Real Reason Why WWE Split Baron Corbin And JBL

This week's WWE Raw saw Baron Corbin and JBL go their separate ways.

Feb 12, 2023 February 12th, 2023

For those who may have missed this week's episode of WWE Raw, the pairing of Baron Corbin and JBL is no more.

On this latest red brand outing, the WWE Hall of Famer lambasted his now-former associate for being a loser, with Corbin pleading for another chance as Bradshaw left him in his dust.

In an update on the dissolution of this on-screen relationship, Wrestling Observer Radio (via WrestlingNews.co) saw Dave Meltzer explain how WWE chose to sever the ties between Baron and JBL due to the simple fact that the act wasn't clicking.

As Metzler detailed:

"They gave up on it. Obviously, this wasn't the plan. The guy in charge, that's Paul [Levesque], felt it wasn't working, and that was it. Where they go with Corbin, I don't know. It felt very much like a burial for Corbin. He's had so many gimmick changes. There's nothing wrong or right with him, but in the pantheon of stars, he's just not at that top star level. I think they wanted him to be at that level, and they gave him every chance to be at that level. He's just a guy. A tall guy, but he's just a guy."

A one-time WWE Champion, JBL returned to WWE TV last October, immediately taking Baron Corbin under his wing and labelling him a modern-day wrestling god.

Unfortunately for Corbin, he's not won a televised match since the 14 November episode of Raw, where he picked up a W over Akira Tozawa. Since then, the one-time Lone Wolf has lost televised bouts against the likes of Kevin Owens, Johnny Gargano and, most recently, Dexter Lumis.

Where Baron goes from here remains to be seen, but, as alluded to by Dave Meltzer, the 38-year-old has gone from badass NXT heel, to goofy Constable Corbin, to King Corbin, to Sad Corbin, to Happy Corbin, and has varied from World Title challenger to a complete joke figure.

Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

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