Bishop Dyer is proof that bringing your wrestling gear to a show pays off.
Dyer, formerly known as Baron Corbin, is currently one-half of the MLW Tag Team Champions with Donovan Dijak. Since leaving WWE, Dyer also made his AEW in-ring debut, which was not a planned move. Dyer recently explained to WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard how his match ultimately happened, noting how he was only going to the taping to catch up with friends.
He happened to have his gear with him, something that his WWE coaches had always instilled in him. Dyer said Billy Gunn already knew he was coming to visit, then checked back the day of the Dynamite taping to see if he had his attire with him. However, Dyer still didn’t know he would compete that night.
Bishop Dyer learned to always be prepared
“It’s just something I learned from guys like him, Norman Smiley, Bill DeMott, Matt Bloom, and others. They always said, ‘Always be prepared. Always take your gear if you’re going to a show.’ Especially in the beginning, when NXT was going to places like Tampa, Orlando, and Miami while WWE was running shows there. We were just going to watch, but some guys wouldn’t bring their gear,” Dyer explained. “I always thought, ‘What are you doing? Always take it with you so you have it if you need it.’ That’s just a mentality that stuck with me. So I brought it.
“Then [Billy] said, ‘We’re going to see if we can get you into the dark match with us.’ I said, ‘That’d be amazing.’ He replied, ‘I’m so happy you brought your gear. That shows you’re smart, dude. That’s the old-school way.’”
Despite Gunn’s reply, Dyer still wasn’t sure it would actually happen.
“Tony [Khan] has a roster full of great talent, and I had never worked for him or even had a conversation with him before that. They asked QT Marshall about it, and QT pitched the idea. Tony said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ So it was smart on my part to have my gear with me, and it was pretty awesome that they threw my name in the hat and Tony approved it.”
Bishop Dyer says opportunities can be won and lost based on being prepared
Bishop Dyer also pointed out how important having your gear close to you can be. He recalled seeing talent at WWE shows lose out on matches because they didn’t come prepared for a potential match. Bringing your gear as a carry-on also has its benefits, too.
“When I had the Money in the Bank briefcase, it was in my carry-on. I was putting my electronics in it because it had to fit as a carry-on,” he explained. “I thought, ‘What if my bag gets lost?’ Then Vince [McMahon] goes, ‘Where’s your briefcase?’ What’s my answer to that?
“So for me, always have a set of gear with you — on your carry-on or if you’re driving to a show. Any chance you get,” he added. “I was talking to some guys about one of the MLW shows in Tennessee, and they said, ‘Hey, it’s close. Should we show face?’ I said, ‘Yeah, definitely show face and bring your gear just in case.’ They said, ‘Ah, good idea.’ That’s not their first thought. What if you show face and they go, ‘Hey, you guys want a match? Cool.’ If you say, ‘No, we don’t have our gear,’ you’re never going to get that opportunity again.”
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