Baron Corbin has become one of WWE's fastest rising stars over the past few years and really seems to have come into his own since he was drafted to SmackDown Live back in July.

Corbin featured in the Elimination Chamber match a few weeks ago for the WWE Championship, and there were many fans who actually wanted The Lone Wolf to pick up the win, which shows how much his popularity has grown over the past few months.

Corbin has been touted to be one of the future stars of the company and since he was drafted to SmackDown the company have ensured that he is booked in a way that allows him to be able to prove this.

It also helps that he has one of the best finishers out of all the current SmackDown roster. But given the fact that he has been able to rise to fame so quickly, there is little known about the former NXT star when it comes to his career, his life before WWE, and his life outside of it. So here are 15 facts to bring you up to speed.

15 15. Former Boxer

When Baron Corbin steps into a WWE ring, it could be argued that he has a presence, one that not many other stars have. The commentary team has alluded to the fact that he has was once a boxer many times before, and this makes sense when you see some of the punches that Baron is throwing. It is easy to see that he has a lot of practice throwing those right hands.

Not only was Baron a boxer, but he was a champion. By 2007 he was a two-time regional  Amateur Kansas-Missouri Golden Gloves Champion before he then competed in the 2008 version of the even but was sadly knocked out by Andrea Cathron. Given this new found information, it's probably not wise to tell Baron that Wrestling is predetermined is it?

14 14. Stint In The NFL

Like many current WWE Superstars including Enzo Amore and Roman Reigns, Baron Corbin began his career as a football player. He attended NCAA Division II college Northwest Missouri State University, where he played offensive guard and actually managed to become a starter in his junior year.

He was undrafted in the 2009 NFL Draft and signed with the Indianapolis Colts, but he was released from the team after just four months before being re-signed less than a week later. He was then signed by the Arizona Cardinals but was reported to have thrown around a few uppercuts while being part of a team scuffle at training camp. He was once again released and signed to the practice team instead, before he was released all together the following year.

13 13. The Lone Wolf?

Baron Corbin has a crazy nickname and one that many fans have questioned. The origins of the name are in fact unknown, but what is known is the reasons why the name has been given to him and he has gone on to make it famous.

Baron has never had a tag team partner, (apart from when he was forced to tag with Rhyno in NXT) he is not a tag team wrestler, and despite being in WWE for many years now, he doesn't have any friends. He is The Lone Wolf for a reason, he fights alone, he wins alone or he loses alone. It's odd to see the term Lone next to Wolf considering that they actually hunt in packs, but if Corbin sees himself as the Alpha in this theory then it is easy to see why he would prefer to be alone.

12 12. Calling WWE

As already stated, it is not unusual for WWE to recruit former NFL players. It makes sense that these athletes are already in a condition that WWE can work with towards the end of their football careers. Tino Sabbatelli is the latest recruit to be signed after a football career, and he is currently taking part in NXT live events.

Oddly, though for Baron, it wasn't WWE that contacted Corbin, it was The Lone Wolf who rang WWE and asked to be considered. He was offered a week-long tryout down at WWE's Performance Centre and it seems that even without any prior wrestling knowledge or skill WWE was still impressed with what they saw and decided to offer him a contract. This is seemingly another positive for the 'don't ask, don't get' theory.

11 11. Short Wrestling Career

As already stated, up until 2011 Baron had only been part of the boxing and football world, but he contacted WWE on the off chance that he could make the switch over to sports entertainment. He signed with WWE in August 2012 less than a year after he was released by the Arizona Cardinals.

He made his in-ring debut at a WWE live event less than two months later in October 2012, but he has still only been wrestling right now for four years. The fact that Baron has been able to pick up the knowledge that he has over the past few years and been able to climb to the top of the SmackDown roster is a testament to how hard he works behind the scenes when all the cameras are turned off.

10 10. Tattoos About Family

It's hard to miss the fact that Baron is covered in tattoos. They have formed a lot of impressions when it comes to his character, but what is perhaps less known about Baron is that most of his tattoos are about his family.

Corbin was very close to his father and grandfather and so has their actual faces tattooed on his thighs. He credits both men as shaping him into the man he is today because they were hardworking men who showed him what it was to work hard to provide for their family. He also has quotes from songs that he enjoys as well as many other fascinating designs that show why WWE decided to have him wrestle in trousers. Interestingly, The Lone Wolf also has a one-eyed wolf tattooed on his left shin. He also has an arm sleeve of clocks that represent all of his families birthdays.

9 9. Relationship With Father

Baron has his father's face tattooed on his thigh as a way to represent him wherever he goes. Corbin was very close to his father, who died back in 2008 due to complications surrounding Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, something his father had suffered with for a long time.

Baron states that it is thanks to his father that he is the person he is today and he also wears his father wedding ring around his neck at all times. Obviously, he takes it off when he has to wrestle, but it's Baron's way of ensuring that his father is with him wherever he goes. Along with his grandad, Corbin credits both men with ensuring that he grew up to be the hardworking person that he is today, because of the example that they set.

8 8. Plays Himself On WWE TV

When coming up with a wrestling gimmick, many stars decide that it is much easier to play themselves with the personality turned up to 100. It seems that Corbin got this memo because his character on WWE TV is just an extension of himself.

He is a motorbike riding, metal music loving guy outside of WWE and luckily when he pitched the idea of this to WWE they seemed to love the idea. There aren't any other superstars who are even close to Baron when it comes to his style and the different interests that he has outside of the company. This has put him in a great position in WWE because it means that he is one of the most unique guys currently performing on the main roster.

7 7.  Slapped By Corey Taylor

When Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin collided back in 2015 at an NXT Live Event, they didn't know that there was a famous face watching on from ringside. Slipknot's Corey Taylor was watching the event and in the build up to the show Baron and Corey had already exchanged messaged on Twitter.

Throughout the match Corbin was annoying Taylor and even went over and gave him a shirt, which he then threw on the floor. This angered Baron, but it was Corey who then decided to put his hands on Corbin, slapping him upside the head. Lucky for Corey that Samoa Joe then threw Corbin into the steel steps before he even had time to react. These two haven't spoken to each other since, so it seems as though this feud isn't going any further.

6 6. Most Metal Athlete Of 2016

Baron may not have been able to pick up championship gold in WWE yet, but he has lifted an award that is unique to him. Back in December Corbin was named the Most Metal Athlete of 2016 at the Revolver Music Awards.

Corbin was nominated for the award and managed to beat out NFL and UFC level stars in order to take the title. Given his background and his obsession with metal music and the role it plays in his overall character, it comes as no surprise that the rest of the sporting world has finally begun to recognize that Baron Corbin is a full on Metal Head. It also means that Metal music will begin to play a role in Baron's gimmick moving forward on the main roster.

5 5. Replaced By Shane McMahon

Back at Survivor Series 2016 Baron Corbin was given the chance to be part of Team SmackDown in order to obtain bragging rights over Team Raw just a few months after the WWE Draft back in July.

Sadly, Baron was taken out of the fold when it was decided that Shane McMahon would bring more star power to the match. This was nothing against Baron Corbin but WWE decided that he would be pulled out of the match and Shane would be put in. Baron was then forced to feign an injury after he fell out of the ring so that the WWE Universe understood why he was taken out. It was said that this would not effect Corbin moving forward, he was still set for a big push in WWE.

4 4. First NXT Star To Win The Andre The Giant Battle Royale

Baron Corbin shocked the world back in 2016 when he became the third winner of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale when he wasn't even announced as a participant beforehand. The event last took place at WrestleMania 32 back in April and Baron was one of the biggest shocks that the match has ever thrown out.

Baron joined the field of men at WrestleMania 32 and after the win, he joined the likes of Cesaro and Big Show as winners of the annual Battle Royal. He was the first NXT Superstar to win the macth as well, since he was still part of the developmental set-up when he was added to the match. Baron has since gone to be promoted to the main roster and has made quite the impression.

3 3. First Man To Better Braun Strowman

The Royal Rumble was perhaps one of the biggest matches that Baron Corbin had ever been part of earlier this year. And even though the WWE Universe knew that it was too soon for him to win the match, they still hoped that he left a lasting impression.

As the resident monster in WWE right now, Braun Strowman was the one who was racking up the eliminations throughout the match. That was until he was eliminated by Baron Corbin. Now given that one Superstar is on Raw and the other on SmackDown, this is a feud that may never be able to happen, but at the same time, it has given Baron a huge boost knowing that he is the first man in WWE to get the better of the Monster Among Men.

2 2. Horror Film Fantatic

Given the persona that Corbin gives out to the WWE Universe, it probably comes as no surprise that Baron is a horror movie fanatic. When he appeared on Superstar Ink with Corey Graves, the duo talked about how Corbin used to always watch horror movies while Corey was living with him on his sofa.

Baron has taken his obsession to the extreme by actually having Jack the Ripper tattooed on his leg, as well as stating that he has yet to have the candyman added to a leg sleeve that he has already begun planning. Corbin enjoys all sorts of horror films but is a fan of the classics like Candyman much more than the updated versions of these films. It is also evident from his tattoo that Corbin has an interest in serial killers as well.

1 1. Breaking Ground

Baron Corbin was one of the main focuses of the first season of Breaking Ground and it gave the WWE Universe a chance to look at his odd lifestyle. From his girlfriend to his motorcyle riding skills, this was the first glance at the real Baron Corbin.

Corbin was dating Maria Brink, best known as the lead singer of In This Moment, back in 2013. It is unknown in if the couple are still together. At one point while Corbin was down in NXT, they were looking to partner him up with Zahra Schreiber, Seth Rollins ex-girlfriend, (and the face of the Rollins picture scandal) because both stars were covered in tattoos. Seems like a good enough reason, right? Sadly Zahra was released from WWE before this idea could become a reality.