Reason Why Baron Corbin Was Kept Off Smackdown

According to Brad Shepard of BodySlam.net (who has broken news in the past), the reason Baron Corbin was kept off of Smackdown was due to his popularity in Kansas City. He reportedly got the biggest pop of the night for a dark match in which he teamed with Jinder Mahal against AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura. Shepard wrote:

https://twitter.com/TheBradShepard/status/961231043385839617

While Corbin is not from Kansas City, he has spent a lot of time in the state of Missouri. He is a two-time Amateur Kansas-Missouri Golden Gloves regional champion and won at the 2008 National Tournament of Champions. He also played offensive guard for Northwest Missouri State University in the NCAA Division II, where he was named honorable mention all-MIAAA in 2007 and first team in 2008.

Corbin will be back on WWE TV next week, when he faces Dolph Ziggler on Smackdown.