WWE News: Baron Corbin Gets Praise From Current And Former Superstars After King Of The Ring Victory
On this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, Baron Corbin won this year’s revived King of the Ring tournament, defeating Chad Gable in a match that could see the former NFL player further establish himself as one of WWE’s top heels. While many fans have been critical of Corbin’s in-ring work and character for years, the “Lone Wolf” happens to have at least a couple of well-known fans who believe in his ability as a wrestler, including a former WWE talent known for his opinionated social media comments on the current product and an active superstar with multiple world championships on his resume.
As reported by WrestlingNews.co, Corbin’s win over Gable in the King of the Ring finals got a quick reaction from ex-WWE superstar Lance Storm, who tweeted during Monday Night Raw that Corbin “takes a lot of sh*t” but nonetheless should be respected for being a safe wrestler.
“[T]hat dude always plants guys flat and safe. Even when that catch didn’t go right,” Storm continued.
Hours later, 13-time world champion Randy Orton replied to Storm’s tweet, likewise putting Corbin over and providing positive feedback for the newly crowned King of the Ring.
“Hate to say it but he’s one of the few that gets the art.”
Aside from the likes of Storm and Orton, WWE owner chairman Vince McMahon has also been described in the past as someone who believes in Corbin. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Wrestling Observer Radio‘s Dave Meltzer reported in June that McMahon was largely responsible for Corbin’s main-event push at the time, with the WWE boss apparently a fan of the big man’s appearance and “good looks.” Regarding the latter, Meltzer interestingly added that McMahon sees Corbin as a wrestler whom women can “swoon” over.
Hey @WWEGable take a look at this picture and remember he was a GOLD medalist in the Olympics. What place did you get again? @WWE #KingCorbin pic.twitter.com/lquA4VWBGK
— Corbin (@BaronCorbinWWE) September 16, 2019
Despite the frequent criticism lobbied Corbin’s way since he debuted on WWE’s main roster early in 2016, the former Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman has had his share of defenders in and out of the wrestling business. On Monday, Forbes‘ Alfred Konuwa pointed out that Corbin was the only “legit” heel in the 16-man King of the Ring tournament this year, as the other heels were “paper villains” — wrestlers such as Samoa Joe and Cesaro who are beloved by audiences despite their rule-breaking characters. He added that fans now appear to be more accepting of Corbin following his “lukewarm” Universal Championship feud against reigning champion Seth Rollins.
“This time around, fans booed Baron Corbin, which is always par for the course, but they did so in the context of animosity toward the character, not the man,” Konuwa added.
