Bishop Dyer Breaks Silence on AEW Debut

Bishop Dyer, formerly known as Baron Corbin, made his AEW debut in a dark match—and he’s still riding the high from it.

Before AEW Dynamite went live from Orlando, Dyer teamed with Martin Stone (Danny Burch), Hadar Horvitz, and Ori Gold in a losing effort against Austin Gunn, Billy Gunn, Brady Booker, and Elijah Drago. But for Dyer, the experience was anything but forgettable.

Speaking on Off The Ropes with Jonathan Coachman, Dyer gave fans the full behind-the-scenes story, starting with how he ended up at the show in the first place.

“The highlight of my day was not only being in the ring, with that crowd… but the whole thing started because I went to pick up Big Show to take him up to Orlando for the show,” he said, referring to Paul Wight. “They ended up switching the shows and adding Collision post-Dynamite… 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.”

Dyer said the match itself came together organically—and all because Billy Gunn saw him and made the call.

“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.’ He’s like, ‘You got your gear, right?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m a professional, dude. Always.’”

The match was approved by Tony Khan, and Dyer went through the standard protocol before hitting the ring. And when he did? Instant reaction.

“When I walked out, it was pretty awesome. First time I’ve been in front of a crowd that size in a while. I’m used to a career of boos. So when you get that kind of pop… man.”

Dyer’s most emotional moment came during a face-off with Billy Gunn:

“When I slid in, and went face-to-face with Billy… out of my peripherals, the audience was standing up and I just hear that, ‘Ohhh!’ Billy and I both just smiled ear to ear at each other because we’re like, oh yeah. That’s it. That’s why we’re here.”

After the match, Dyer got a quick note of approval from AEW President Tony Khan:

“I know Tony told me afterwards, he was like, ‘The match was so fun. I enjoyed it.’ I just said, ‘Thank you for allowing me to do that with Billy and Austin.’”

Dyer currently wrestles for Major League Wrestling, where he holds the MLW World Tag Team Championships with Donovan Dijak. But he made it clear—stepping into the AEW ring gave him a surge he hasn’t felt in a long time.

Bishop Dyer’s AEW debut may have taken place off the live broadcast, but the moment clearly meant everything to him—and possibly foreshadowed more to come.