Former WWE Star Returns To The Company On SmackDown

WWE

A former WWE star has made his return to the company on tonight’s July 10 episode of WWE SmackDown on USA Network.

Tonight’s SmackDown featured a non-title match between current WWE United States Champion Trick Williams and former champion Carmelo Hayes, with the idea that if Hayes won, he’d earn himself a future title shot.

However, the match ended up having no winner as when Hayes looked like he was about to land his Nothing But Net finisher, he was attacked.

The attacker was Baron Corbin, making his return to WWE after being away from the company since the expiration of his contract in November 2024.

Baron Corbin’s WWE SmackDown returnpic.twitter.com/CZrsQXiW70

— WrestleTalk (@WrestleTalk_TV) July 11, 2026

We’ve been posting some regular updates here on the site in recent weeks about the possibility of Corbin returning to WWE, including breaking the news just a few hours ago of WWE’s trademark filing for The Nomad, which is the nickname Corbin has been using as Bishop Dyer away from WWE.

The announcers did refer to him as Baron Corbin, so he is back to that name now that he’s returned, as opposed to using the Bishop Dyer name.

After attacking Hayes, Corbin also attacked Williams and held up the United States Title – the newly redesigned white fur United States Title, that Lil Yachty had made for Williams.

So Baron Corbin is back with WWE, and he has inserted himself in the United States Title picture which features Williams, Hayes and Ricky Saints who was shown backstage watching the match.

Corbin is a former United States Champion, having held the title back in 2017.

He’s also a former NXT Tag Team Champion alongside Bron Breakker when they were together as The Wolf Dogs in 2024, as well as being the 2017 Money in the Bank winner, though he failed his cash-in on then-WWE Champion Jinder Mahal due to a distraction from John Cena.

Corbin’s return to WWE comes ahead of the reportedly planned returns of Enzo Amore and Big Cass as well.

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• wwe
• Smackdown
• baron corbin

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