Donovan Dijak has worked alongside two very different versions of Bishop in Major League Wrestling, and he sees value in each partnership.
Since departing WWE, Dijak has remained a highly visible name both on the independent circuit and in MLW. His time in the promotion has included teaming with Baron Corbin, who performed as Bishop Dyer during that run, as well as working more recently with Josh Bishop after Corbin returned to WWE. Though the pairings share a surname connection and a certain physical presence, Dijak explained that his relationships with Corbin and Bishop have been shaped by notably different levels of experience.
For Dijak, the key difference begins with career mileage. He and Corbin entered professional wrestling in roughly the same era, giving them a comparable foundation when they share the ring. Josh Bishop, meanwhile, brings a newer perspective to the work, along with major athletic and physical attributes that Dijak believes create a different kind of opportunity.
Dijak and Corbin Share Similar Ring Experience
Dijak said that he and Corbin have been involved in wrestling for close to the same amount of time. He noted that Corbin may have begun training a few months earlier in FCW, before that developmental system became NXT, but emphasized that their overall longevity leaves them on a similar level in terms of in-ring experience.
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“Myself and Corbin, we’ve actually been in the business for about the same amount of time. I think he might have started training maybe like a few months before me down in the FCW system before it was NXT. But in terms of longevity and professional wrestling, he and I have a very similar level of experience in ring and things like that.”
That shared experience can be particularly meaningful in a tag-team setting. Partners with comparable time in the business often have an established sense of pacing, positioning, match structure and how to respond when conditions change in front of a live audience. Dijak did not frame that as a claim that the two have identical styles. Instead, he pointed to a similar depth of experience that can make the process of working together more natural.
There is also a distinction between teaming with a wrestler and simply facing one. A tag team requires constant awareness of another performer’s movement, timing and choices. It asks each wrestler to understand not only when to enter the match but also how to build momentum for the other person. Dijak’s comments suggest that his shared career timeline with Corbin helped provide a common language for that process.
Corbin’s MLW period as Bishop Dyer gave Dijak an opportunity to collaborate with a wrestler he regarded as a peer in terms of years spent developing in the industry. Now that Corbin has re-signed with WWE, that particular chapter has changed, but Dijak made clear that he appreciated the chance to team with him.
Josh Bishop Brings a Different Kind of Positive
In contrast, Dijak described Josh Bishop as being earlier in his professional wrestling journey. Rather than presenting that as a limitation, Dijak specifically said it brings its own positives. He highlighted Bishop’s athletic ability as well as his size and strength, qualities that make him a formidable presence in and around a tag-team match.
“Whereas Josh is a little newer to the game, but that brings a whole new set of positivity. Obviously he’s super athletic and a big, strong dude.”
The assessment points to an important contrast in Dijak’s two MLW partnerships. With Corbin, there is a built-in familiarity created by similar career experience. With Bishop, there is the energy and upside of working with someone who has fewer years in the industry but already possesses eye-catching physical tools.
Dijak’s own style has long been associated with a combination of size, power and athletic movement. That makes Bishop’s profile especially relevant to the pairing. A team featuring two large, athletic wrestlers can create a different visual and competitive identity than one built purely around shared experience. In Dijak’s view, Bishop’s capabilities are not merely supplemental traits; they are a meaningful part of what makes the partnership compelling.
At the same time, Dijak did not draw a harsh line between the two men. He stressed that there are similarities between both Bishops as well. Each provides a physical presence, and each has been enjoyable for him to work with in multiple capacities. The difference, then, is less about one partnership being preferable and more about the distinct strengths each wrestler brings to the table.
Respect for Both Versions of Bishop
Dijak summed up his feelings by praising both Corbin and Josh Bishop as collaborators and opponents. His comments covered the full range of their interactions, from competing against them to standing beside them as a team.
“There’s a lot of similarities as well with both Bishops, but both of them have been an absolute pleasure to work with, to work against, to tag with.”
That wording is significant because it does not reduce either relationship to a single match type or role. In professional wrestling, opponents can become partners and partners can become opponents, sometimes in rapid succession. Being able to work effectively in either situation is central to building a productive on-screen relationship. Dijak’s praise indicates that he values both Corbin and Bishop beyond the immediate question of who stands in his corner at a particular moment.
The comparison also reflects the unusual circumstance of the nickname connection. Corbin wrestled in MLW as Bishop Dyer, while Josh Bishop has become Dijak’s more recent partner following Corbin’s WWE return. Dijak jokingly referred to having teamed with “both versions of Bishop,” but his explanation made clear that the shared label does not make the experiences interchangeable.
Corbin represents a contemporary with comparable years of ring experience and developmental history. Josh Bishop represents a newer wrestler whose combination of athleticism, size and strength offers a different dynamic. Dijak has found reasons to be enthusiastic about both.
Focus Turns to What Is Next in MLW
While reflecting positively on his previous work with Corbin and his present work with Bishop, Dijak also indicated that there is more on the horizon. He said that there is upcoming material that has already been completed and expressed excitement for audiences to see the effort involved.
“I’m super excited for all of that and all of this stuff because we’ve got a lot of stuff upcoming that we’ve already done. So I’m excited for everybody to see all of the hard work that we’ve put into this.”
Dijak did not reveal specific matches, events or creative plans in those remarks. Still, his confidence offers a clear indication that the MLW work involving him and Bishop is not limited to what has already been seen. The emphasis on hard work also underlines the practical side of establishing a partnership: chemistry is not simply assumed because wrestlers have compatible physiques or similar backgrounds. It is built through preparation, repetition and the willingness to learn how another performer approaches a match.
For Dijak, that preparation has apparently paid off in different ways with both men. The Corbin partnership gave him the chance to operate beside a wrestler with an equivalent level of time in the profession. The Bishop partnership gives him an opportunity to work with a powerful, athletic talent who is still building experience. Neither setup erases the other, and Dijak’s comments show respect for what each has added to his MLW run.
Two Partnerships, One Enthusiastic Assessment
There is a straightforward takeaway from Dijak’s comparison: he does not view Baron Corbin and Josh Bishop as replacements for one another in a simple sense. Corbin’s return to WWE changed Dijak’s immediate tag-team situation in MLW, but it also opened the door for a new pairing with Josh Bishop. Dijak has embraced the contrast rather than treating it as a problem.
The partnership with Corbin was rooted in professional familiarity. The alliance with Bishop is energized by a newer talent’s physical potential and developing experience. Both have allowed Dijak to work within a hard-hitting environment, and both have left him eager for viewers to see what has been put together.
As MLW presents more of Dijak’s work with Josh Bishop, the distinction he outlined will remain worth watching. The team does not need to replicate what he had with Corbin to succeed. In Dijak’s own view, it has its own strengths, its own positive qualities and its own future material still waiting to reach the audience.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.