Former champion shares heartbreaking personal post ahead of WWE SmackDown

A former WWE champion recently shared a heartbreaking update heading into SmackDown.

The name in question is Baron Corbin. The 39-year-old WWE Superstar returned to NXT on May 30 this year. Although he has yet to win a title on the white and gold brand, the former United States Champion has impressed one and all with his character work and in-ring abilities. Corbin is scheduled to challenge Ilja Dragunov for the NXT title at the Deadline 2023 event on December 9.

Baron Corbin recently took to his Instagram account to share a heartbreaking update. The former WWE Money In The Bank winner's pet dog died yesterday. He shared multiple images of his late pet and penned an emotional message:

"Big man Xander left us yesterday and it has crushed our world. He was a best friend, companion, protector, pain in the butt, supportive, bed hog, funny, and so many more things but most of all he gave you unconditional love 24/7. Him and my children shared a bond like no other. We will all miss everything about him even his horrible breath when he liked your face. Hopefully where ever his spirit has gone they serve a5 steak bc he can be a little bougie. I could write and write and turn this into a novel about him, but I will just say thank you for being the best dog to us for nearly 10 yrs!!!! There will never be Another Xander!!" Corbin wrote.

You can check the Instagram post below:

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Baron Corbin opens up on his match against WWE Hall of Famer

Baron Corbin faced WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 35. The 2019 match at the Show of Shows was ultimately a retirement bout for the Olympic gold medalist, and Corbin came out with the victory.

Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, the former WWE King of the Ring winner shared his experience and thoughts regarding the match. Corbin stated that he would have respected Angle even if he had declined to lose the fight:

"To get the win, like, I thought for sure, going into that I was like, man, we're gonna send Kurt out on a high horse hand raised, me laying flat on my back. I was like, that's gonna be awesome. And then they're like, 'Hey, man, you're going over,' and I was like, huh? Can you say that one more time? And like, for Kurt to do that, like he could have said no. I would have respected Kurt, for that would have made sense," Corbin said.

He further stated:

"It would have been, you know, I would not have been any bit upset for that. Like I'm working Kurt Angle at WrestleMania. A guy who was in the Hall of Fame, a guy who has a gold medal, a guy who has been in the ring with every superstar you can imagine, from Taker to Brock to me, just the list goes on and on and on. And I'm having a singles match at WrestleMania with this person."

Do you agree with Baron Corbin's words? Sound off in the comments section below.