Baron Corbin is the 2017 Money in the Bank winner, meaning he had a golden chance to become heavyweight champion. All he had to do was cash it in at the right time and defeat the current champion.
For some reason, the Lone Wolf felt that the Aug. 15 edition of WWE SmackDown was the perfect time to cash in. Corbin went out to unload on Cena, capping it with the MOTB briefcase.
Aware that Jinder Mahal already took quite a beating, Corbin felt it was the best time as ever to cash in. Unfortunately, he forgot about Cena who served a distraction, losing to the Modern Day Maharajah and wasting the chance to rise to new heights.
Corbin joins MOTB list of shame
Corbin’s setback technically makes him the second WWE star to cash in the MOTB briefcase. Daniel Bryan was the first one to fail against Mark Henry in 2011. A technicality reversed the outcome, and the current SmackDown general manager was given back the briefcase. Bryan would cash in again against the Big Show and become WWE champion in the same year.
Damien Sandow is the first star to cleanly lose the privilege, falling to John Cena in 2013 at WWE Hell in a Cell. Ironically, the 40-year-old had a hand in costing the Lone Wolf that title reign opportunity.
Stakes raised for SummerSlam
Corbin and Cena are set to face off at SummerSlam 2017, and the botched MOTB cash-in offers a new perspective.
The Lone Wolf will be seeking payback and the only plausible way right now is for him to demolish the former champion.
The development thus adds more color to the blunt match with most believing it was made since Cena didn't have someone to fight. The actor/wrestler is expected to leave the WWE scene soon as he focuses on his role in the “Transformers” spin-off “BumbleBee.”
There are still several weeks to go before SummerSlam 2017, meaning the creative team will try to add more flavor to the feud.
It may include plenty of physicalities, something that should benefit Corbin more than Cena.
Looking ahead, Corbin can still make a run at the WWE title even without the special MOTB opportunity. He just needs the right push to be a main event wrestler, meaning he will have to work for his keep.
That is unless the creative team has something up their sleeve for the SummerSlam 2017 main event.
One scenario could see him distracting Mahal and costing him the title. Then again, he could help Shinsuke Nakamura win and challenge the Japanese star. Between Mahal and Nakamura, the Lone Wolf obviously has better chances with the smaller former NXT champion.
Those could be plausible scenarios though he needs to deal with Cena first. Keep a close eye on SummerSlam 2017, a WWE pay-per-view where surprises are expected to happen.
