Former Universal Champion Seth Rollins has talked up Baron Corbin and his contributions as part of the WWE roster.
Rollins lost his belt to Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules on Sunday after the Beast Incarnate cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to put him through F5 hell. But he will be challenging the current cham at SummerSlam early next month in hopes of recovering the title.
Corbin, meanwhile, is hardly a fan favorite although there are many supporters who respect what he does as a heel. And Rollins feels like he has come a long way, given that the former football player had never wrestled before joining the Performance Center.
"I win a lot when I wrestle Corbin, so that usually sways my opinion in a positive manner," Rollins told the Tampa Bay Times in an interview.
"You know what, he’s come a long way. For a guy who came into the developmental system with no clout, he wasn’t from the indies and he never wrestled a match before, he stepped into the doors in Tampa and he learned very quickly from some of the best guys we have in our industry.
"But he’s also a guy who wasn’t given much of a chance by even people like me. He comes from a different world and sometimes you can be ostracized for that. He’s a guy who took a bit of the hazing, but he pushed through, persevered and he grew really love the industry and he has dedicated the last four years of his life to being on the road nonstop.
"And say what you will about him, from an audience member perspective, he works just as hard as anybody else and is huge contributor to our roster and the product we put out every week."
No one can fault Corbin for his work ethic and dedication, he really is a hard worker who does what he's supposed to without issue. He's not very popular with the fans at the moment but that could change at some point. If anything, he's one of the top heels in the business and, considering how much hate he gets, he's doing a remarkable job.