Top Opponents for Baron Corbin at WWE WrestleMania 33

The New Era in WWE has been defined largely by the influx of the best talent from all over the world with much less focus on homegrown talent. This has made the true homegrown success stories this year stand out with Baron Corbin the most prominent success as he has grown into a main event role on SmackDown Live.

Corbin has steadily improved as a monster heel, becoming a vicious brawler with an overconfident edge. His matches against Kalisto and Dolph Ziggler have been surprisingly strong clashes, though he has mostly made his mark on the mic to this point with promos that are seeping with personality, particularly when he can let loose on Talking Smack.

For WWE to retain a sustainable and deep roster, talent like Corbin must be promoted and steadily developed. As the Road to WrestleMania approaches, while old stars including Goldberg and Brock Lesnar take major spots on the card, it is essential that Corbin is one of SmackDown's focal points.

WrestleMania has always been a time for stars to be born, particularly when the younger talent are allowed to work one-on-one contests on such a huge stage. Corbin could very well break out if he is given a serious singles match against a top opponent this year at Mania, and it is vital that he at least gets the chance.

The following are the four best candidates for Baron Corbin to face at his second WrestleMania that would help solidify him as one of the major stars on SmackDown for the rest of 2017.

Credit: WWE.com

John Cena

Just this past Tuesday, Corbin battled John Cena for the first time, and it was a powerful showing for Corbin, even if his loss came off a simple comeback sequence. The two did not get enough time to steal the show, but there was a sense that they might be able to work well together down the line.

As a running theme the past few years, Cena has been paired with the biggest, brightest star heel to battle at WrestleMania, and SmackDown has no bigger rising heel right now than Corbin. The match makes itself with the story straightforward. Cena has claimed that he will retake the New Era from the young rising stars, and Corbin has always been willing to put down those in his way.

This would be a slugfest where both men would have to resort to their best strikes. As long as Cena took this match more seriously than their match on SmackDown, it could be an energetic bout that would resemble Cena's best matches against Triple H, Cesaro and Sheamus.

With Cena becoming a bigger star every year, WWE may just want Cena to headline against higher-profile competition rather than help a star develop. Whether he wins the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble or not, he could be paired with anyone from The Undertaker to Bray Wyatt to Roman Reigns in an interpromotional match.

Credit: WWE.com

AJ Styles

The best match of Corbin's career so far was his Triple Threat WWE Championship clash with AJ Styles and Ziggler. This wasn't truly surprising as Styles has been bringing the best out of everyone he has wrestled this past year, and Corbin naturally works well with the high-risk offense of Styles.

This would require one of the two men to turn face, which would be easy for Styles, who still remains a fan favorite. Once Styles had turned, this would simply be about two men both intensely focused on the WWE Championship (as long as Styles remains champion into WrestleMania). Corbin would be the upstart looking to finally prove his worth by taking down a veteran at the top of his game.

Styles may be the rare wrestler who could make an even bigger mark at WrestleMania than Shawn Michaels as The Phenomenal One always has a hidden arsenal of extra moves to pick out for the biggest events. He can sell the destructive style of Corbin better than most anyone else, which would help make this a true WrestleMania-worthy encounter.

It was not that long ago that Styles turned heel, and it was only thanks to the turn that Styles has been able to cut main event-worthy promos. WWE would likely not be in favor of Styles turning just to set up a match that lacks in star power. While it would be fantastic, this may be a match better left for later in the year.

Credit: WWE.com

The Undertaker

The Undertaker has wrestled only once a year for the most part over these last few years, so it has become difficult to say who he will pair up well with. When he has wrestled, he has been paired with mostly older stars. This does not take away from the enticing possibility of Taker clashing with Corbin, who would have been an ideal opponent for Taker a few years back.

Corbin has always been driven to make an impact with his current crusade focused on capturing the WWE Championship. If that fails, Taker could easily be his next target as The Deadman is such a WrestleMania icon that defeating him is just as huge an accomplishment as winning a championship. Taker has dealt with his share of cocky rookies, but he would now have to prove he could still hang with young blood.

Corbin is the rare performer that truly resembles Taker in his style with a heavy striking focus to his offense. The two are similarly built and work matches in a similar manner, so it is easy to imagine how good they could be together. As long as Taker is in good shape for the encounter, this could be the match that truly stands as Taker passing the torch.

It is unlikely that Taker has much time that he will be able to keep working in WWE. Thus every match is precious, and it seems unlikely WWE has big enough plans this coming year for Corbin that they would make him one of The Deadman's final opponents.

Credit: WWE.com

Dean Ambrose

Ambrose has battled Corbin once before, in a main event clash on SmackDown that was interrupted by interference. The match hinted at the true potential between the duo, but it also left much up to the imagination until the future, which makes their next encounter far more enticing.

If Corbin cannot win a shot at the WWE Championship, the Intercontinental Championship is still in play with Ambrose likely to finish his feud with The Miz before Mania. Corbin would not have to try too hard to convince Ambrose to put up his title with the Lunatic Fringe, known for being a hothead who will take on anyone.

It has been concerning at times how much Ambrose holds back in his matches these days. His offense has grown sloppy and somewhat contradictory to his strengths, but he knows how important Mania is. If he puts in the effort that he is capable of, his encounter with Corbin would be a physically intense affair with Ambrose bumping for Corbin's powerful offense.

This match almost seems too easy to book as long as WWE doesn't continue the tradition of seven-man ladder matches for the IC title. Ambrose and Corbin make for solid adversaries with both driven to steal the show on a night that will be littered with part-time talent in top matches.