed Corbin as a top heel on the Raw roster over the last year that resulted in backlash from fans as some people don’t see him in the same light as WWE officials.
Miz also talked about his own babyface turn where he noted that WWE didn’t change him from being a heel but rather the fans did. He thinks fans seeing him on ‘Miz & Mrs’ made them realize that he’s not the character that he portrays on WWE television.
He continued, “And yeah, I do a great job as a bad guy, as a villain, but I’m enjoying this new challenge of being a good guy. And guess what? It takes time to develop, even though I am a seasoned vet, even though I’ve been there for so many years. This is a whole different dynamic that I have to get used to, that I have to find.”
The WWE Universe may not be entirely behind Baron Corbin, but one of his Superstar colleagues appears to be.
Former Universal Champion, Seth Rollins, spoke with the Tampa Bay Times and had some high praise for his rival, Corbin.
“You know what, he’s come a long way,” Rollins stated. “For a guy who came into the developmental system with no clout, he wasn’t from the indies, and he never wrestled a match before, he stepped into the doors in Tampa, and he learned very quickly from some of the best guys we have in our industry.”
Rollins explained that Corbin wasn’t given much of a chance by people, including himself.
“He comes from a different world and sometimes you can be ostracized for that. He’s a guy who took a bit of the hazing, but he pushed through, persevered, and he grew really love the industry, and he has dedicated the last four years of his life to being on the road nonstop.”
Seth argued that Baron Corbin works just as hard as anyone else on the WWE roster. He went on to call him a “huge contributor to our roster and the product we put out every week.”
Chris Jericho recently uploaded an episode of his popular podcast, Talk Is Jericho, where he dissected tonight’s Stomping Grounds card.
Near the end of the show, Jericho began to analyze the Universal Championship match between Seth Rollins and Baron Corbin. He discussed why this match has failed to connect with the fans, who seem apathetic to the event as a whole.
“This match, to me, once again is one of the problems with WWE, and maybe one of the reasons why tickets haven’t sold well in Tacoma. […] Maybe this is one of the reasons: we just saw this match two weeks ago [at WWE Super ShowDown]. The classic thing is ‘my neighbor’s a good guy, too,’ doesn’t mean he [Corbin] should be headlining pay-per-views over and over again.”
“There’s heat, there’s ‘go-away’ heat, there’s ‘this guy isn’t ready’ heat. Corbin—solid worker, solid personality, great guy. I don’t think he’s ready for the main event, especially when you got Samoa Joe four or five matches down working for the United States Championship. Flip-flop it,” Jericho suggested.
He added WWE should “Let Corbin work his way up through the ranks and let a guy who is a legit, proven headliner who has drawn money [be in the main event].”
Jericho explained that whereas Samoa Joe can “walk the walk and talk the talk,” Baron Corbin is still clearly learning his craft.
The two will clash for the Universal Championship tonight at WWE Stomping Grounds. A major aspect of their rivalry has revolved around who will be the special guest referee for their matchup—a mystery that will be answered tonight.
WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins has his first title defense booked.
During Monday’s episode of RAW in Des Moines, IA at the Wells Fargo Arena, WWE held two triple threat matches that were contested with the winners of those bouts going one on one later in the night, with the winner of that match being crowned the new #1 contender for the title.
The triple threat matches were AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe and The Miz vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Baron Corbin. The winners of these matches were Styles and Corbin. The winner of the final contest was Styles.
As a result, Styles has secured the right to be called the #1 contender and will now challenge Rollins for the Universal Title at WWE’s next pay-per-view event, Money in the Bank.
WWE presents the Money In The Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, May 19, 2019 in Hartford, CT at the XL Center that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks.
What are your thoughts on this star being Rollins’ first title defense as Universal Champion at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view event? Sound off in the comment section.
A lot can happen from now through mid-July, but it’s worth noting that WWE submitted the following matches to the venue to advertise for the show:
Universal Champion Seth Rollins vs Baron Corbin
Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton
AJ Styles vs. Drew McIntyre
Of course, we know the old adage, “Card Subject to Change.” There can’t be too many fans excited about Baron Corbin in the Universal Championship picture, so let’s hope that comes into play for this show.
If you’re in the Philadelphia area and Baron Corbin main eventing a WWE pay-per-view interests you, visit WellsFargoCenterPhilly.com for ticket information.
Wells Fargo Center website is promoting Baron Corbin challenging Seth Rollins for the Universal title at Extreme Rules in July. Gonna be a long summer, folks.
Roman Reigns would emerge victorious from his matchup against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 35. Now it seems that “The Big Dog” is set for his next major feud, one that pits him against another wrestler who came away with a win at ‘Mania.
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, Roman Reigns’ next feud will be against the man who retired Kurt Angle: Baron Corbin.
Meltzer explained that “It looks like Baron Corbin is being groomed for Roman Reigns, which least explains his win over Kurt [Angle],” Dave Meltzer.
Corbin’s victory over Angle shocked many of the WWE Universe. It did, however, give him a huge victory over a living legend. The win arguably raised his stock within the company for big name feuds going forward. It also demonstrates the faith WWE has in him as a talent—hence the purported clash with Reigns on the horizon. The two will supposedly be facing one another during WWE’s upcoming live events schedule.
Of course, it’s worth noting that Vince McMahon is prone to changing his mind. With the Superstar Shake-Up taking place next week on Monday Night RAW, these plans could change if one of them were to be drafted to a different brand.
Baron Corbin heard the criticism from fans about WWE deciding to have him as the final opponent for WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle in his final match inside of the squared circle.
Many fans were surprised by the fact that Corbin beat the legendary wrestler in his farewell bout at WrestleMania 35. Well, on Monday, Corbin took to his official Twitter account to brag about the big win and poked fun at how the fans acted like cry babies about the outcome of the contest. He wrote the following:
To all the cry babies out there who complained and thought I should be replaced, hahahahaha eat that!
There are people who deserve things and people who just take them, I just take them! @WWE#Wrestlemania35
On Monday, April 8th, Triple H took to his official Twitter account to announce several upcoming NXT live events.
The black-and-yellow brand will do a four-day tour starting at the Sands Event Center in Bethlehem, Pa., on Thursday, May 16. NXT then makes its debut at the Fillmore in Philadelphia the following night on Friday, May 17.
From there, NXT heads to APG Federal Credit Union Arena in Bel Air, Md. on Saturday, May 18 (TICKET INFO), before wrapping up the road trip on Sunday, May 19, at the Asbury Park Convention Hall in Asbury Park, N.J.
Tickets for all four events will be available starting this Friday, April 12 at 10 a.m. local time at NXTtickets.com.
NXT Champion Johnny Gargano, NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, NXT North American Champion The Velveteen Dream, NXT Tag Team Champions The War Raiders, Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly, Kairi Sane, Matt Riddle, Bianca Belair are all advertised for the show.
At least one person is eagerly anticipating Baron Corbin versus Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 35, believing their encounter could steal the show. It turns out that person is Baron Corbin himself.
Taking to his Twitter account, Corbin would share a picture hyping their clash. The image boldly proclaims his upcoming match against Angle would be “An unprecedented 8-star match.”
He accompanied the image with a message directed towards his WrestleMania opponent: “Enjoy your last week because after next Sunday it’s Murder she wrote, puzzles and Tapioca pudding. #eod”
Enjoy your last week because after next Sunday it’s Murder she wrote, puzzles and Tapioca pudding. #eodpic.twitter.com/ltv0ou07fD
The WWE Universe, as well as current and former members of WWE’s roster, have shared their reactions, which have ranged from flat out negative to bemused. Even John Cena who, at one point, was heavily rumored to be coming back in order to face off against Kurt posted a response. Recent rumor suggests that Cena will be at ‘Mania, now potentially competing in a match as opposed to interrupting Elias.
This is an undeniably huge opportunity for Baron Corbin. It’s probably one of the biggest matches of his career, especially given the gravitas of Angle’s retirement hanging over it. That gravitas, however, is why so many have reacted negatively to Corbin being granted the honor.
The two will face off this Sunday, April 7th, at WrestleMania 35 from the MetLife Stadium in Rutherford, New Jersey.
Do you think there’s more to this? Will it really be Corbin vs Angle on Sunday? If it is, do you think the match will be better than most suspect?
Both fans and pro wrestling veterans continue to comment on Kurt Angle’s retirement match at WrestleMania 35. Angle revealed that his final matchup would be against Baron Corbin, of all people.
In the run-up to ‘Mania, Angle has been having a farewell tour of sorts, wrestling high calibre athletes on both RAW and SmackDown before his match with Corbin on April 7th.
Now Jim Ross has commented further on the announcement via his podcast, The Jim Ross Report.
“Underwhelmed”
Ross would preface that he has “no issues” with Baron Corbin, admitting that he believes he has a lot of potential and a “significant and visible upside” before stating that “He’s just not there yet.”
Extrapolating on his initial tweet, in which he shared he (like most) was “underwhelmed” by Kurt’s opponent, Ross explains that his comment had “nothing to do with ability, the work ethic, the passion of performing of Baron Corbin. Nothing! Not even the same time zone. It has everything to do with how you honor Kurt Angle going out.”
He would go on to say that “[…] I thought WWE might have done a better job of selecting somebody else — and they still might! Who knows? Hell, I don’t know. That’s not an unfathomable idea. But let’s say it’s going to be Corbin and Kurt,” he continued, “do everything you can to make it special, but it could have been made more special if it was somebody that was more tenured and was perceived by the audience as more ‘over.’ I just think Angle deserves everything that he can be provided to make his retirement match meaningful and memorable. He deserves that. I don’t know if you can get there with Kurt Angle versus Baron Corbin.”
Rumor up until Angle’s announcement had revolved around John Cena coming back, providing Kurt with a retirement match deeply rooted to their first ever encounter when Cena debuted in 2002.
Paul Heyman has made it known that he was the man years ago during a Q&A session to predict that Charlotte Flair would be in a WrestleMania main event during her career in WWE.
The company has already confirmed that WWE RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch vs. Flair will headline WrestleMania.
Heyman shared a link to a video from his WrestleMania 33 Axxess Q&A where he made this prediction as well as tweeted out the following:
John Cena continues to have fun at the expense of Baron Corbin. The former WWE Champion shared a photo of Corbin last week and did so again this week on his official Instagram account. This is all due to the backlash from fans about the fact that WWE decided to have Corbin face WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle at the upcoming WrestleMania 35 event.
This will mark Angle’s farewell match, and Corbin will serve as his final opponent, which didn’t sit well with people due to the legendary career that Angle has had in the pro wrestling business. Cena shared a photoshopped image of Corbin’s face on his body while in the ring with Angle.
This image is actually from Cena’s in-ring main roster debut where he battled Angle on an episode of SmackDown in 2002 where they wrestled a match. You can see it here.
The WWE Universe is still reacting to Kurt Angle’s announcement on Monday Night RAW. During this week’s episode, Angle would reveal his WrestleMania 35 opponent to be Baron Corbin.
This news was met with a wave of negative reactions from across WWE’s fans. At the time of writing, their YouTube video of the promo currently sits at 14k dislikes. Current and former WWE Superstars including Matt Riddle and Gail Kim have also voiced their thoughts — which seem to align with the majority of the audience.
Now, the man who was speculated to be the one to face him, John Cena, has addressed Angle’s retirement match.
Cena is known to utilize his social media in a cryptic manner. Many posts allude to or hint at news rather than outright addressing rumors. As an example, a recent post on his Instagram was a picture of a young Kurt Angle. This was uploaded on March 12th in an obvious tease that he would be back at ‘Mania to wrestle Kurt one last time.
This post, however, is more on the nose. It features a fan in a Carmella cap holding up a sign that reads “Baron Corbin Is A Dumpster Fire.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvO14QhFSUE/
Cena didn’t accompany the post with any thoughts or insight, allowing the image to speak for itself and, in theory, represent his feelings on the matter.
Kurt Angle’s announcement on Monday Night RAW is still being met with negative backlash. He announced that his retirement match this April 7th at WrestleMania 35 would be against Baron Corbin.
At the time of writing, WWE’s YouTube clip of the reveal is sitting at 14k dislikes and 5.7k likes.
It’s safe to say that the WWE Universe is decidedly underwhelmed by this revelation, especially given Angle’s calibre, status, and history.
PWInsider.com has reported that Angle’s opponent reveal isn’t “a swerve to lead to something else.” They added that the plan backstage prior to RAW was committed to “100% Angle vs. Corbin at WrestleMania.”
Whether this changes due to their fanbases’ negative reaction is yet to be seen. The power of the WWE Universe has helped affect change in the past, such as Daniel Bryan’s journey to WrestleMania 30 and the current Kofi-Mania we are experiencing in the run-up to WrestleMania 35.
“I Realize It’s Not The Most Popular Decision”
Angle actually took his Instagram account to address the reaction to Monday’s announcement.
“My farewell match will be against Baron Corbin at Wrestlemania. I realize it’s not the most popular decision from a fan’s perspective… BUT I will make Corbin tap out on the biggest stage of them all…. and I Hope you can share this moment/accomplishment with me on April 7th. Baron is a legit tough guy. It won’t be easy but it never is. #itstrue #wrestlemania35 #wwe #wrestling”
With so many potential opponents available to him, and speculation circulating that he may have faced off against John Cena in what would have been a beautiful piece of narrative closure, it’s hard to debate the fan reaction. Given this is Angle’s retirement match, it becomes all the more understandable.
WrestleMania 35 will take place on April 7th from the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. It is speculated to become the longest event in WrestleMania history.
WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle’s retirement match has been confirmed. On last night’s (Mon. March 18, 2019) episode of Monday Night RAW, Angle announced he’d be facing Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35. Angle wants revenge for the hell Corbin caused him when he was General Manager of RAW.
However, upon the announcement, fans were extremely disappointed with the decision. Instead, chants of “we want Cena” broke out. John Cena is expected to be competing at WrestleMania 35, but is currently without an opponent. It looks like the likes of WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross share the WWE Universe’s disappointment.
In response to the news of Angle vs. Corbin at WrestleMania, Ross called the news “underwhelming” on Twitter:
Even Angle’s wife, Giovanna, had some unfavorable comments about the match-up on Twitter. She initially Tweeted out, “The fans chanting We want Cena…..we feel ya!” She later responded to Ross’ “underwhelming” Tweet with, “Very.” Both of Giovanna’s Tweets have since been deleted.
