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Bishop Dyer (Baron Corbin) "Locked Out" of MLW Amid WWE Return Rumors

The smoke around those Baron Corbin WWE return rumors continues to get thicker as Bishop Dyer was locked out of MLW Saturday night.
Rick Ucchino|
MLW Twitter

Bishop Dyer's time in Major League Wrestling may have come to an end Saturday night on MLW Fusion.

The man formerly known as Baron Corbin has been in the midst of a storyline contract dispute with the company for weeks, and he has now been "locked out" by MLW management due to what were described as unreasonable demands.

Dyer was one half of the MLW World Tag Team Champions, alongside Donovan Dijak, heading into Saturday's show, but he was stripped of the gold due to the impasse in contract negotiations.

Dijak was forced to find a new tag team partner after Bishop Dyer was locked out

Dijak was allowed to remain tag team champion as long as he found a new tag team partner by the end of the night, and he was successful. Josh Bishop has now taken Bishop Dyer's spot as a member of the Skyscrapers and is officially recognized as one half of the MLW World Tag Team Champions.

This is a significant creative hurdle that needed to be cleared as Bishop Dyer is reportedly on his way back to WWE.

Rumors have been circulating for weeks about a potential Baron Corbin comeback, and despite his recent social media posts denying said rumors, many within WWE are reportedly expecting him to re-sign in the near future — if he hasn't already.

Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

When news first broke that Corbin could be on his way back to WWE, The Takedown on SI was able to confirm that he was not tied down to Major League Wrestling with any sort of long-term contract commitment. He had primarily been working with MLW as a freelancer.

Corbin, real name Tom Pestock, saw his 12-year WWE tenure come to an end in November 2024 when he was informed that his contract would not be renewed.

The former Money in the Bank winner and Men's United States Champion then started making a name for himself on the independent scene under the name of Bishop Dyer. He competed for a number of promotions including MLW, GCW, MLP and even a dark match for All Elite Wrestling.

As of this writing, there is no timeline for Corbin's return to WWE programming.

MLW Fusion Match Results for July 4:

  • Trevor Lee defeated Andrew Everett, Diego Hill, Festus, Ikuro Kwon, Jesus Rodriguez, Josh Bishop, Matthew Justice, Paul Hauser, and The Beastman in a Bunhouse Stampede Match to win the MLW Southern Crown Championship.
  • LaBron Kozone defeated Alan Angels.
  • Karl Anderson defeated Donovan Dijak. Josh Bishop attacked Anderson post-match and aligned himself with Dijak.
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Published | Modified
Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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