Baron Corbin Shockingly Emerges As New Challenger To WWE NXT Champ Carmelo Hayes

After a successful title defense against Bron Breakker at "WWE NXT" Battleground, Carmelo Hayes wasted little time in finding his next challenger. After agreeing to put his "NXT" Championship on the line against the "NXT" Heritage Cup Champion Noam Dar, the two met in the main event of Tuesday's "NXT."

Despite the ringside shenanigans from each of their allies, Hayes managed to pull off a victory by nailing Dar with his Nothing But Net finisher. Hayes' post-match celebration was cut off by "free agent" Baron Corbin, who attacked him from behind. After leading Hayes back into the ring, Corbin delivered an End of Days and ended the show by holding up the "NXT" Championship, signaling his intent in challenging for the title next.

Corbin joins the likes of Apollo Crews, Finn Balor, Charlotte Flair, and Piper Niven as recent main roster superstars to appear on the "NXT" brand. Due to his free agency status, it remains to be seen if Corbin assumes a permanent roster spot on WWE's developmental brand, or if his stint would be a temporary one. Fans on social media believe Corbin showed flashes of his "Lone Wolf" gimmick on Tuesday, a persona he had not used since his early years on WWE's main roster. 

Corbin had suffered a series of losses on the main roster prior to his re-emergence on the "NXT" brand. In fact, his last televised victory came way back on the November 14 episode of "WWE Raw" against Akira Tozawa, at a time when Corbin was aligned with WWE Hall of Famer JBL. Corbin's luck went from bad to worse when JBL ditched him as a client after referring to him as "a clown" and "a turd" that cannot be polished.