Tributes To Jay Briscoe During AEW Dynamite
A little over 24 hours after losing their dear friend Jay Briscoe to a fatal car accident, AEW/ROH wrestlers put their best foot forward during the 1/18 episode of "AEW Dynamite" in Fresno, California.
During the course of the night, a number of wrestlers paid homage to Briscoe in their own subtle ways. After the show began with a graphic in memory of the late wrestler, Jay Lethal — who shared the ring with Jay on countless occasions — wore an armband reading "Briscoe" during his All-Atlantic Championship bout against Orange Cassidy. Best Friends, who accompanied Cassidy to the ring, wore black arm bands, too. On commentary, Excalibur offered condolences to the family and friends of Jay.
But I keep on workin' like the workin' man do. And I've got my act together, gonna walk all over you pic.twitter.com/Ph6iQQ5TjP
— AEW on TV (@AEWonTV) January 19, 2023
The second match of the night, pitting The Young Bucks against Top Flight, was also filled with tributes to Jay. Matt & Nick Jackson wore armbands with the text "Jay ❤️" on them, and followed it up by performing the Doomsday Device, a top rope move that was routinely used by The Briscoes in their matches.
For Jay Briscoe ❤️@youngbucks @TopFlight612
Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS! pic.twitter.com/IfC5RSaWfN— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 19, 2023
In the next match, a widely praised singles bout between Bryan Danielson and Bandido, both wrestlers wore armbands reading "Jay."
Finally, Excalibur ended the "Dynamite" broadcast with the following words: "We are thinking of you, Jay Briscoe. You are in our hearts and minds."
As reported earlier, AEW filmed a special tribute show in honor of Jay after "Dynamite" went off the air. According to fans at the arena, several former ROH talents — who haven't been used on ROH programming since Tony Khan purchased the promotion — were flown in on short notice for the tribute show. Jay had the unique distinction of wrestling in the first-ever ROH show, The Era of Honor Begins, on June 23, 2002, and the most recent ROH show, Final Battle, on December 10, 2022.