WWE

Baron Corbin: Leaving WWE Was Best Thing for My Career

Baron Corbin returns to WWE gold, dethroning Trick Williams to win the United States Championship at SummerSlam.

Baron Corbin: Leaving WWE Was Best Thing for My Career

Baron Corbin is back on top in WWE after winning the United States Championship at SummerSlam. He defeated Trick Williams to capture the title for the second time, nearly nine years after his first reign.

During an appearance on Busted Open Radio on SiriusXM, the new champion discussed the pressure he felt before the match and explained how spending 18 months away from the company’s main roster changed his mindset.

“That’s the most stress and nervousness I’ve had in a day in a long time. It was the culmination of a lot of things. One, coming back. I took that year and a half and I elevated everything I did. Whether it was in the ring, in jiu-jitsu, personality, ability on the microphone, I kept to that grind. I think when you’re doing it without that big machine behind you, when you’re having to go to different shows, it’s a testament to how much you love it and where your passion is.

“If you want to get better without help of that machine and you’re doing it on your own, I think you can grow exponentially. Whereas if you kind of have the machine you can take things for granted. ‘I’ve already made it.’ All of that. It’s different when you’re on the outside. So coming back to it, it’s like I’m gonna make a statement, I’m not the same guy I was when I left. I hope people have forgotten about me so I can remind them how dangerous I truly am.

“When I came in in the beginning as the Lone Wolf, that was the attitude I had, and I think I got lost along the way a little bit. So going away might have been the best thing ever for me and what I’m gonna accomplish between those ropes.”

Corbin left WWE at the end of 2024 after his contract was not renewed, ending a 12-year run. On the indies, he wrestled under the name Bishop Dyer for GCW, Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling and MLW.

In MLW, Corbin formed The Skyscrapers with Donovan Dijak and won the MLW World Tag Team Championship in June 2025. His work outside WWE also included jiu-jitsu, and he won two gold medals at the IBJJF Orlando Summer International Open in July 2025.

Corbin finally returned on the July 10, 2026, episode of SmackDown, interrupting the match between Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes.