Baron Corbin surprised the WWE Universe when he won the Money in the Bank competition in 2017, but was unsuccessful in cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase. He outdid that achievement and left fans scratching their heads when he won the United States Championship at the Hell in a Cell PPV in 2017, which was also his first title in the WWE.
Corbin won the title after pinning Tye Dillinger in the triple threat match against Dillinger and the then US Champion, AJ Styles.
Baron Corbin upended the Demon Kane to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in 2016. Surprises were known to be the difference between life and death for WrestleMania and the PPV’s vital signs were very reassuring. The sight of an NXT rookie walking down the ramp for a match that is given as high billing as this was incongruous and after a while, we knew why.
Here are 5 things you need to know about the WWE’s next biggest thing, we hope:
#1 Baron Corbin is Former NFL Offensive Guard and Golden Gloves Champion
The 31-year-old, real name Thomas Pestock was a football standout at the Northwest Missouri State University and is has been to 4 consecutive NCAA Division II National Championships.
The Indiana Colts signed Corbin in April, 2009 after he was not picked up in that year’s Draft. He was released and re-signed in August that year before being released for good in September. The Arizona Cardinals signed him on a futures contract in January 2010. He was released in September that year and made a part of the team’s practice squad.
He was released by the Cardinals in September 2011. Corbin reportedly punched a fellow player after a scuffle broke out during practice. He is also a 2-time Amateur Kansas-Missouri Golden Gloves Champion.
#2 Tons of ink with one theme
One of the things most identifiable things about Corbin are his tattoos. He has spent somewhere between 80 to 90 hours getting inked and all of them pay homage to one of the most important parts of his life – his family.
#3 His father’s always with him
Corbin was very close to his father, Steven, who succumed to Creudzfeldt-Jakob Disease in 2008. Corbin wears his father’s wedding ring on a necklace in his memory.
The disease is considered the human variant of Bovince Spongiform Encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease.
#4 His gimmick
Most WWE Superstars are nothing like their on-screen characters. Most, but not Corbin. His gimmick is, by his own admission, an exaggeration of himself. Corbin’s preferred mode of commuting is a motorcycle and his entrance theme begins with the sound of a motorcycle revving. Corbin has admitted that he’d like to ride his bike to the ring as part of his entrance.
Another example of how his art imitates life is the vest he wears, which he designed himself.
#5 He was snuffed out by Corey Taylor
At 6’8”, 275 lbs, most would agree that Corbin’s a big guy. But that didn’t seem to faze Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor, who slapped Corbin during a match at an event in 2015. While there was a massive, collective sigh of relief when Samoa Joe immediately threw Corbin into the steel steps, don’t be so sure that there was one from Taylor, judging by the velocity of his slap.
