Shocking WWE Main Roster Star Jumps Ship To NXT

A night of surprises on last night's WWE NXT...

by Andy H Murray
Baron Corbin
WWE.com

Baron Corbin jumped to WWE NXT on last night's show, seemingly setting his sights on Carmelo Hayes' NXT Championship.

The main roster star appeared towards the end of the broadcast. Hayes had just defended his NXT Championship against Noam Dar when Corbin struck, nailing Carmelo with the End of Days before closing the show with the title belt hoisted high above his head.

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Corbin has made the main roster his home since July 2016, having spent a few years prior to this in NXT, featuring heavily during the vaunted Black and Gold era. The former United States Champion left WWE's 2023 Draft as a free agent in April, however, with neither Raw nor SmackDown picking him up.

2023 has been a difficult year in kayfabe for Baron, with him picking up a losing streak on television and dissolving an onscreen partnership with manager JBL. Corbin has wrestled on both SmackDown and Raw since becoming a "free agent", however.

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Elsewhere, another post-Draft "free agent", Mustafa Ali, also appeared on NXT, providing commentary during Wes Lee and Tyler Bate vs. The Dyad before saving the babyfaces from Joe Gacy after the bell.

 
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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.