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When Thomas Pestock was born, we're betting his parents would never conceive of just how much hate he would one day receive from an audience millions strong. Yet, that is exactly what has happened to the man better known by his ring name, Baron Corbin, or King Baron Corbin if you're not into the whole brevity thing.
The young Thomas Pestock was a large framed man who also happened to be a gifted natural athlete. He first turned his sights upon professional boxing, winning the regional Missouri Golden Gloves designation, which is no small feat.
Soon thereafter, Pestock would switch his attention to football. He starred while in college and was successful enough to play for two different NFL teams before being released. Then he turned his sights upon pro wrestling. WWE scouts were so impressed they offered Pestock a developmental deal even though he had no prior wrestling experience.
Baron Corbin was generally well received by fans while on the NXT roster, but ever since he's been brought up to the 'main' rosters of Smackdown and RAW, fans have decided that they can't stand him. This goes beyond typical heel heat, becoming what some in the industry refer to as "X-Pac Heat," meaning that the fans don't hate Corbin the character, they just don't want him on their screens or in the ring at all.
But is all of this hate justified? We'd have to say no. Here are five reasons why fans who despise King Baron Corbin are dead wrong.
#5. He has legitimate 'tough guy' credentials.
Back in the 'old school' days of professional wrestling, when kayfabe was a creed that was taken with deathly seriousness, you'd never see someone like Lio Rush being seriously pushed in the business. This is not a knock against Rush's size, but rather his lack of legit real world tough guy credentials. For example, Kyle O'Reilly isn't much bigger than Rush, but has combat sports credentials, giving him old school grit.
Baron Corbin also has legit combat sports credentials from his amateur boxing days. This, combined with his size and athleticism, makes him an easier sell to the audience as someone who could legitimately beat the snot out of another man.
Corbin also has some Jiu Jitsu under his belt, meaning all the fans who want to throttle him probably couldn't actually accomplish the feat.
#4. He's a versatile performer who can fulfill multiple roles in the company.
Like it or not--and we know most of you do not--Baron Corbin has been featured prominently on WWE television for years on both RAW and SmackDown. Not only that, he will continue to be featured prominently in WWE programming for many years to come.
While the mere notion of a twenty year career for Baron Corbin might fill many fans with abject dread, it's just a testament to Baron Corbin's versatility as a performer. Whether he's in a singles match, a tag team match, or a gimmick match, Baron Corbin is one of the most consistent, clean, and botch free performers in WWE.
Corbin's long list of talents, however, extend beyond the ring. Corbin is also capable of garnering a lot of heat just by opening his big mouth. He was able to perform capably and well in his role as RAW general manager, another bit of evidence that he's more talented than fans want to give him credit for.
#3. His finishing moves are awesome.
While some fans may decry Baron Corbin's move set as being bland or generic, almost no one will deny that when it comes to finishers and signature moves he's quite impressive.
Baron Corbin developed the End of Days move while honing his craft in NXT. One of his training partners jumped at him with a cross body press, and Corbin caught him as planned. But then he started to lose his balance, and rather than drop his partner and botch he turned it into a swinging sidewalk slam. Undertaker himself has given accolades to Corbin's End of Days finisher, which is high praise indeed.
Not to mention he has other tools, such as the Deep Six, which is a spectacular luchador style spinning sacrifice power bomb. Corbin has enough flash to keep the WWE Universe entertained for a long time to come--if they allow him to.
#2. Baron Corbin never LEGIT injures his opponents.
Professional Wrestlers, or sports entertainers if you prefer, are carefully and meticulously trained to avoid causing lasting harm to each other.
Sure, chops to the chest hurt and can bruise, and no wrestler walks out of the ring without some soreness and aches. While the ring is padded and features a large spring, it still causes pain with every single body slam or bump.
With that stated, most of the time pro wrestlers walk away from the ring without a serious injury that will keep them out of action or require surgery. This is because of the aforementioned training, but accidents do happen. Seth Rollins, the top heel in WWE at the moment, is a great wrestler who takes care of his opponents, but even he put both Sting and Finn Balor on the shelf with botches.
But you know who never botches? King Baron Corbin. You might think his style is bland, but he's never put someone on the shelf with a botch. That puts him in rare company indeed, and is another reason he doesn't deserve so much fan hate.
#1. Corbin is built to be a champion.
While wrestling is a place where you can see high flying cruiserweights and luchadors plying their risky trade, there's just something special about seeing a super heavyweight duke it out in the ring.
Most of the major wrestling stars have been big men. Hulk Hogan was six foot eight inches. Of course, Andre the Giant tipped the scales at five hundred pounds, and even Ric Flair is over six feet tall.
Baron Corbin is six foot six inches tall, and a very lean and athletic two hundred eighty five pounds. He's built like a man who would beat other men up for a living, adding to his credibility as both a pro wrestler and a champion.
Like it or not, Baron Corbin has all the tools to enjoy a long career in the WWE. Fans who waste their energy hating him are just plain wrong, and now you've seen the evidence to prove it.
There you have it; Five reasons why fans should not hate King Baron Corbin. Questions or comments? Please leave them below the article, and as always thanks for reading!
