Tony Khan Addresses AEW Honoring Jay Briscoe On Dynamite
AEW Dynamite will include a Jay Briscoe tribute after all.
On January 17th, 2023, the wrestling world was stunned to learn that Jamin Pugh, a.k.a. Jay Briscoe, died in a car crash at 38 years old. Since then, tributes have poured in from all over the world and the wrestling industry has come together to honor the fallen wrestler and devoted father.
However, last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite wasn’t centered on any sort of “celebration of life” in the same way as Brodie Lee’s passing in December 2020. According to most reports, the reason for this was because some executive(s) at Warner Bros or TBS continued to block either of the Briscoes from appearing on AEW programming.
And yet, that position appears to have changed as it has now been confirmed that Mark Briscoe, Jay’s younger brother, will be making his AEW debut on Wednesday night. And Mark’s debut will see him wrestle Jay Lethal one-on-one in what’s being billed as a genuine tribute match to Jay.
Speaking on The Battle on the Battleground Podcast, Tony Khan had plenty to say about this match and how they’re going to do the best they can to honor Jay Briscoe’s legacy.
“It’s going to be a great match to honor a great man. These two men requested this match, Wednesday would be the 39th birthday of the late, great Jay Briscoe. His longtime friend and rival, Jay Lethal, and his brother, Mark Briscoe, wanted to have this match to honor the legacy of Jay Briscoe and I fought hard to make it happen and I’m really excited about the match.
I believe it’s going to be a great one and it’s great that they’re going to be able to honor the legacy of somebody that everybody in pro wrestling has so much respect for, the great Jay Briscoe, on his 39th birthday. With everything happening, this is going to be something really great for everybody in the locker room who is rallying around the Briscoe family.”
Anyone interesting in helping the Pugh family in this critical time of need can donate to the family here. Additionally, AEW has released a memorial Jay Briscoe shirt, with 100% of the proceeds from purchases going to his family as well. That shirt can be purchased here.
h/t Fightful for the transcription