WWE WrestleMania 36 Results: Elias And Baron Corbin’s Best Days Are Clearly Behind Them

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made the surprising decision to book Elias vs. Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 36, and though Elias picked up the cheap win with a roll-up, the future isn’t looking all that bright for either star.

Though both Corbin and Elias have gotten consistent TV time and been involved in marquee storylines during their brief main roster careers, neither star is particularly happy with his current positioning on SmackDown. Elias recently expressed dissatisfaction with his spot on the card, telling Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radio (h/t WrestlingNews.co)

I am begging for the opportunity to be, you know, even further along than where I am. And you know what, it’s great. I’m on television every week and people feel alive. But I tell you what, man, I feel like I’m capable of even more. I am looking for that on all aspects, to the point where people might be getting upset with me [because] I’m pushing so hard…So, you know, I’m just waiting for, you know, for the door to open up just a little bit. So I can bust through you know what I’m saying? Man that’s all I’m asking for.”

Corbin expressed a similar sentiment on the After The Bell podcast with Corey Graves (h/t SEScoops):

“I want that spot [with Lesnar and The Rock]. That’s why it’s a double-edged sword for me because you [WWE] put me up there at the top but you’re not handing me the ball. Give me the ball, so now I’m frustrated going, ‘What do I got to do to take that?’ And then I’ve finished with Roman [Reigns], so I have to cycle back through, so now I’ve got to scratch and claw to get back to that top spot.” 

Not handing him the ball? Agree to disagree.

Though Corbin’s role on TV hasn’t always translated to a lot of major victories, he has been one of the most pushed performers across all WWE programming over the past few years. Vince McMahon has reportedly long been a huge supporter of Corbin, and Corbin himself even said that McMahon “has been a big fan of mine.” That’s been blatantly obvious given the way that Corbin has been booked since 2018, when he was the most pushed heel on both Raw and SmackDown for significant stretches, even feuding with the likes of Kurt Angle (ultimately retiring him at WrestleMania, nonetheless), Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. Corbin’s push has been one of the most controversial pushes WWE has been firmly behind in recent years as the man formerly known as “The Lone Wolf” has been criticized for being boring and/or lacking charisma.

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But well-respected performers like Angle have called Corbin “the best heel in the business,” and there’s no doubt that few villains can draw the ire of WWE fans like he can. Aside from his Money in the Bank and King of the Ring victories, however, Corbin has largely been used to put over WWE’s top babyfaces, which actually isn’t a bad position to be in because he essentially is always featured in a prominent role. If you look at the way Corbin has been pushed for two-plus years, it’s hard to imagine him doing anything bigger or better than what he’s done while feuding with top babyfaces like Angle, Rollins and Reigns. Aside from a world title reign—which seems unlikely following his lackluster and lopsided feud with Reigns—it’s difficult to envision the future being brighter for Corbin than his past was.

The same is true of Elias, who recently missed out on the biggest match of his career when his planned WrestleMania 36 match against John Cena was scrapped after WWE made a series of last-minute changes to the Mania card. Prior to the announcement of his match with Corbin, Elias once again expressed disappointment with his positioning in WWE when he had the following to say on Busted Open Radio (h/t What Culture) about his WrestleMania 36 role:

“You know, without giving too much away here, I had a big, a very big, disappointment here as far as WrestleMania coming up. I thought some things were really going to happen for Elias, things went one way or another, and we’re not so sure what’s going on now.”

That was an obvious reference to his cancelled match with Cena, which is just the latest in a long line of disappointing booking for the man formerly known as “The Drifter.” When he was moved to SmackDown in April 2019, Elias was heralded by Vince McMahon as the “greatest acquisition in SmackDown history” and instantly placed into a feud with Reigns. Much like Corbin, however, it was quite clear that Elias’ role was simply to put over Reigns, as has been the case for much of his career when he’s done that for stars like Braun Strowman. Elias missed a long stretch of action due to injury last year, and he returned as a babyface last November, a logical move given his history as a top merchandise seller.

As is typically the case, however, Elias has largely been left out of the storyline loop on SmackDown, participating mostly in non-wrestling backstage segments. While that role is a natural fit for his entertaining character, it has hampered his room for advancement up the card. On that same token, Elias—much like Corbin—has crossed paths with a handful of top stars during his career, and yet, WWE has made it clear that he’s there to put over those stars, not the other way around.

While Elias picking up a victory over Corbin at WrestleMania 36, that is about as good as it gets for the popular star. There are no indications, after all, that he is ever going to rise back up the card because WWE seems content keeping him right where he is: Stuck in midcard purgatory.