When former WWE Champion John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield returned to WWE television in October 2022 to announce a new partnership with a new ‘modern day wrestling God’, many thought it would it would trigger an up-turn in the seemingly stalling career of new protege Baron Corbin.
Former NFL Offensive Lineman Corbin embarked upon an impressive first few years in the squared circle, impressing in NXT before winning the ‘Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal’ during his main roster debut at WrestleMania 32 in Texas.
He would capture the Men’s Money In The Bank briefcase in 2017, capture the WWE United States Championship and even gain further notoriety as the man to retire WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 35.
What followed was largely forgettable runs as King Corbin and Happy Corbin so fans welcomed a potential refresh of the ‘Lone Wolf’s character when JBL returned to Raw.
Baron Corbin Discusses Relief At End Of Partnership With JBL
The partnership came to a sudden end on February 6th, with Corbin eventually making a well-received return to NXT in late May, launching an attack on NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes ahead of an unsuccessful tilt at the title at NXT Gold Rush on June 27th.
Corbin insists he is happy to back on the black and gold brand, revealed on a recent edition of the ‘After The Bell with Corey Graves & Kevin Patrick‘ podcast that he felt like he was drowning during his pairing with JBL:
“There was a sense of panic there for me because everything I had done up until then had worked.
I’ve had one promo in my career where I was in the ring in the middle of it going, ‘There’s nothing that is going to make this good,’ and it was a segment with multiple people and I felt the crowd, just going ‘Dude, like this is not good,’ and you feel it in your gut.
I felt like I was just in that movie, like where they’re stuck out in the ocean just waiting to get eaten by sharks. I was drowning in a sense, and that’s where he had that conversation and I was like, ‘Okay, well what do we do?’
Then that’s when this “NXT “opportunity came up and I was like, ‘Hell yes, let’s go, let’s go down there and do this.'”
HT: WrestlingInc for the above transcript