Baron Corbin's departure from WWE surprised many as he was a reliable fixture on all three brands for several years. Although riddled with hindering gimmicks, Corbin tried to make the best of every requirement that was made of him and always did so with his head held high.
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Before the expiry of his contract, Corbin joined "The Takedown with SI" and spoke about his journey transitioning from playing in the NFL to locking up in a pro wrestling ring.
"I'd met a manager, he's a band manager for a lot of bigger bands, and we were on a cruise, and he asked me, 'What's the next thing for you if football's not it?'" Corbin began. "I was like, 'Man, I'm kind of over football so I'm ready to move on past it.' I had an injury in my shoulder and the way it was handled to me left a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth.'"
The former WWE United States Champion believed that being injured resulted in him being released from the Arizona Cardinals because of the league rule that if his injury got worse, the team would have to pay him the full season's salary, thus making it cost-effective for the team to release him. Corbin told the band manager on his cruise he would be interested in going to WWE or the UFC.
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"He was like, 'Dude, go to WWE. It's a longer career, you have way more longevity, not so damaging on your health,'" Corbin recalled. "He knew Neil [Lawi], and Neil ran the music for WWE, and he still does, he called Neil, Neil called Johnny Ace [John Laurinaitis], and then they called me and they brought me out for a tryout and I was signed like three weeks later."
Corbin eventually joined WWE in 2012 and had a 12-year run with the promotion.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Takedown with SI" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
