In a recent interview with the WWE After The Bell podcast, Baron Corbin discussed several topics, including his return to the WWE NXT brand, and how the current storyline is a collaborative effort with Shawn Michaels and WWE NXT lead writer Johnny Russo, with both allowing Corbin to guide his own character on-screen, with the recent vignettes an idea from Johnny Russo.

“I was asked about an opportunity to go to NXT, and I saw that as a place where I could make some changes in myself and my career, and that was the plan going in and I think it’s been a successful execution of that plan so far. I got down there with HBK, who is obviously one of the greatest of all-time, but he also has this unbelievable mind in how to do it, but he’s also doing what I love most is, he’s kind of hands-off, he is letting me do me in a sense, and then sculpting what I bring to him versus handing me, hey this is what we’re doing, this is where you’re going and this is who we want you to be. He’s going, hey man, you’ve been around the block, what do YOU want to do, where do YOU want to take this, what can WE do for YOU in a sense of creative outlets and opportunities, and he’s kind of let me take the ball and run with it a little bit.

Johnny Russo is the head writer down there, is unbelievable at his job and unbelievable at what he does, and I can bring him a promo that I write, or how I feel about a situation or an idea, and he puts his mind to it and adds that magic touch of television, or entertainment, because you ask a lot of us, so what do you want to do, I just want to beat everybody and be the World Champion, and that’s the answer you get from a lot of people, but I’m going no, I want to make myself real, I want to make everything I do, who I am and what I’m about and he’s like alright, so what is that, and we have long conversations and he came up with this idea of these vignettes, and it’s giving me an opportunity to tap into myself and my creativity.

People look at it sometimes, especially in our social media world and they’re like oh, Corbin got downgraded to NXT, hell no I did not, I did choose to go there, I could’ve said no, I’m not and I could’ve stayed on SmackDown, and I could be in the middle doing nothing, still as Happy Corbin, music and going out there and competing in the middle, where it’s easy to do and it’s comfortable, but I wanted to go back and restart, because you’re around those guys and you feel that hunger and you feel that drive they have and me, it makes me want to bury them all in a sense, you can’t hang with the big boys, I’m one of the big boys and I’m going to show each and every one of you, you’re not on my level.

Go in there, training with Fit’s class a couple of times and you start doing something and Fit stops the class and goes, this is the difference, watch the difference, this is a guy who is on the main roster, this is main roster talent, this is main roster emotion, aggression and you want to separate yourself from them and make doubters out of them if you will, a few of them. I wanted Carmelo Hayes, when I got into the ring with him, I wanted him to go man, do I have the ability to hang on the main roster, do I have the ability to be a major WWE superstar, so for me, I’m taking their hunger and using it for myself, but I’m also using it against them, I’m going hey man, this is a level, step up or kick rocks.”

The full interview is available at this link.