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Everyone who works for AEW and Ring of Honor should be very proud of themselves tonight.
Certainly, this time period remains a bitter, heartbreaking one after the loss of Jay Briscoe, but tonight, everyone under Tony Khan's banner put their best foot forward to pay tribute to someone who certainly deserved it.
The video package nailed everything that was Jay Briscoe at his core - a great professional wrestler who was a REALLY great father and part of an amazing family he was lucky enough to have been born into. Even if you didn't have a wealth of knowledge about Jay's career, once you heard his young daughter remark that he was crazy but she still loved her daddy, how could your heart NOT break for her and everyone else who loved Jay?
They showed us how he literally grew up before our eyes and evolved into one of the most important talents to ever grace a Ring of Honor ring - but the most important thing in Jay's all too short life was his family. AEW's production team, with a very small window of time during tonight's Dynamite broadcast, were able to masterfully weave all that together and get it over to the viewing audience. Whether you had seen Jay wrestle or he was someone you only heard about previously, that video package made you feel why his loss was so massive for those who worked with and cared about him. It made you feel who Jay truly was.
Then, Mark Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal was as perfect as it could have been under the circumstances.
The live crowd in Lexington made it a moment, cheering and giving all their energy for every spot, near fall and big sequence. Although vastly different circumstances and talents were involved, it brought me back, emotionally, to watching Bret Hart wrestle Chris Benoit on WCW Monday Nitro in honor of Owen Hart after his passing. Different time, different talents, different era, but the same raw, emotional feel.
I can't even envision what was going through Mark Briscoe's mind as he stood in the darkness backstage waiting to hear his brother's voice bellow REACH FOR THE SKY knowing he wasn't there and for the first time in his life, he was going to the ring without Jay somewhere nearby or just a second's notice away backstage. It had to have been one of the hardest things ever just to walk the aisle and enter the ring, much less put everything mentally and emotionally aside and attempt to put together a great match with Lethal, but Mark succeeded.
Ian Riccaboni, Excalibur and Caprice Coleman did a great job explaining who Jay Briscoe was while in the same breath, building the actual match before us as they grappled. From bell to bell, all three composed a beautiful soundtrack for the moment and action that played out before us.
I noted how hard it must have been for Briscoe, but Jay Lethal, who is ALWAYS a pro's pro in the ring, was obviously beside himself as he came out, barely able to maintain his composure. He's always had a great poker face so all of the emotion pouring out just showed how much the loss of Jay Briscoe meant - and how important Jay felt it was to pay tribute to someone he's known since his own earliest days as a professional wrestler in the JAPW and ROH days. Lethal can always be counted on as being a great, versatile worker but tonight, he was in another zone and did everything in his power to make sure Mark Briscoe - and Jay - had the moment they each deserved.
There is always a lot of criticism thrown at AEW and its talents and management. Sometimes it's within reason. Sometimes, it's silly tribalism from fans who don't want to admit another flavor of wrestling is good for everyone, even them. But tonight, AEW once again set the bar for the level of class, caring and emotion that every pro wrestling promotion should aim to match or beat in the face of a horrific loss.
Last week, fans needed something to help them get through this unthinkable tragedy. It took WBD awhile to get on board (and don't get me started on THAT), but once they did, AEW provided that moment without making it feel exploitive or over the top. They paid tribute to someone who made pro wrestling better and if we are lucky, it was a cathartic moment for Mark Briscoe, Jay's friends in the AEW locker room, his family back home in Delaware and fans across the globe.
AEW did exactly what Jay Briscoe always did when he stepped into the ring - excelled when it was truly needed - for themselves and for everyone watching.
Everyone in AEW should be very proud. They gave Jay Briscoe the tribute he earned and the one his fans, friends and family deserved.
Here is a collection of all the ways you can support the Pugh/Briscoe family:
FUNDRAISING ONLINE:
If you wish to donate to the Briscoe family fundraising page that has been set up by friends close to the family, click here.
The Briscoe family has asked fans to please support the Ternahan family children after their mother passed away in the accident where her truck struck Jay Briscoe's truck earlier this month. You can do so by clicking here.
OFFICIAL T-SHIRT ONLINE:
Ring of Honor has released a t-shirt in memory of Jay Briscoe with 100% of the proceeds going to the Briscoe family at this link.
LOCALLY IN DELAWARE:
If you wish to donate via check, you can write a check made out to Pugh Family Benefit. You can mail them or drop them off at any of the 11 Bank of Demarva branches.
A&K Tackle Enterprises (301 North Central Ave, Laurel, DE 19956) are selling t-shirts and stickers to raise money for the Pugh family.
Get well and sympathy cards for the Briscoe family can be sent to:
The Pugh Family
C/O Laurel High School
1133 South Central Avenue
Laurel, DE 19956
PWInsider.com sends our continued sympathies to the Pugh/Briscoe family as well as our hopes that Jay's daughters continue to recover.
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