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Ex-Champion Officially Returns To WWE Roster After Two Years

By Sridhar Krishnan • Published Jul 22, 2026 14:06 EDT
WWE logo over Baron Corbin
WWE logo over Baron Corbin - Source: WWE.com

A former WWE Champion has been officially added to the company’s roster after 2 years.

Baron Corbin is a former one-time United States Champion and an NXT Tag Team Champion, who made his return to the company on the July 10 edition of SmackDown.

Corbin made his presence felt during the singles match between Carmelo Hayes and the United States Champion Trick Williams.

The 41-year-old caused the match to end after pulling Hayes off the top turnbuckle. He then struck Williams with a flurry of punches before sending him into the ring post.

Corbin then went over to Hayes and dropped him with his End of Days finisher before following suit with the WWE US Champion.

On the following episode of the blue brand, he made his intention clear about chasing the US title, claiming that Carmelo Hayes was the collateral in his attack on Trick Williams.

Baron Corbin first signed with WWE in 2012 before being released in November 2024, thus ending his 12-year run with the company. He subsequently competed in the independent circuit under the name Bishop Dyer, becoming the RXV National Champion and one-half of the MLW World Tag Team Champions (w/Donovan Dijak).

Baron Corbin Added To WWE’s Updated Roster

In Major League Wrestling, Baron Corbin (Bishop Dyer) played a heel character.

At the time of his departure, he was involved in a contract negotiation with the company, however, had proposed several amendments to his contract, which the higher-ups called unreasonable.

As a result, he was stripped of his title, leaving Donovan Dijak to find himself a new tag partner.

Rich Bocchini shared the update, revealing that Dyer made several demands, including a salary bump, by leveraging his tag title.

I literally just stepped out of a series of high-profile meetings with sources inside the MLW office, and we have a major development regarding the World Tag Team Championships. Something that could really shift the entire landscape of Major League Wrestling. Now, for weeks, the question has been, exactly where is Bishop Dyer?

I can now confirm this – negotiations between Dyer and Major League Wrestling have officially hit a total standstill. My sources tell me that Dyer has been using – or attempting to use – his status as World Tag Team Champion as the ultimate leverage. We’re talking about a salary bump and perk demands that would make a billionaire blush. Now, the League’s response to this – ‘We’ve had enough.’ As of this moment, Bishop Dyer has officially been locked out of Major League Wrestling, until he returns with a reasonable mindset.

Upon his WWE return, Baron Corbin made a significant impact by taking out an incumbent champion. He has now been rewarded with an official recognition on the company’s roster.

On July 26, he will challenge for the United States Championship in a 3-way match, which is a part of the Summer Tour on the road to SummerSlam.