Baron Corbin is quite “happy” with his current run on WWE SmackDown.
The former Mr. Money in the Bank has experienced a drastic character change over the course of a few months, and this shift led to his new name, Happy Corbin.
During a recent appearance on Out of Character with Ryan Satin, Corbin explained that his name change was Vince McMahon‘s idea, but he initially didn’t find out about it from the WWE Chairman or the company’s creative team. Instead, he learned about it on Twitter, and he noted that this dynamic is usually the case when it comes to WWE.
“That was 100% Vince,” said Corbin. “I heard it actually on Twitter. They were like , ‘WWE just copywrote Happy Corbin.’ I was like what? I was like that’s where we’re, what? So I was confused, and I came and I asked and they were like, ‘Ah, we don’t really know what you’re talking about.’ And then sure enough, a couple weeks later, they were like, ‘Hey, your name’a Happy Corbin.’ And I was like huh, so Twitter knew before I knew, and I mean that’s how you find out about a lot of stuff. It’s so funny. But I had no idea.
“Same with my music. Like I showed up to work, and they‘re like, ‘Hey we’re gonna rehearse your entrance.’ I’m like , ‘It’s no different.’ And they’re like, ‘No, you got new music.’ And I was like huh? Since when? It’s like, I had no idea. So it was just pretty funny. You gotta be able to work on the fly a little bit.”
As for his thoughts on his new musc, Corbin stated that it’s a good fit with his character because it annoys the fans, so it’s a perfect match.
“This new one is, the music hits and it’s just like, I feel like people just go ugh, not this guy,” said Corbin. “Like So it’s great, it fits exactly what I’m doing, and it’s fun and it’s energetic and again, it irritates people.”
Corbin then described how he enjoys the way this new character has allowed him to evolve and have fun by trying something new. He went on to explain how, during his “Sad Corbin” run, the most difficult aspect was not being allowed to cut his hair, as this restriction affected him in real life when he was touring schools for his daughter.
“…The worst part was not being able to cut the hair or the beard,” said Corbin. “Because Vince is like, I’d get a text message at like 2 a.m. from Vince, it’s like, ‘Don’t shave or cut your hair.’ And I’m going okay, where’s this going? After three weeks, I’m going like, I got like the Costanza hair going….
“The best part is, I’m visiting schools for my daughter, they’re like private schools, my daughter’s two and a half. And I’m going in and I, like my beard and hair, you can’t wear a hat into these places so I look ridiculous, and I’m going, I have to apologize for how I look, it’s my job. And they’re just like, because it’s private school, they’re not cheap and they’re judging me the second I walk in. It was just really funny.”
The former King of the Ring subsequently reflected on the “Sad Corbin” run by recalling how he was often free-styling with the character and it became “organically interesting.” Now, Happy Corbin remains a prominent player on WWE SmackDown, and his fans will hope that his future is as bright as Corbin’s new demeanor.
