Tom Pestock, AKA Baron Corbin, has been out of WWE for barely two weeks now, but he’s already opening up about his many disappointments with the company and how he feels the COVID-19 pandemic killed off one of his most promising gimmicks.
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Pestock (who has resumed using his legal name rather than the popular Baron Corbin moniker) sat down for an interview with The Takedown before he was abruptly released from WWE a few weeks ago.
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The former Money in the Bank winner spoke about the entirety of his career, including his stint as an offensive lineman for the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals until the shoulder injury that derailed it but focused on the many different persons that he would take on in WWE.
While Baron Corbin was the most famous gimmick, he also took on that of “King Corbin,” an even more arrogant, crown-wearing heel after he won the 2019 King of the Ring tournament. According to Pestock, however, the COVID-19 pandemic basically destroyed his chances of succeeding with that character.
“I think the pandemic killed the King because that was one of those things that needed to be in front of people,” Pestock said. “It was all about the presentation from being carried to the ring to the obnoxious giant 8,000 lbs. fur coat, and the crown, and all those things.”
During the pandemic, WWE’s content was produced first from the empty WWE Performance Center and later from the Thunderdome, a virtual stadium filled with fans on screens. Despite showing early promise in front of live crowds, King Corbin simply didn’t work in that environment, according to Pestock.
“That’s something that needs to be presented to a live audience because it lives better that way, where it irritates people,” Pestock continued. “When I’m looking down on them and waving at them from my giant throne that I’m being carried on, it just has more of an effect that way.”
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The wrestler was quickly rebranded as a destitute “Bum Ass Corbin” version of himself before being transitioned to “Happy Corbin,” a newly rich persona that had gained immense wealth from gambling. Eventually, he resumed the Baron Corbin name and gimmick, but it seems clear that the rotation of various schtick did not sit all that well with him.
Since being abruptly dropped by WWE, Pestock has agreed with fans online that he got something of a raw deal. It would be interesting to see what he would say about all the different Corbin gimmicks now.
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