Former Baron Corbin Reflects On GCW Debut At Hammerstein, First Match Outside WWE

Baron Corbin is no more as Tom Pestock (soon to be Bishop Dyer) has taken center stage. In his first post-WWE outing, Pestock battled Josh Barnett in a Bloodsport match at GCW vs. The People, with Barnett emerging victorious. Still, Pestock recalls this match as "surreal," especially for the warm reception he gathered from fans inside NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom.

"I was so nervous going into it," Pestock told "Insight With Chris Van Vliet." "You always get good nervous when you're doing a show, especially massive arenas in front of lots of people, big matches. But it was a different nervous for me because I had no idea how they were going to react to me. 

"Also, GCW is known for its crazy matches and wild bumps that guys are taking, and we're going to put on a Bloodsport match," he continued. "We're grappling, we're hitting each other a lot harder than we would if it was not a Bloodsport match. I was like, man, 'How's the audience going to take to this style match?' I was worried."

Aside from competing in the only Bloodsport match on the card, Pestock was initially unsure about how the audience would react to him also competing under his real name. For 12 years, wrestling fans knew him as Baron Corbin. In that moment, though, they were introduced to a new version of him, who is now looking to expand his reach to a number of different promotions, such as New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Ultimately, Pestock emerged as a crowd favorite inside Hammerstein Ballroom, with chants of "please come back" following his Bloodsport performance.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Insight With Chris Van Vliet" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.