New Details Revealed on WWE's Mustafa Ali and Baron Corbin's Move to NXT
Last week two WWE Superstars made big waves in NXT, as Mustafa Ali and Baron Corbin both made surprise appearances. Ali came to help out Wes Lee and Tyler Bate, while Corbin made his presence felt when he attacked Carmelo Hayes. Both stars will be in the mix tonight as well, but now we have a few more details regarding their stint in NXT and why they jumped in. According to Fightful Select, there have been tentative plans in place for both Ali and Corbin in NXT for quite some time, and that is part of the reason the Free Agent tag was placed on them during the WWE Draft.
The report also says the source stated that "despite a lot of things from the previous regime that made that cynicism around the free agent tags understandable, there was more of a plan for them this time."
Several NXT superstars had specifically requested to work with Ali, and apparently, he was more than happy to oblige. While both Ali and Corbin will be working in NXT for a bit, it isn't a permanent move, and the report says Ali and Corbin can still appear on Raw and SmackDown when needed.
That's actually part of the reason why the NXT move works out, as the goal for these appearances is to apparently add interest to NXT and help asses the talent they will be working with. It also gets NXT Superstars more experience with Superstars who have been part of the main roster, though the report states that this will also allow WWE to refresh Ali and Corbin.
Tonight Corbin made it clear he was going after the NXT Championship, but he was greeted by Ilya Dragunov, and it appears they will be feuding a bit on the side while Corbin goes after Hayes. Tonight's episode also featured Corbin getting attacked by Trick Williams, so it would seem Corbin is going to end up getting a shot at the NXT Championship sometime soon.
That will likely happen at The Great American Bash on July 30th, which is the next premium live event for WWE NXT. Hayes retained the NXT Championship at NXT Battleground against Bron Breakker, and though he doesn't have an opponent for Bash yet, it is likely to be either a one-on-one match against Corbin or a Triple Threat against Corbin and Dragunov, if NXT wants to involve him.
Breuker was seen on tonight's episode as well, and some think he will end up on the main roster soon after being defeated by Hayes at Battleground. At least for now, that doesn't seem to be the case, and hopefully, we'll have a match announced for Great American Bash soon.
Are you excited for Ali and Corbin working in NXT for a bit? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!