According to a new report from Fightful Select, there were tentative plans in place some time ago for Baron Corbin and Mustafa Ali to return to the NXT brand, which is one of the main reasons why they are free agents coming out of the 2023 WWE Draft.
The report notes that a WWE source said, “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 this time.”
Furthermore, it was noted that several NXT talents reportedly asked to work with Ali, and the word is Ali was more than happy to do so. Fightful Select also said the goal for Corbin and Ali making appearances is to add interest toNXT and help freshen up the characters of Corbin and Ali, assess the talent they work with and for NXT talent to gain experience with main roster TV talent and a feel for how the style works for Raw and SmackDown.
Fightful Select concluded by noting that Ali and Corbin will continue to work on the NXT brand. However, this is not fully permanent move and that being free agents, they will still make appearances still appear on Raw and SmackDown when needed.
Corbin and Ali are scheduled for Money in the Bank Qualifying Matches this Friday night on SmackDown, with Corbin taking on Butch i SmackDown and Ali squaring off against Santos Escobar.