Baron Corbin Believes WWE Main Roster Run Was Sabotaged

Baron Corbin had been part of the WWE family for well over a decade but it all came to an end after WWE decided to not renew his contract last year. While many fans wondered why he was let go in the first place, it appears Corbin feels someone sabotaged his career on the main roster.

While speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Baron Corbin believes someone in WWE with power ruined sabotaged his run on the main roster. When WWE chose not to renew his contract, he felt hurt but also motivated to prove himself. Looking back, he saw his career as unpredictable. Moving to NXT gave him a chance to reinvent himself, and he worked hard to make it a success. He felt he did great there and refused to be ignored, which led to his return to the main roster.

“For me, with my contract ending and WWE deciding not to renew it, I was obviously hurt, but it also lit a fire in me. I felt like, in my WWE career, I was in uncharted waters. I went to NXT, reinvented myself, and put real effort into it. I think I killed it in NXT and wouldn’t be denied, and then I went back to the main roster.”

After coming back, Corbin believed someone was stopping him from succeeding. But whenever he wrestled on TV, the crowd reacted strongly, louder than they had in years. He thought that, aside from stars like Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens, and Randy Orton, his reactions were some of the biggest on the show.

At one event, maybe in Arkansas, the crowd cheered for him even when he wasn’t in the match. Just standing on the apron got them excited. Backstage, Chad Gable joked with a SmackDown writer, saying Corbin should walk back there, flip them off, and leave because the reaction was so strong. Corbin found it frustrating and started wondering if he had unfinished business as a babyface.

“I’m a very honest and truthful person—I’m not capable of lying. When I got back to the main roster, I felt like someone was holding me down, like I wasn’t supposed to succeed. But when I did wrestle on TV, the crowd was insane for me. Those were the best reactions I had in years, since I was King Corbin or Constable Corbin. With no ego, I can say that, aside from Cody, Kevin, or Randy, my reactions were the biggest on the show.

Then we went out there—I don’t remember the city, maybe Arkansas—and the crowd went crazy. They blew the roof off for me, even when I wasn’t in the match or just standing on the apron. They cheered for everything. When I walked backstage, Chad said to the head writer of SmackDown, ‘I told him you should just walk back here, give us both the finger, and walk off, because the reaction was so good.’ That was frustrating. It made me wonder if there was something unresolved that I could come back and accomplish as a babyface.”

Corbin’s frustration grew when WWE told him they were going in a different direction, even after asking him to make big changes. He did everything they wanted, but they still dropped their plans for him. He thought his storyline with JBL could have worked if done differently.

JBL supported him and sent in great ideas, but they were ignored. Just six months ago, Corbin felt everything was clicking—his reactions were great, and he was performing at his best. But despite all that, WWE still decided to change plans, leaving him feeling helpless.

“It made me hungry to succeed after being told, ‘Ah man, we’re gonna go in a different direction,’ after already being told, ‘Hey, we want you to change everything.’ And I did. There were times with the JBL stuff where it could have worked if we had done it differently. JBL is the man—he sent in amazing pitches, but they died in the wind somewhere. Six months ago, the reactions were there, everything was clicking, I was firing on all cylinders. I did everything I was asked to do, and then I got told, ‘You know, we’re gonna go in a different direction.’ I was like, what? That was frustrating because, at the end of the day, there was nothing I could do about it.”

Many wrestlers reached out, including Randy Orton, who was shocked. Orton thought Corbin would stay in WWE for another 10 years and even offered to talk to Triple H for him. Corbin wasn’t sure if Orton did, but Orton later told him, “Somebody doesn’t like you.” Corbin had a feeling who it was, but that person had enough power to end his creative plans. He believed they would have to live with that decision.

“I was talking to Randy about it—lots of guys reached out. Randy said, ‘Dude, I honestly thought you were going to be there for another 10 years. Do you want me to talk to Hunter about it?’ I don’t know if he did, but then he said, ‘Somebody doesn’t like you.’ I feel like I know who it is, but that’s beside the point. They had enough power to kill whatever Creative had planned, and at the end of the night, they have to live with that—it’s on them.”

The hardest part for Corbin was not knowing why this happened. He felt there was another reason behind it. He had always been loyal to WWE and never complained, which made it even more frustrating for him. Corbin once again stated that one person in particular was responsible for his struggles in WWE. While it was disappointing, he refused to let that person affect his emotions. When Corbin shared his thoughts on who it might be, Orton responded, “Maybe you’re right.”

“I think the most frustrating part for me is not understanding why. I feel like there’s an ulterior motive. I’ve been a company guy through and through, and I never complained about anything. There was one person in particular who I felt was behind all of it and it sucks, but it is what it is. I am not gonna let one person mess with my emotions. The fact that Randy Orton called me going, ‘There’s someone who doesn’t like you’ and I don’t him who it is and he was like, ‘Maybe you’re right.'”

Despite his WWE departure, Corbin remains determined to prove his worth in the wrestling world. After all, he has a solid match against Josh Barnett during GCW vs. The People recently, so the sky is truly the limit for him.

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