Shawn Michaels praises Baron Corbin.
For the longest time, NXT has welcomed main roster talent back to the brand, but in 2023, talent going from brand to brand has been more prevalent than ever.
While Seth Rollins made a brief stint on NXT programming earlier in 2023, Baron Corbin and Mustafa Ali have been around for longer stints.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, Shawn Michaels discussed established main roster talent coming to NXT.
“Yeah, absolutely," Shawn replied when asked if NXT is a place for talent to get a reboot. "Look, I will go back to Finn Balor. I was so happy to get to work with him when he came back to NXT again, and same thing with Apollo (Crews) and Mustafa Ali. I’m telling you, Baron Corbin is another guy. The one thing that I love is that a lot of times, you go up to the main roster, and again, it is fantastic, that is everybody’s goal. Having been there, I understand it. It’s everything that you want. You want to go out there, have a chance to be a part of a WrestleMania; possibly headline a WrestleMania, stand in front of a stadium with 80,000 people screaming your name is what we all get into this line of work for. That and to make a really good living. Sometimes doing that comes with a lot of stress, a lot of focus, a lot of anxiety, and sometimes we forsake the fun and the enjoyment of that. One of the things that I so much enjoy about the guys and girls that come back here from the main roster is that we bring that passion back to them. Once again, they’re around a younger environment. They’re around a place where enjoyment and fun and passion are what it’s all about here in NXT. NXT is where it’s fresh, and it’s new, and it’s pure. It isn’t all about the money and headlining premium live events and standing at WrestleMania because that’s not gonna happen here in NXT. Yes, you’re gonna have success, you’re gonna make some money, but this is where you learn, you enjoy it. These are the college years. Everybody looks back on college as some of the best times of their lives, and that’s what we try to do here in NXT."
Michaels continued, zoning in on Corbin's return, "That’s one thing that Baron Corbin is having the opportunity to do. He’s coming back here, he’s having a great deal of fun, he’s finding himself again. He’s finding his voice, he’s finding who it is he wants to be. Not who someone else wants to be, but who is Baron Corbin, and who is he going to be going forward in the wrestling business, and more importantly, here in the WWE? That’s really fun for us, and it’s something that’s enjoyable to bring that reinvigoration to each individual as they find through here. We’re excited for Baron, he’s having a good time, he’s having fun again. Look, we’re excited to have him because it’s a huge plus for us. He brings a lot of experience. It’s gonna help a lot of our younger superstars grow and get better because he’s a guy that’s been there, done that, and seen that. So for us, it’s just pluses across the board when you get an opportunity to have somebody like Baron Corbin step back into NXT. Everybody is gonna benefit from that, and we’re thrilled about it."
Corbin recently discussed his return to NXT and how it has lit a fire under him. You can find Corbin's full comments by clicking here.
Mustafa Ali will challenge Dominik Mysterio for the NXT North American Championship at NXT Great American Bash. Fans can check out the current lineup for the show by clicking here.
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