PWInisder.com is reporting that the reason that Baron Corbin’s push was scaled back was due to his untimely intervention during a locker room meeting involving WWE’s head of medical, Dr. Joseph Maroon.
According to the site, WWE Superstars were getting a lecture by Dr. Maroon who talked about CTE and downplayed the effect it had, quoting a recent study, on deceased NFL players. CTE can only be diagnosed postmortem.
Corbin, who is a former NFL player, wasn’t impressed and cut Dr. Maroon half-way, telling him his opinion and challenging his lecture. Corbin is part of a lawsuit against the NFL regarding head trauma. Maroon is often portrayed as pro-NFL in his medical field.
The situation did not go down well with WWE’s senior management and felt that Corbin should have had the discussion in private with Dr. Maroon instead of challenging him in front of the whole locker room.
After the meeting, WWE put the brakes on Corbin’s push, made him fail the Money in the Bank cash-in, and then losing very clean to John Cena a few days later in the opening match at SummerSlam.
Dr. Maroon is the Medical Director for WWE and his signature is required for anyone to be cleared to compete. While he is a board-certified clinical professor of neurological surgery and Vice Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, many are often opposed to his methods and judgment. He was also portrayed, not in the greatest light, in the recent Will Smith movie Concussion.
