Baron Corbin Expresses Frustration at NXT Homecoming Snub

While Corbin, who now goes by the ring name Bishop Dyer, was a guest on Jonathan Coachman’s podcast, Off The Ropes, he spoke about not being named at all during the show, even though he was a “main staple in the beginning.” He said:

“That opening package they did for the show was super dope, and they had a lot of superstars from the past, the middle, and the present on it, and I didn’t make the cut. My t-shirt did. Somebody’s wearing a Baron Corbin t-shirt. But I was a little butthurt in that aspect. And I know it’s still fresh in WWE, you know, being as I finished up in January, and sometimes you’ve got to kind of give it a year or so before they start acknowledging your existence again. But with that show, like, I was a main staple in the beginning of NXT. When they were counting the seconds to my matches, I was one of the originators who helped grow that brand. I was on every show. I was on the first live one in Brooklyn with 16,000 fans.So I was a little butthurt. Once I got over that, I thought the show was awesome. (H/T: WrestlePurists)

While they weren’t at the beginning of the developmental brand, some would say that it was also an oversight not to include the faction, The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Bobby Fish, and Roderick Strong) in the video package. So Corbin wasn’t the only one to be left out.

Baron Corbin’s Days In NXT

Let’s take a look at his WWE career while he was in the developmental brand. First, Corbin signed with WWE in 2012 and wouldn’t make his televised debut until the May 8, 2013, edition of NXT. He lost the match to Damien Sandow in less than five minutes. WWE would repackage him, and he would make his “official” debut on September 11, 2014, at the NXT PLE TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way and defeated CJ Parker.

After that, he would become a major force on the brand. He broke Bull Dempsey’s winning streak, feuded with Rhyno, then became his tag team partner. They were part of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament. He also had some intense matches against the likes of Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, and Sami Zayn. Before his WWE release in January 2025, Corbin made his return to NXT. There, he would feud with Apollo Crews and even captured the NXT Tag Team Titles with Bron Breakker.