When we heard the wrestler formerly known as Baron or Happy Corbin was wrestling in a match at AEW’s double-taping in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday night (Jan. 21), it seemed pretty clear that the man who know works as Bishop Dyer wasn’t signing with AEW.
For one thing, Dyer is signed to MLW, where he just won their tag titles with Donovan Dijak (fka Dominik Dijakovic and T-BAR). For another, it was an 8-man tag before Dynamite that doesn’t seem destined to ever air anywhere, and there are too many
plausible explanations for why he’d jump on a show that was changed on the fly due to the impending winter weather in North America, and happening near where he lives.
And when the former King of the Ring and Mr. Money in the Bank explained what happened to Jonathan Coachman on the new edition of Coach’s Sirius XM show Off The Ropes, turns out if was about what we sussed out on Wednesday night.
Dyer was at Orlando’s Addition Arena because he’d given Paul “Big Show” Wight a lift there and decided to catch up with a few more old friends:
“The highlight of my day was not only being in the ring, with that crowd — because the crowd was just fucking awesome through and through. But, the whole thing started because I went to pick up Big Show to take Big Show up to Orlando for the show and to just see my people, and they ended up switching their shows last night and adding Collision post-Dynamite, because there’s supposed to be a snowstorm.
“So they did it last night, and we stayed through the end. So we didn’t leave Orlando till like 12:20, 12:30 at night. Drove back to Tampa, got to Odessa, dropped the big man off… Great time, great stories. I love that man to death.“
Another of Dyer’s people is Billy Gunn, and it was Daddy Ass who got his friend into the ring before Dynamite:
”I got there and saw my man Billy Gunn, who’s like a dad to me. He’s always been my guy that I’ve leaned on through a lot of stuff in the wrestling world. They had the dark matches because he was working with his son, Austin, and he’s like, ‘Hey man, do you wanna be in this dark match with us?’ And I was like, ‘Dude, if it gets OK’d, I’m sold. Let’s do it,’ and he’s like, ‘You got your gear, right?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m a professional, dude. Always.’
“So they put it through Papa T.K. [AEW president and booker Tony Khan], and it was okay and I did the physical and all that stuff and… when I walked out, it was pretty awesome. When I got into the light — me watching thousands of people there, it’s the first time I’ve been in front of a crowd that size in a while, and seeing them come out of their seats and stand up and cheer and I’m used to a career of boos, and so when you get that kind of pop… ”
Sounds like the match, and the staredown the elder Gunn, were a success. Even AEW National champion admitted the former Mr. Corbin’s match was a success, with Ricochet quote-tweeting a clip of Dyer and Coach’s interview with the caption, “Bald did good.”
Regarding “Papa T.K.”? Dyer only got a chance to speak to AEW’s head honcho briefly:
“I know Tony told me afterwards, he was like, ‘The match was so fun. I enjoyed it,’ and obviously, he’s working his ass off back there. I’m not gonna bother him with anything other than, ‘Thank you for allowing me to do that with Billy and Austin’ so that was the extent of our conversation.”
Will they talk more in the future? Would you like to see Bishop Dyer in AEW? Did hearing he worked a match Wednesday inspire you to seek our his MLW work (if you haven’t already)?
Let us know in the comments, when it’s released in podcast form, you’ll be able to list to the new Off The Ropes with Jonathan Coachman here.
