Baron Corbin On Paul Heyman Believing In Him, Watching Fans Get Angry With Him, King Of The Ring

Baron Corbin recently spoke with SportingNews.com to promote tonight's WWE RAW. Corbin talked about his working relationship with RAW Executive Director Paul Heyman and said it's very good.

Corbin said Heyman won't sugarcoat things with him, and knows how to handle people. Corbin said he can relate to that, which is why he also has good relationships with Vince McMahon, Triple H and The Undertaker.

"Paul and I have a very good working relationship because he's not afraid to tell me if I'm doing something wrong," Corbin said. "He's not going to sugarcoat things. He's a man's man in the sense of he's not afraid if he hurts your feelings for me. He knows how to handle people. That's what I relate to. That's why I get along with Vince (McMahon) and Hunter and Taker. Those guys will tell me that wasn't good and I'm not going to get offended. 'OK, I'm going to make it better than. I'm going to show you.' They push you to be better.

"Paul, I think he's a guy that's perfect for me because he's going to help push the envelope of 'RAW' but also push my envelope as well. He's a guy who believes in me and what I do. He's done so many amazing things from ECW to WWE and it's really awesome to have a guy in control that is going to push the envelope and it makes guys like me who want to push it very excited for what's to come."

Corbin is one of the most hated men in WWE, but that doesn't seem to bother him. He was asked how he manages to stay upbeat while taking the heat from fans.

"I take pride in that!," Corbin said, laughing. "How can I not be excited and have energy about that fact right there? I even said it on TV the other night – there was a poll, and this was a real thing, that the WWE Universe wanted anybody, and I mean absolutely anybody, to win King of the Ring but me."

Corbin continued, commenting on taking pride and finding it humorous when he does things that a lot of fans don't like. He said, "It's a mix of both. It entertains me to watch how angry and frustrated they get, especially when you have a six-year-old kid and then like an 85-year-old woman both giving you the finger in the front row. That – I take pride in that but it's also really funny because you have them so ramped up that they're so caught up in it. They believe every bit of it and, I don't know, it's a crazy thing when you get them that pulled in that they lose it."

Corbin is set to face Cedric Alexander in a King of the Ring quarterfinal match on tonight's RAW from Baltimore. He was asked what is so appealing about a tournament like King of the Ring.

"I think there's a lot more pressure when you bring a tournament into it," Corbin said. "You have single elimination and it's something that can make a guy's career. It's a moment that will be remembered forever. I try to make those moments in my career and there are so many of them that I find special. Debuting at WrestleMania and winning the Andre (the Giant Memorial Battle Royal), those are moments that people fight 10, 12 years for, throughout their whole career.

"When you get something as special as King of the Ring, you look at the Hall of Famers who have won that. It's incredible what kind of level it takes them to from (Steve) Austin to Booker to Hunter (Triple H) and Bret (Hart), these guys are icons in what we do. They're all people we looked up to for years. To get your name on a list with those guys, that's something truly special. There's so many great aspects that come with it. I love the fact that it's a tournament and it's single elimination. My whole life has been based that way with football, getting to the playoffs, getting to the championship game because you have to be on all the time. You can't have an off night. I think it separates the greats from everybody else."