Below are some top WWE news stories of the day, involving Baron Corbin and Cody Rhodes.
• Baron Corbin shared insights into the creation of his ‘King Corbin’ persona and why it ended sooner than expected.
In a conversation with Sports Illustrated, Corbin revealed that the character was crafted by legendary manager and creative force Paul Heyman.
“I think the pandemic killed the King because that was one of those things that needed to be in front of people,” Corbin explained, shedding light on why the character didn’t have a longer run.
He highlighted that the character’s presentation was key, especially with elements like “being carried to the ring to the obnoxious giant 8,000 lbs. fur coat, and the crown, and all those things.”
Corbin reflected on how essential live crowd interaction was to the character’s success. “That’s something that needs to be presented to a live audience because it lives better that way, where it irritates people. When I’m looking down on them and waving at them from my giant throne that I’m being carried on, it just has more of an effect that way,” he added.
The pandemic’s impact in 2020, with empty arenas and no live audience reactions, ultimately shortened the lifespan of ‘King Corbin.’ Without live crowd energy, the character didn’t connect as Corbin and Heyman had envisioned.
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• Cody Rhodes took center stage as the Undisputed WWE Champion after dethroning Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. Rhodes currently holds the top spot as the company’s leading merchandise seller.
Rhodes enjoys enthusiastic support from fans who cheer, sing along to his theme, and connect with him in various ways. His supporters also show their dedication through high merchandise sales, with WWE providing an extensive range of items for “The American Nightmare”.
Fightful Select confirmed that Rhodes is WWE’s top merch seller right now. He added that Rhodes has consistently led in merchandise sales, except during live events when WWE-branded or Premium Live Event-themed merchandise typically takes precedence.
Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, two of WWE’s top babyfaces right now, have been the top 2 merchandise sellers in WWE for a while now.
