Darin Corbin Interview

Wrestling, whether it is amateur or professional, is a BIG deal throughout the Midwest. Pro wrestling fans have their favorites. I also have a few favorites of my own.  My list of favorites include: The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Rob Van Dam, Jerry Lynn and Darin Corbin.  You might be asking, “who is Darin Corbin?”  For those of you not familiar with the many independent pro wrestling promotions throughout the country, you are missing out!  Corbin has had a successful career working his way through the ranks.  Corbin is well traveled, but is best known for his work with 3xwrestling, Midwest Pro Wrestling, and St. Louis Anarchy promotions along with many others.  Corbin is highly respected for his mat work and mic skills.  I promise you if you take the time to check out his work you’ll have reason to follow independent wrestling!  Cheer or booo…your still cheering!

How long have you been wrestlin

I have been wrestling for 8 ½ years. 9 in April.

Where and who trained you?

I was trained by the Anarchist Arik Cannon at MPW formerly in Maple Grove.

Who were/are your favorite wrestlers growing up?

The ones that stood out to me that I really enjoyed watching were Eddie Guerrero, Shawn Michaels, Brian Pillman, Piper, and Macho Man.

Who’s your closet friend in the industry?

I think that would have to be Arik Cannon. If we didn’t get along as well as we do, I don’t think we would have been able to travel together as much. We would’ve killed one another.

Who do you enjoy working with/against in the ring the most?

One of my favorite opponents would be Ryan Cruz. We just know each other so well and we click every time. Other than that, I have always like to get in the ring with Jimmy Olsen or Colin Delaney. We have a blast. Plus, slo-motion ensues.

Most memorable match of your career thus far?

That would be wrestling Great Sauske, Dick Togo, and Jinsei Shinzaki while teaming with 1-2-3 Kid in Chikara. There is no way I would have believed in my wildest dreams that I would have teamed with 1-2-3 Kid or wrestled some of the biggest names in Japanese pro wrestling ever.

What are your goals in pro wrestling?

Well, honestly, I think now that when I look back on my experiences in pro wrestling I just never want to be bitter about it. A lot of guys get that way, I just don’t want this to ever be just a job or a chore…I remember how I felt when I was a kid wanting to do this. I never want that feeling to end.

Do you have any pre match rituals?

Not really. I’m kind of laid back. I stretch. But I think that is just smart. I don’t really do anything like “get in a zone”. If I see certain people do that, I just try and mess with them. I guess that’s my ritual.

What is one aspect of your game that you are working to approve upon?

I think my stamina. I yell all the time, so I will lose my air quite a bit. It is one of those things where I just interact constantly so I would probably need one of the practices that singers use. However, my voice wasn’t good enough to be a singer…so I never tried.

Who’s had the biggest impact on your career?

The biggest impact on my career I would have to say would be Mike Quackenbush, Jerry Lynn, and Arik Cannon. Those three have taught me a lot throughout my experiences on the road. Whether it be merchandise, longevity, or handling my own personal business they are the ones who gave me the tools to do things independently. I thank them for it. Some of the best advice I’ve ever received is from them.

If you could wrestling anyone, Who would your dream match be with?

As far as a dream match, of all time, it would’ve been either Macho Man or Eddie Guerrero. Just that experience would have been beyond my wildest dreams.

What advice would you give to someone that was thinking about becoming a wrestler?

Keep your ears open and just keep learning. The moment you think you are done learning, quit. You never stop learning.

What was the last wrestling dvd you purchased?

For myself, I don’t even know. I did purchase the Falls Count Anywhere DVD as a b-day gift. Does that count?

Who is your favorite wrestler to follow on Twitter?

Kevin Steen

Where is your favorite wrestling venue?

1st Avenue in Minneapolis, MN. Before it used to be the old ECW Arena in Philadelphia.

Pro wrestlers are always traveling event to event. Do have any road stories?

I don’t know if any specific stories from our road trip. But we had a really arrogant, ignorant, kid who thought he was an awesome pro wrestler. He just didn’t get it. Plus on top of that, he was rude and a liar. So one time when we were stuck in traffic, we pranked him and told him we wanted to book him on a show 4 hours away from his house. Said that would be wrestling in the main event, made up a bunch of talent’s names based on cars and billboards we were driving by. All and all, he ended up driving all the way to the show. Brought a friend along and didn’t even think of checking if the show actually existed. Then called us back to leave a message saying, “Hey, that’s messed up. Why didn’t you tell us the show was canceled. That is very lame. If you need me for future shows let me know.”

We were going to send him to the show, we were going to cancel. But the moment we got off the phone, our friend in the car logged onto his computer when we got to the place we were staying…this kid started bragging about the show and how well his career is going. So we changed our minds, and sent him.

Has the PG Era been good for pro wrestling?

I think it could be. It is important to bring families and kids to a product and have them grow up with it. However, some of the stuff is written in what I consider to be hokey. You can still be family friendly and be slightly cutting edge. You don’t need necrophilia or over sexualized angles. However, wrestling is a fight. People get mad. They swear. They fight. Are we supposed to down play that? No, I think there is a happy medium. But it’s good to see kids being introduced to the product.

What is pro wrestling missing…?

Characters and unique individuals. All I see are cookie cutters. Same jacked up, big personality-less, monsters who come in and just take up space. But the more unique and different characters that come in, it will give everybody something. Wrestling should be a variety show.

John Cena or The Rock?

I think I have to side with Cena. Sorry Rock. Cena is there full time and still, like it or not, has that ability to capture a crowd or bring in emotion. He pokes fun at himself and also does a variety of different genres (comedy, serious, etc). If it was last year I would’ve said Rock, but all his stuff started to feel similar after a few months. Just got old. Where with Cena, I felt we had a little bit of a new side of his character after all this time.

Do you have any pro wrestling memorabilia?

Do replica tag belts from defunct promotions count?

Where can pro wrestling fans see you wrestle next?

My next event is against Jerry Lynn on December 15th in New Brighton, MN.

But you can follow me on facebook and Twitter to see my schedule.

Social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)…

www.facebook.com/darin.corbin

On Twitter = @DarinCorbin

Tumblr = DarinCorbin

www.youtube.com/user/DarinCorbinTV