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What’s the story?
Baron Corbin, Corey Graves and Ruby Riott recently visited Inked Magazine to speak about all things tattoos, opening up about their artwork and also chatting about their WWE careers.
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Inked Mag details the piece as "A Riott, a Baron and a Grave" and, while the trio's tattoos proved to be more than skin deep, so did the conversation.
In case you didn’t know…
WWE actually have a show fronted by Corey Graves called Superstar Ink, which is available on the WWE Network, where Graves would chat to one individual star per episode and get a rundown of what tattoos they have and the stories behind them.
The show has even featured AJ Styles getting a tattoo on camera, and visited Luke Gallows' Painted Gypsy Tattoo Shop where he also got some work done to honour the original members of the Bullet Club, as you can see below.
WWE's relationship with WWE stretches back to 2012 when CM Punk was interviewed for the publication, then in 2016, Paige was at the Inked Mag New York State Tattoo Expo.
The heart of the matter
Inked Magazine spoke to Corey Graves, Baron Corbin and Ruby Riott about their tattoos recently, with the trio opening up and telling some pretty cool stories about their ink.
Corey Graves had a pretty unique story about his first ever tattoo.
I was 15 years old and my parents used it as a bargaining tool to get my grades up. It worked I got straight A’s and a tattoo right on the outside of my calf. It’s a cross, and I have known at least 10 different people that have the exact same one.
Graves also spoke about his transition to being a commentator, stating, "It was tough, but I had no choice. If I wanted to survive here I had to make my way and fully embrace it, "stating the transition was difficult but now he loves it, and "can’t think of doing anything else."
The Raw and SmackDown commentator also spoke about his time working as a piercer in a tattoo shop to "support his wrestling habit" for seven years, and said that while he would love to try something outside of WWE, in the way of being in a movie, hosting a show or being in WWE, he has plenty of ambition in the wrestling world.
Hopefully one day I will be the voice of WWE, and I feel like I am this generation’s voice of WWE.
On Superstar Ink, Graves said:
I love getting to hear the back stories about the tattoos from the guys and ladies on the show. I love the tattoo industry and I have spent a lot of my time in that world and it’s always interesting to find out the meaning behind why people get the tattoos they get.
Meanwhile, Ruby Riott opened up about her tattoos.
I got my first tattoo at this small hole-in-the wall tattoo shop in Mishawaka, Indiana. It’s the music notes to “What a Wonderful World’ by Louis Armstrong. It’s not very well done, but it has so much meaning because my dad used to sing that song to me when I was very young.
The Riott Squad leader spoke of how she has about 40 hours of work on her just now, with at least 26 individual pieces. She also spoke about how music and tattoos are a marriage made in heaven for her, and who inspired her to get as covered as she is today.
It was around the same time that I discovered punk rock and fell in love with music. Tattoos were another way for me to express myself. I remember the first time I saw Kat Von D; I saw how much amazing artwork she had all over her body, and I knew it was something that I could relate to and wanted to get into.
The SmackDown star went on to say the reason music was so important to her was that it helped her through some tough times.
I struggled with a bit of an identity crisis when I was young. I came from a broken home because my parents divorced when I was young. So, music became my outlet and my escape.
Riott's name actually comes from the Rancid song, Ruby Soho, but the former NXT star spoke about how music is part of her creative process, and particularly, UK punk is a huge influence for her.
I am constantly listening to music and I have a few songs that I listen to before every match that really put me in the mind space that I need to be in.
Ruby went on to say the fans are a major reason she does what she does, recalling three women who led the way before her.
I feel like it’s my responsibility to show girls who may not necessarily fit in or don’t feel like they belong that they don’t have to change.
When I was younger I used to watch Lita and Molly Holly and Jazz. All three of them in their own way were my favorites. I was drawn to them because they were trailblazers. They looked different, they acted different, and I was hooked.
Baron Corbin opened up about how he may never have gotten into wrestling if it weren't for tattoos, identifying one notorious big guy as an inspiration.
Believe it or not, tattoos kind of drew me in to wrestling because as a kid in Kansas City where I’m from, wrestling has such a rich history. Me and my dad would go to shows at Memorial Hall, and we would watch wrestling on TV. I was exposed to guys that were big and athletic like Bam Bam Bigelow. He had flames tattooed on his head and I thought he was just awesome and the definition of a tough guy.
Corbin added that his father was a huge influence - an ironworker who was tough as nails and pushed Corbin to be the best.
I always tell the story about when I was in a karate tournament and I took 4th place. They gave me a trophy and he told me people in 4th place didn’t get a trophy and he tossed it out the car window. He helped me become very mentally tough and he pushed me to be the best person and athlete I can be.
The former United States Champion added that he knew he wanted to be a kid and that, at his dad's funeral, he spoke about wrestling with his dad and brother from a young age.
Corbin's tattoos and love of metal music saw him named Most Metal Athlete of 2016, but he said his tattoos didn't always look quite so cool.
When I was 18 I got my very first tattoo. It’s a horrible tattoo, it’s a Japanese or Chinese symbol for strength with two weird Celtic knots. I keep thinking I’m going to get it covered up with a big back piece or something but, in that moment, it stirred the pot and I just kept getting covered.
Then I got a giant dragon on my thigh, and a giant tree on the back of my leg, then I started getting my chest done and then I got portraits of my grandfather and my dad. My mom hates every single one of them.
Nowadays, though, Corbin draws on his in-ring experience as ink inspiration.
I got lobo on the back of my head/ear area and it means “wolf” in Spanish. My wife is Spanish, and I want my children to speak Spanish, and I am the Lone Wolf in WWE. Corey Graves actually gave me that name. My character rides the line of that darker world and I have a bunch of horror movie tattoos, as well as Jack the Ripper.
Corbin also runs a clothing label called Liars Club where he collaborates with tattoo artists on designs, but the former Mr Money In The Bank spoke about his ambition in the ring.
I want to be the WWE Champion, and I feel like everybody should want that, and if they don’t they don’t belong here.
You can read the entire interviews here.
What's next?
Well, Baron Corbin and Ruby Riott both perform on RAW, you can see them in the ring on the red brand on Monday nights. While you do that, Corey Graves will be one of the voices you hear throughout the show, but he also stars on SmackDown Live in the role of colour commentator.
Author’s take
This is awesome. It's so cool to hear these three speak so candidly about their tattoos, careers and life in general. It's always endearing to hear personal stories from the heart of Superstars who would often be seen as tough guys or girls - and hopefully, we see more interviews like this from Inked!
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