Jay Briscoe, 1984-2023
The Briscoes (Credit-ROH)
Rest In Peace, Jay Briscoe
I’ve been fortunate enough to see Jay Briscoe perform more times than I can count. Jay and his brother always stole the show. Jay is a part of some of my favorite memories. Memories of wrestling. Memories of time spent with my two co-founders, Chris and Sean in both rec halls in metro Detroit and in Garland, TX for WrestleMania Week. Memories of time spent with my cousin, Dolyn, a family member I never knew existed until we were both in our 20s and bonded over pro wrestling. Jay has been a part of it all.
The Briscoes are Ring of Honor and they are tag team wrestling. Just this past year we saw an incredible set of 3 matches with FTR for the ROH titles. The Elitists were able to see the first of the trio in Dallas back in April. I’ve never seen a crowd so hyped up before wrestlers even touched. The Briscoes built something special without ever being on a major television wrestling show. While we never saw them on WWE television, the Briscoes lived the dream. They got to do what they loved with pro wrestling and go home to their families, working as chicken famers, and through it all remained loyal to ROH and the fans that loved them throughout their career.
My favorite memory of Jay will always be that first match against FTR because it felt like the Briscoes got the best of both worlds—the chance to be recognized for their greatness by a large crowd, while also getting to still be themselves. Prior to that show, we also saw Dem Boys face off against Homicide and Lo Ki at Wrestlecade in what may have been one of the weirdest matches I’ve ever seen, as Lo Ki tried to fight a fan (and I’m 85% sure it was not a work). Jay and Mark took the match in stride and still put on a fun closer for us in a small, intimate crowd which speaks to their versatility. The Briscoes were able to do a small show where you were close enough to get hit by sweat of the performers even being 4 rows back and then the next day could complete in front of thousands in what was one of the few modern day dream matches.
Ring of Honor was the first non-WWE show I ever attended. I’m not entirely sure this site and this podcast exists without that show and the ones that followed, which almost always included Jay Briscoe, whether it was as a singles competitor or tagging with his brother Mark. When I decided to write this, my initial fear was making it about me but then I realized despite my personal anecdotes from seeing Jay over the years, it’s not about me. It’s about Jay and Mark’s impact on professional wrestling. Jay may not be a name that a non-fan knows but if you mention him to anyone that loves this sport, they’ll know damn well who you’re talking about.
Dem Boys, forever.
Rest in Peace, Jay.
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