Could the former Baron Corbin be New Japan bound?
In some shocking news, Fightful Select reports that New Japan Pro-Wrestling is in talks with former WWE star Baron Corbin. Nothing has been officially signed yet, nor is it clear how deep the talks between New Japan and the former Baron Corbin is. It’s not surprising that New Japan is trying to pick up the former WWE United States Champion as he’s a notable name that’s been in the main event scene within WWE. The surprise comes from Thomas Pestock (Corbin’s real name), who has looked down on indie wrestlers in the past.
He bragged about not having to work in high school gyms or being poor in order to achieve his dreams of becoming a WWE star. Thomas elaborated on his beef with indie guys like Johnny Gargano or Kevin Owens on WWE’s show, The Bump:
"[Gargano has] done some great things for somebody that nobody expected anything from. A lot of these guys, it’s a bragging right. Ten years, I’ve been wrestling for 15 years. Why is that a bragging right? I made a phone call, and the WWE brought me in for a tryout and signed me within the week.
That’s how it works. I don’t need to go work for a hot dog and popcorn in your local gymnasium. That’s not what I do. It’s not a bragging right for me to go, ‘Ah, I drove around in my buddy’s Honda Civic for six hours to go to this show and then drive 12 hours to this show and the car broke down and we ran out of gas, and we didn’t money to eat. That’s not something you brag about," Corbin said.
I don’t personally know Corbin’s financial situation, but given the fact that he's been in WWE for 12 years, he could be set for life. Corbin has been vocal about the company not using him properly at the tail end of his career.
It’s always possible that he wants to try out the indies since he still has a desire to continue wrestling. It should be interesting to see how the former Baron Corbin does in New Japan Pro Wrestling. If he does end up there.