Bishop Dyer is excited to enter a new era with MLW.
Major League Wrestling is set to return to TV on a regular basis with MLW Fusion. The show’s return date has not been announced yet, but the league has started scheduling TV tapings to have content ready for the on-air return. MLW will be in Atlanta on March 14, where MLW Tag Team Champion Bishop Dyer will be in action.
Dyer, formerly WWE star Baron Corbin, spoke about how important television is for MLW, noting how they can now tell long-form stories from week to week. Dyer says while live events are a great test for talent, they’re only performing for the fans in the building. Now with television, they open themselves up to a much bigger audience who will be more familiar with them.
“Once this is airing episodically, we get to tell stories about the evolution of characters,” Dyer told WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard. “If you can’t watch it week in and week out, if we do it in Atlanta and then again in Tennessee, Tennessee has no idea what happened in Atlanta. It doesn’t help the story. You’re just building cards without that connection.”
Bishop Dyer wants MLW to compete with TNA and other televised promotions
Dyer says a regular television home also helps MLW owner Court Bauer build things fans can follow, rather than matches for a live crowd. He said AEW got the same criticism early on, but now the company has evolved and added deeper storylines that result in a better show. He wants the same thing for MLW, too.
“That’s the goal with MLW. We want to compete with TNA and other companies. Having an episodic show that people can watch and emotionally connect to continues to build a connection to the company. Fans are going to want to tune in every week,” Dyer explained. “Letting people connect to these guys helps them get over more, so you get better reactions. When fans only see talent when they come to town, there’s no connection unless they follow their socials. Guys don’t have a chance to really get over, and this episodic approach gives them that opportunity.”
Pro wrestling will always have a debate over storytelling versus moves. The former Baron Corbin prides himself on being a fan of the former, noting how the emotional hook informs everything that happens in a match.
“How do you take guys whose names people don’t know and build them? That’s with stories. That’s with episodic television. That’s with building a character and allowing people to see it who aren’t just in that building,” Dyer said.
Storytelling ability is so important for wrestlers trying to build their brand
Dyer said he’s a big story advocate in all walks of life, including pro football and spending quality time with his family. Stories allow people to connect, which highlights why Fusion is so valuable to MLW.
“Even for guys who do crazy moves like Ricochet, who does these insane flips, once the audience sees your 450 splash 20 times, they just want to know what you do next. They don’t really care about the move anymore. It’s still impressive and might get a reaction, but look at what Ricochet has done recently. He’s developed a character, and now he’s getting better reactions than I think he’s ever gotten in his career.”
The former WWE United States Champion reiterated that stories allow audiences to connect with talent, whether they are new or familiar names.
“The same goes for someone like Matt Riddle, or anyone else for that matter — myself, Dijak, the women like Shotzi. Maybe there’s a girl in the audience who connects with Shotzi and it’s the first time she’s ever seen her. Now she can follow what she’s doing on MLW TV.
“There are matches that are going to get five or six stars in every company around the world,” he added. “But if you ask people a year later, ‘What was in that match that you loved?’ they’re going to say, ‘I don’t know, but I remember what this guy was doing on TV.’ It’s just different. There’s a different connection.”
Bishop Dyer says TV tapings also add another value for wrestlers
MLW will tape multiple episodes of content per night, which Dyer sees as another perk. He considers himself a grinder, and working multiple matches and doing backstage work gives him more validation, and it also shows who wants to work, and who doesn’t.
“I’m doing two matches, I’m doing backstage segments. I feel like I’m really doing something,” he explained. “I think that’s another amazing thing about creating episodic television and having a weekly show. It makes people work. It separates the guys who want to be there and want to work hard from the people who don’t.”
MLW is at Center Stage in Atlanta on Saturday, March 14, for an MLW Fusion television taping. Tickets are available now.
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