Bishop Dyerformerly WWEs Baron Corbinmade his AEW debut in a dark match ahead of Dynamite, but he wasnt originally part of the plan.
According to Fightful Select, indie standout Robert Martyr was originally scheduled to work the pre-show match in Orlando. However, he was ultimately replaced by Dyer, who 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.
Dyers appearance wasnt planned in advance, either. In fact, he only showed up because he was giving Paul Wight (Big Show) a ride to the venue. As Dyer later explained on Off The Ropes with Jonathan Coachman:
Once backstage, Billy Gunn spotted him and made the impromptu pitch:
Tony Khan approved the switch, and just like that, the dark match was reshuffledMartyr out, Dyer in.
Despite the last-minute nature of the change, Dyer made the most of the moment, soaking up the crowds energy and earning praise from AEW leadership. But for fans of Robert Martyr, the swap leaves questions about what couldve been.
Whether this was a one-off or a sign of AEW testing the waters with Dyer remains to be seenbut either way, it wasnt the debut AEW originally had in mind.
