10 Essential Jay Briscoe Matches
6. Jay Briscoe Vs. Jay Lethal (ROH Best In The World 2015)
Much of Jay Lethal's career pre-2015 had revolved around him being the nearly man; World Champion material, but never World Champion.
That only further justifies Jay Briscoe's ROH World Title defence vs. Lethal as a must-watch.
Though the match wasn't blow-away great and the audience wasn't ecstatic as some of the other bouts featured here, it had everything required of a pay-per-view headliner, of a World title match, and of a 2015 match between Jay Briscoe and Jay Lethal. The bones were there for the makings of a solid performance. Lethal was desperate to have that elusive World title attached to his name that he was willing to go double or nothing, putting his own World Television title on the line. Both men's families were stationed in the crowd, too.
The pacing was masterful, gently unfolding after an opening stretch of methodical chain wrestling before unravelling into a choreographed fight. Truth Martini's interference was brief, yet effective, and later led to a particularly nasty Jay Driller from Lethal that, one Lethal Injection later, pushed him to the World title.
Everything mattered in this match. They refrained from churning out false finishes, instead working a style that benefitted them, the story, and the match, and kept the New York City crowd engaged and interested for the entire twenty-seven-minute stretch.