2019 was a breakout year for the man now known as King Corbin. He challenged for the Universal Championship, became King Of The Ring, and would enter a high level feud with Roman Reigns. Through all this, he got plenty of backlash from fans calling him boring and undeserving of his role. One other complaint was that he never went far enough as a heel. This past Friday on Smackdown, to help set up their match at Wrestlemania, he might have finally hit that level with his beat down of Elias.
Leaving Elias For Dead
On Friday Night Smackdown, we would see a brawl between Corbin & Elias take place on an elevated platform, ending with Elias being pushed off to the concrete below. While this might have seemed rather extreme, it is exactly what a heel like Corbin should be doing. He has often played a more cowardly role, despite being a 6’6″ certified heavyweight. With a power and size advantage over a bulk of the Smackdown roster, it makes little sense to have him cower from anyone or need backup. He should be the dangerous heel that a wrestling show needs, someone capable of doing great damage without remorse, someone easily hated. There isn’t anyone filling that role within WWE, but Corbin was made for this.
Many Backstage Feel King Corbin Is A Fantastic Heel
In an era where the heel is often the cooler option to cheer, Corbin is one of the few to be able to generate heat from all audiences. This is noticed backstage. While on the After The Bell podcast with Corey Graves, he spoke about a conversation he had with Matt Hardy during a tour of Europe. ”
“I bust my ass to be the best heel on the face of the earth. You do it within the confines of what we’re allowed to do. I can go on social media and break all the rules and people would be nuclear. But I can’t. Number one, I’m a professional. Number two, it’s a respect thing for the company I work for because I love the company I work for. That’s when you’re good, when you can do it in the confines of PG. That’s hard to do. Especially with all these morons who want you to be cool and flip everybody off and say things. That’s not cool man, that’s just cheap.
It can be frustrating because you just want somebody to go, ‘Hey man, you’re really good at making people hate you.’ Matt Hardy pulled me aside on a Europe tour and said, ‘I want to say thank you. You’re a true heel and you don’t care about what the internet says and it’s really hard to do nowadays and I appreciate it.’ Then I’m going, I’m good for two years. Because you’re getting it from people who matter. When Vince or Hunter are telling me I’m doing a good job, then I’m doing a good job.”
Do you think King Corbin is one of the best heels in wrestling today? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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