On the night of January 17th, Ring Of Honor and Tag Team legend Jay Briscoe unfortunately passed away in a car incident at age 38. SmarkDown remembers Jay and sends their deepest condolences to the family, friends, and fans of the tag team juggernaut.
Tanner: I did not watch The Briscoes until their Supercard Of Honor match against FTR last year, but instantly understood the level of respect they deserved and how legendary they were in ROH. Jay’s mean and badass personality mixed with the craziest of his brother Mark made me feel that they were something special and I needed to see more. They had two more fantastic matches with FTR in 2022 and I grew more and more respect for The Briscoes and they had definitely gained a fan. Jay was a loving father and a man who owned up mistakes he made in his short time on Earth. Wishing nothing but the best to his brother, his wife, and his children. Rest In Peace Forever, Jay Briscoe ❤️
Matthew:
Jay Briscoe!
You have meant the world to me since i first saw you winning the Ring of Honor World Championship in 2014! then you began my Favorite ROH Storyline against Jay Lethal. You dropped the World Championship at Best in the World 2015 in Ring of Honor’s Most Important Match.
You Made me laugh, you’ve now made me cry! you cheered me up in times I needed it! Jay Briscoe vs Jay Lethal is still my Favorite ROH World Title Match of all time! and it’s because of you Jay that I stayed a fan of ROH!
From a Fan Jay,
We Love you!
Daniel (MrDCWood): In the 00s, I had little exposure to Ring of Honor. When watching mostly WWE and a bit of TNA, I would hear of ROH, and names like CM Punk, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness among many more who became the future of wrestling. Among those glorious names I heard were the Briscoe Brothers.
In the 2010s, I finally had chance to watch some ROH DVDs and see the Briscoe Brothers in action. Needless to say, the hype surrounding their work ethic was justified. My favourite ROH show will always be Man Up from 2007, with the infamous Ladder War serving as the main-event. Jay and Mark simply tore the house down that night against Kevin Steen and El Generico. Just when we thought we’d seen it all in wrestling, we were all spoiled by the efforts of these guys who gave us a perfect bout full of innovation and brutality.
And then, of course, Jay rose to prominence as a singles-star, the Ring of Honor World Champion, no less! And once again, he amazed me with his work, with my favourite bout of his singles-career being the title-for-title affair against ROH TV Champion Jay Lethal at Best In The World 2015. From build-up to the match itself, it was all nothing short of a high-stakes epic. Obviously, it became Jay Lethal’s crowning moment, but Jay Briscoe was crucial in delivering one of the greatest moments in ROH History.
A true legend of ROH, and a star of wrestling. One who will be dearly missed. My deepest condolences to Jay’s wife and children, Mark Briscoe and all of his loved ones. My prayers are with them all.
We love you, Jay. – D.C. Wood
Tomas: For nearly two decades, the Briscoes have been one of, if not the greatest tag team competing outside of the “big leagues”. As the years passed and their great work continued, they eventually became one of the best tag teams around, period. Jay Briscoe was a former ROH World Champion as well, leaving a mark on that company like few men did. It’s incredibly sad that he passed away so young. I would like to take this moment to give nothing but strength to all his family and loved ones, particularly his brother and his wife, but especially, his children, who are still way too young. With love,
RIP Jay.
Prince Osborne: The Briscoes are one of the key reasons for me to have my eyes glued in to ROH much like other promotions. Their approach towards pro wrestling really made them stand out as one of the major alternatives for WWE during their peak time. They aren’t one of the all-time greats in tag team wrestling, but also one of the realest brothers I’ve ever heard of. As much as they’re passionate for the industry, they’re passionate as humans leading a peaceful life not thinking of any bad omens for the surrounded others especially Jay. His run as World Champion in ROH opened the gateway even wider that tag team stalwarts also have a chance to shine as a mainstream solo act. In addition, his affectionate personality towards his family inspires me to lead a similar life as a family man. Despite being extremely down for his loss, I’m somehow thankful to see Jay evolve as he wished to be and succeed in doing so. Rest in power, mate. We will NEVER EVER forget you!
P.S. Let the power be more for Mark as well for leading a life his brother wished to. Even though his birthday was around the corner, this loss definitely could’ve deepened his sorrow. Godspeed for the recovery, man!
With love & respect,
Prince Osborne
REST IN PEACE JAY BRISCOE 1984-2023
