Nick Jackson Of The Young Bucks Reveals They Tried To Get The Briscoes In AEW From Day 1
Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks has shared his thoughts about the death of his good friend, Jay Briscoe of the Briscoe Brothers.
On January 17th, Jay Briscoe was driving his car in Laurel, Delaware with his two daughters and a driver in another lane went into his lane for some reason leading to a head-on collision. A police report noted that Jay and the woman driver died right away while Jay’s kids survived the accident. Jay’s real name was Jamin Pugh.
At 38 years old, Ring of Honor Hall of Famer and current Tag Team Champion Jay Briscoe passed away.
The Briscoe Brothers were known for being one of the best tag teams in their era. Their trilogy of matches with FTR in 2022 are legendary including the Double Dog Collar match they had at December’s Final Battle that saw The Briscoe Brothers regain the ROH Tag Team Titles. The Briscoes also worked with The Young Bucks a lot in ROH and other places. Those three teams are certainly among the best in this generation.
Unfortunately, The Briscoe Brothers never got to work in an AEW ring. The reason that was always cited is that Jay made some homophobic comments over a decade ago that angered a lot of people. While many people have said that Jay had regretted it, had taken counseling for it and was a good person, apparently Warner Brothers Discovery TV executives could never get past it.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks talked about how much he liked working with The Briscoe Brothers and how they always prayed together to keep their families safe.
“We’re both devastated. Next to the Luchas, they were our favorite opponents, and we had a deep love for Jay. He loved his family so much so we related to that while on the road with them. He was the most intense person I’d ever been in the ring with. I’d be scared watching him make his entrance. He was so believable! We’re heartbroken right now.”
“Jay was the most intimidating man I’ve ever stepped in the ring with. The Briscoe Brothers theme music would hit and Matt and I would be in the ring legit scared even though moments, before we’d all four, shared a prayer asking God to protect us all and to keep our families safe while we we’re on the road. That was a very normal routine we had before wrestling those guys. We always talked about our families and Jay loved his wife and kids so much. Such a great family man and so loyal.”
Nick Jackson would go on to say that The Young Bucks tried to bring The Briscoe Brothers to AEW and Tony Khan especially tried his hardest, but it didn’t happen. Nick Jackson also mentioned how Jay Briscoe was a changed man.
“We always say they’re the best tag team in the world that wasn’t showcased to a national audience. We wanted to change that. We tried recruiting them from day one to AEW. Literally would beg on a weekly basis. Tony tried his hardest and when he bought ROH that was one of the first things he did was sign them to long-term contracts.”
“Jay took sensitivity training before signing and everyone I’ve talked to said how genuine he seemed and how different his opinions were during the training and just how much of a sweetheart he was and I had many conversations with them about it all too and he was definitely a changed man. I just wish he was given a better opportunity for forgiveness while he was still here with us. He was such a good human being. The best of hearts.”
Nick ended his message by saying that Jay was like family to him.
“This has hurt me more than my own family dying. Because in a way, he was family. We went to war with him more than any opponents I think we ever have had in our careers. We trusted him with our lives. Every time we saw him we hugged him and told him we loved him. I just wish we could hug him one last time. My heart goes out to his wife, kids, parents, and Mark.”
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) were in action this past week on AEW Dynamite, just one day after Jay Briscoe’s death, where they lost to Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin) in a fast-paced tag team match that was the biggest win of Top Flight’s AEW career to date.
After Dynamite, AEW taped a tribute show for Jay Briscoe that will air on ROH Honor Club and YouTube in the near future.