10 Essential Jay Briscoe Matches

Inspirational. Revolutionary. Trailblazer. Authentic. Familyman.

These are just some of the synonyms associated with Jamin Pugh, better known to wrestling fans as Jay Briscoe, who passed away following a traffic accident at around 5:30 PM local time in Laurel, Delaware on 17 January 2023. Jay was only 38 years old at the time of his passing, one week away from his 39th birthday.

A contemporary tag team wrestler alongside his brother Mark, Jay Briscoe was responsible for popularising the artform in Ring Of Honor, where he spent the bulk of his career. A two-time ROH World Champion and one-time ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion, Jay is perhaps best known for his thirteen reigns with the ROH World Tag Team titles, the last of which began at the promotion's 2022 Final Battle card.

There's already been a lot said about Jay Briscoe since news broke of his passing, from tributes to hilarious, cherished memories. Today, however, is solely about the body of work he produced.

It's important to stress that the following ten matches aren't necessarily the best you'll ever see of Jay Briscoe. With such a vast catalogue to search through, everyone will have their own 'must-see' Jay matches; you need only dive through various Twitter handles to see just a glimpse of what this beloved and legendary performer was capable of. Instead, this list will encompass a comprehensive mix of captivating wrestling and gripping storytelling, both of which Jay was a master of.

Let's reach for the sky, boy...

Some might argue that there are greater entries into this mid-noughties rivalry, but as a feud-ender, Jay Briscoe and Samoa Joe's At Our Best encounter was Briscoe and Joe at their best.

Stemming from months of interaction between both sides - which included a highly-touted classic for Jay and Mark's Tag Team Titles vs. Joe and AJ Styles - Jay and Joe were locked in the confines of a steel cage. This was no copy-and-paste WWE steel cage job. Forgoing a strategic plan, Briscoe and Joe used every crevice of the cage to craft a wonderfully-layered World title match. They worked a brisk, intense pace throughout, Jay switching from desperate underdog to escape Joe's wrath and thus the cage before realising, actually, he had the match in hand.

Spoilers; he didn't.

In one spot, as prolific as it was nauseating, Jay was sent face-first into the cage wall as his blood splattered. The ring was Samoa Joe's canvas in more ways than one - and Jay Briscoe was his paintbrush.

A euphoric crowd reaction bellowed out from the, at the time, largest ROH crowd in history, aiding a wounded Briscoe as he slowly crept up the aisle following an expected, yet defiant loss. From this night on, Jay Briscoe was THE guy.