Baron Corbin

King Corbin

Corbin signed with WWE's developmental system *NXT* in August 2012. He made his in-ring debut on October 18 at a house show, losing to Dante Dash. On the May 8, 2013 episode of *NXT*, he lost to Damien Sandow. On the May 29 episode of *NXT*, Corbin unsuccessfully participated in a battle royal for an NXT Championship title opportunity, being eliminated early in the match by Mason Ryan. He then made several appearances as an enhancement talent, with a battle royal to determine the number one contender to the NXT Championship on May 8, 2014 being his last televised match prior to his repackaging.

After a long absence, Corbin returned at NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way with a new look and character, to defeat CJ Parker. Corbin then won numerous singles matches against enhancement talents, each in a short amount of time, until crossing paths with Bull Dempsey, who was also winning his matches quickly, beginning a feud between the two. After a staredown at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution, Corbin won their highly anticipated one-on-one match on the January 14, 2015 episode of *NXT*, breaking Dempsey's undefeated streak in the process. Corbin again defeated Dempsey in the first round of a number one contender's tournament for the NXT Championship, but then was eliminated by Adrian Neville in the semi-final, ending Corbin's undefeated streak. At NXT TakeOver: Rival on February 11, Corbin defeated Dempsey in a no disqualification match to end their feud. He failed to qualify for the André the Giant Memorial at WrestleMania 31 Axxess, losing to Finn Bálor in the first round of a tournament.

On the May 6 episode of *NXT*, Rhyno defeated Bull Dempsey and then called out Corbin for a match at NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable. The following week on *NXT*, Corbin defeated Solomon Crowe, then turned heel when showing a more banterous persona after the crowd turned on him and his short matches, which culminated in Corbin facing off with Rhyno and brawled with him. At NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable on May 20, Corbin defeated Rhyno to end the feud. On the August 12 episode of *NXT*, Corbin defeated Axel Tischer and then subdued Steve Cutler, executing the *End of Days* on the two, until Samoa Joe came out to challenge Corbin and began a brawl, applying the *Coquina Clutch* on Corbin. The following week on *NXT*, Corbin attacked Joe after his match, executed the *End of Days* and set up a match for NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. At the event on August 22, Joe won after Corbin passed out to the *Coquina Clutch*. Corbin then teamed up with his former rival Rhyno as a tag team to take place in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament. On the September 2 episode of *NXT*, they defeated The Ascension in the first round. They then defeated the team of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa in the second round. At NXT TakeOver: Respect on October 7, Corbin and Rhyno defeated Chad Gable and Jason Jordan to advance to the finals of the tournament, where they lost to Finn Bálor and Samoa Joe. After the event, a battle royal was held to determine the number one contender for the NXT Championship, which saw Corbin being lastly eliminated by Apollo Crews, who Corbin attacked during his title match to cost him the title, thus igniting a feud between the two that culminated at NXT TakeOver: London on December 16, where Corbin defeated Crews.

In January 2016, Corbin was involved in a triple threat match between Sami Zayn and Samoa Joe on the January 27 episode of *NXT* to determine the number contender for Finn Bálor's NXT Championship, but Corbin lost after Zayn and Joe both applied their submission holds on Corbin at the same time, with Corbin submitting. NXT General Manager William Regal did not give Corbin another title opportunity, leading to Corbin stating Regal would "regret" his decision, which culminated on the March 2 episode of *NXT*, Corbin attacked Austin Aries from behind after Regal introduced him, beginning a feud between the two that culminated at NXT TakeOver: Dallas on April 1, where Corbin lost to Aries. On the April 13 episode of *NXT*, Corbin defeated Tucker Knight in his final NXT appearance.

Corbin made his main roster debut at WrestleMania 32 on April 3, winning the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal by last eliminating Kane. The following night on *Raw*, he assaulted Dolph Ziggler after their match, beginning a feud. Corbin lost to Ziggler at the Payback pre-show and was eliminated by him from a battle royal on *Raw*. Corbin defeated Ziggler on the May 9 episode of *Raw* and in a no disqualification match at the Extreme Rules pre-show. Ziggler then challenged Corbin to a technical wrestling match, which ended in a disqualification when Ziggler hit Corbin with a low blow. At Money in the Bank, Corbin defeated Ziggler to end their feud.

At the 2016 WWE draft on July 19, Corbin was drafted to the SmackDown brand. After Apollo Crews earned a match for the Intercontinental Championship by defeating Corbin and Kalisto in a triple threat match, Corbin repeatedly assaulted Kalisto (who had been pinned in the match), eventually putting him out of action with a (kayfabe) injury. Corbin then defeated Apollo Crews on the Backlash pre-show and Jack Swagger at No Mercy and on the October 18 episode of *SmackDown*. On the November 8 episode of *SmackDown*, the returning Kalisto attacked Corbin, causing a (kayfabe) injury and forcing Corbin to drop out of SmackDown's Survivor Series team. Corbin retaliated by costing Kalisto the Cruiserweight Championship at Survivor Series. Kalisto attacked Corbin with a chair during a match on the November 22 episode of *SmackDown*, leading to a chairs match between the two at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 4, which Corbin won.

On the December 20 episode of *SmackDown*, Corbin confronted Dolph Ziggler, who had just earned a title match against WWE Champion AJ Styles. A match between the two, with Ziggler's title opportunity on the line, ended in a double countout; as a result, Corbin was added to the title match, giving Corbin his first world title opportunity in WWE. On the December 27 episode, Styles won the match by pinning Ziggler. At the Royal Rumble event on January 29, Corbin entered the Royal Rumble match at number 13, notably eliminating Braun Strowman and lasting over 32 minutes before being eliminated by The Undertaker.

At Elimination Chamber, Corbin competed in the namesake match for the WWE Championship. Immediately after being eliminated by Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose, Corbin attacked Ambrose, causing the latter's elimination. Corbin attacked Ambrose on the March 7 episode of *SmackDown* with metal pipe and tried to crush him under a work truck. On March 21, Ambrose retaliated by distracting Corbin in a match against Randy Orton. Corbin unsuccessfuly challenged Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship at the WrestleMania 33 pre-show but defeated Amrbose in a non-title Street Fight on *SmackDown*.

On the April 17 episode, Corbin failed to win a title opportunity for the United States Championship in a triple threat match against AJ Styles and Sami Zayn. After the show, Corbin attacked Zayn and also shoved an official, for which he was suspended and fined by SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon. At Backlash, Corbin was defeated by Zayn.

At Money in the Bank, Corbin won the namesake match, earning him a world title match at the time of his choosing. After this, Corbin feuded with Shinsuke Nakamura, whom he had attacked before the Money in the Bank match. Corbin lost to Nakamura by disqualifcation at Battleground and again on the following episode of *SmackDown*. On August 1 episode of *SmackDown*, Corbin attacked Nakamura, who had just become number one contender for the WWE Championship, only to be attacked by John Cena. On the August 15 episode of *SmackDown*, Corbin interrupted a match between John Cena and WWE Champion Jinder Mahal and then cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. He was pinned by Mahal after being sidetracked by Cena, becoming the third wrestler to fail winning the title in a cash-in. At SummerSlam, Corbin lost to Cena.

On the August 22 episode of *SmackDown*, Corbin was approached by Kevin Owens to officiate his title match against United States Champion AJ Styles, with the promise of a future championship match if Owens were to win the title. Corbin abandoned the match towards the end after heavy criticism from Shane McMahon, leaving the officiating duty to Shane instead. The following week, both Corbin and Tye Dillinger wanted to answer an open challenge issued by Styles; Dillinger was quicker but was then attacked by Corbin. Corbin defeated Dillinger the following week and, on September 19, challenged Styles to a match at Hell in a Cell. When Corbin lost to Dillinger the following week on *SmackDown*, Dillinger was added to the match. In the subsequent Triple Threat match at Hell in a Cell, Corbin pinned Dillinger to win the title. Corbin retained the title against Styles on *SmackDown* and defeated Intercontinental Champion The Miz in an interbrand Champion vs Champion match at Survivor Series. At Clash of Champions, Corbin lost his title to Dolph Ziggler in a triple threat match also involving Bobby Roode, ending his reign at 70 days.

At Royal Rumble on January 28, 2018, Corbin competed in the Royal Rumble match, entering at number 4, until he was eliminated by Finn Bálor. On the February 13 episode of *SmackDown*, Corbin earned a spot in Six-Pack Challenge for the WWE Championship match by defeating Kevin Owens, who had previously attacked him. At Fastlane, Styles won the Six-Pack Challenge by pinning Owens. Corbin competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the WrestleMania 34 pre-show; he made it to the final two before being eliminated by Matt Hardy.

On April 16, Corbin moved to Raw as part of the Superstar Shake-up. On the June 4 episode of *Raw*, he became Stephanie McMahon's representative as the Constable of Raw. The following week, Corbin debuted a new look, wearing a suit and a shaved head. He feuded with Finn Bálor, to whom he lost at Extreme Rules and at SummerSlam. The next night on *Raw*, Stephanie McMahon sent General Manager Kurt Angle on vacation and made Corbin Acting General Manager. On the September 17 episode of *Raw*, Corbin booked himself against Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship, but was unsuccessful to win the title despite interference from Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre.

By the end of 2018, Corbin - now styling himself General Manager-elect - had earned the enmity of several wrestlers. Among others, he forced Heath Slater to become a referee and cost Braun Strowman the Universal Championship at Crown Jewel. A TLC match between the two at the namesake pay-per-view was scheduled; if Corbin won, he would become a full-time General Manager of *Raw*; but if Corbin lost, he would be stripped of his authoritative powers. When Strowman suffered a legit elbow injury, Corbin stated he would accept the victory by forfeit. However, at the event, Strowman enlisted the help of Apollo Crews, Finn Bálor, Bobby Roode and Chad Gable along with a returning Kurt Angle and referee Heath Slater to defeat Corbin. The next night on *Raw*, The McMahons (Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H) took control of Raw and SmackDown without any general manangers. Corbin later started a feud with Elias.

At the Royal Rumble on January 27, 2019, he participated in the Royal Rumble match, but was eliminated by Braun Strowman. At Elimination Chamber, Corbin defeated Strowman with the help of Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre in a No Disqualification match. At Fastlane, Corbin teamed with Lashley and McIntyre against the recently reunited The Shield in a losing effort. Corbin defeated Angle at WrestleMania 35 in what was Angle's farewell match. Corbin failed to win the Universal title from Seth Rollins twice at Super Showdown and Stomping Grounds respectively despite having the advantage of biased guest referee Lacey Evans by his side which he himself chose at the latter event. Corbin teamed up with Evans in a losing effort against Rollins and Becky Lynch at Extreme Rules in a Winner Takes All Mixed Tag Team match. The following night on *Raw*, Corbin competed in a Universal Championship No. 1 Contender's battle royal. He eliminated Rey Mysterio before being eliminated by Rollins (who lost the championship to Brock Lesnar following the tag team match the previous night).

Corbin was announced as a one of sixteen competitors in the King of the Ring tournament. After over a month away from *Raw*, Corbin returned on the August 19 episode; he and McIntyre lost to The Miz and Ricochet. The following week, Corbin defeated The Miz in the first round of the tournament. The following week, he defeated Cedric Alexander to move on to the semifinals. After defeating both Ricochet and Samoa Joe in a triple threat semi-final match-up, Corbin would defeated Chad Gable in the tournament final on the September 16 *Raw* to become the 2019 King of the Ring, and subsequently change his name to **King Corbin**. At Hell in a Cell, Corbin had Gable dubbed as “Shorty Gable” before he was defeated with a roll-up pin.

As part of the 2019 draft, Corbin was drafted to *SmackDown*. At Crown Jewel, Corbin was a member of Team Flair, where they lost to Team Hogan. In November, Corbin began a feud with Roman Reigns, defeating him on the November 8 episode of *SmackDown*, after interference from Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. At Survivor Series, Corbin was a member of Team SmackDown and caused his partner Mustafa Ali to be eliminated. Team Captain Roman Reigns performed a spear on Corbin, which resulted in Corbin's elimination, while Reigns went on to win the match for his team. On December 15 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Corbin defeated Reigns in a TLC match, following interference from Dolph Ziggler and The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson). At the Royal Rumble on January 26, 2020, Corbin lost to Reigns in a falls count anywhere match due to interference from The Usos, and also involving Ziggler and Roode. Later that night, he entered the Royal Rumble match only to be eliminated by the eventual winner Drew McIntyre. On the January 31 episode of *SmackDown*, Corbin, Ziggler and Roode lost a six man tag match to Reigns and the Usos. As a result, Corbin was covered in dog food due to the stipulation of the match. The following week on *SmackDown*, a steel cage match was setup between Corbin and Reigns for Super ShowDown, where Corbin lost again after Reigns performed a Superman Punch with a chain wrapped around his fist on him to win the match, ending their feud. At WrestleMania 36, Corbin lost to Elias. On the April 24 episode of *SmackDown*, Corbin (with the help of Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro) defeated Drew Gulak to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match. At Money in the Bank, Corbin failed to win the contract after he and AJ Styles tussled over the briefcase and dropped it to Otis unintentionally. At Payback, Corbin lost to Matt Riddle. Throughout the rest of 2020, Corbin would go on to feud with various WWE Superstars, ranging from Riddle, to Rey Mysterio, and Dominik Mysterio. Corbin also formed a short lived partnership with Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler, which disbanded following Cutler's WWE release.

On March 29, Corbin showed up on *Raw* to help WWE Champion Bobby Lashley attack Drew McIntyre. The following week, he lost to McIntyre. On the June 18 episode of *SmackDown*, Shinsuke Nakamura battled King Corbin in a Battle for the Crown match. Shinsuke Nakamura was victorious and crowned the one true King of WWE. The following week on *SmackDown*, his ring name was reverted to **Baron Corbin**. On the June 25 episode of *SmackDown*, Corbin claimed he had not only lost his crown but had lost everything. On the July 2 episode of *SmackDown*, Rick Boogs and Shinsuke Nakamura destroyed Corbin's car, leading to Nakamura defeating Corbin in a Money in the Bank qualifying match to end the feud. The following week, a sad and disheveled Corbin came to the ring revealing that he had lost his wife’s car, his investments, his money, and is close to having his home foreclosed on. Corbin then revealed his own version of a GoFundMe campaign, called CorbinFundMe, asking the fans as well as wrestlers to donate to the cause. A week later, Kevin Owens took pity on Corbin and gave him some money, but Corbin was then mugged by Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, before Owens ran back to defend him. On the July 30 episode of *SmackDown*, Corbin approached John Cena and begged him for money before insulting him, resulting in him getting attacked by Cena. Later that night, he lost a match against Finn Bálor after Corbin prevented him from signing a contract for a Universal Championship match. On the August 13 episode of *SmackDown*, after a loss to Kevin Owens, Corbin went backstage and stole the Money in the Bank briefcase from Big E before fleeing the arena. On the SummerSlam pre-show, Corbin was defeated by Big E.

On the August 27 episode of *SmackDown*, after turning his misfortunes around in Las Vegas, he drove into the arena in a Bentley, declaring himself "filthy rich" and demanding to be called **Happy Corbin**. On the September 24 episode of *SmackDown*, Corbin debuted his new talk show *Happy Talk*. Corbin then gained a new ally in Riddick Moss as they joined forces to attack Kevin Owens. Corbin participated in the Royal Rumble match at the namesake event in January 2022, but was eliminated by Drew McIntyre. At WrestleMania 38, the streak of no one being able to kick out of his patented *End of Days* finisher was shattered, as Drew McIntyre kicked out of it during their match on night one; McIntyre would go on to defeat Corbin. On the April 8 episode of *SmackDown*, Corbin turned on Moss and attacked him. The two would have a match at WrestleMania Backlash, where Moss defeated Corbin. On the May 13 episode of *SmackDown*, Corbin would attack Moss with the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy and injure his neck, which left Moss having to be stretchered out of the arena. At Hell in a Cell, Corbin and Moss faced each other in a No Holds Barred match, where Corbin would lose. On the June 17 episode of *SmackDown*, Corbin and Moss faced each other in a Last Laugh match where Corbin lost, thus ending their feud. After losing, Corbin confronted *SmackDown* commentator Pat McAfee, telling him to watch his mouth. McAfee then got on the microphone, and got the WWE Universe to laugh Corbin out of the arena. The following week, McAfee issued a challenge to Corbin for a match at SummerSlam. At the event, McAfee defeated Corbin. On the August 19 episode of *SmackDown*, he competed in a fatal five-way match to determine the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship, which was won by Sheamus.

On the October 17 episode of *Raw*, Corbin returned under his original name of **Baron Corbin**, now being managed by JBL, and defeated Dolph Ziggler in his first match back on the red brand. He would then go on a winning streak until losing to Drew McIntyre on the November 21 episode of *Raw*. At the Royal Rumble on January 28, 2023, Corbin entered the Royal Rumble match at number fourteen, but was eliminated by Seth "Freakin" Rollins in seven seconds after being attacked by Brock Lesnar. After a loss to Dexter Lumis on the February 6 episode of *Raw*, JBL ended his association with Corbin. After disassociating with JBL, Corbin embarked on a losing streak during the first half of 2023. During the 2023 WWE Draft in May, it was announced that Corbin was one of the selected superstars whom had signed a free agent contract which in turn allowed him to appear on both *Raw* and *SmackDown* as an active roster member whenever he desired. On May 30, Corbin showed up on *NXT*, attacking NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes, making his intent known to go after that brand's championship at Gold Rush on June 27. The event saw the return of Corbin's original Lone Wolf character, entrance music, and attire for the first time since 2018, though Hayes defeated him to retain the NXT Championship. The following week on *NXT*, a vignette aired showing Corbin burning various items associated with his past characters, including his Lone Wolf jacket, the vest he wore as the Constable of *Raw*, his King of the Ring crown, and his Happy Corbin hat. At the Great American Bash on July 30, Corbin debuted a new look and entrance, and wrestled the debuting Gable Steveson to a double countout. At NXT No Mercy on September 30, Corbin defeated Bron Breakker.

On night two of NXT Halloween Havoc, Corbin attacked NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov backstage and threatened him. On the November 14 episode of *NXT*, Corbin defeated Wes Lee and, after the match, Dragunov attempted to try and attack Corbin, but Corbin escaped. Dragunov then accepted Corbin's challenge for an NXT Championship match at Deadline on December 9. At the event, Corbin was unsuccessful in winning the title. Corbin later entered the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament in January 2024, pairing with Bron Breakker to defeat Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) in the first round and Axiom and Nathan Frazer in the semifinals.