10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Aug 5)
4. Jay Lethal Viewed Bret Hart Vs. Roddy Piper As A Defining Moment For Him
Alongside the likes of Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat and Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart, Roddy Piper vs. Bret Hart is the kind of WrestleMania match routinely brought up by professional wrestlers as inspiration. Standing out from the other scraps mentioned, Piper vs. Hart was a battle of the babyfaces, something not lost on Jay Lethal.
Watching as a child, the current ROH World Champion picked out the WrestleMania VII bout as a defining moment in his lifelong dream to become a pro wrestler. Speaking to Jim Ross on The Ross Report, Lethal said he loved the internal battle shown on Piper's face as he contemplated whacking Hart with a weapon.
Eventually, Roddy settled on attempting his patented Sleeper submission, one reversed into a pinning situation by Bret for the win. This moment in particular has long since stood out to Lethal, because it sold to him the magic of psychology in a wrestling match.
That match is one Lethal has never been able to forget, using it to inspire his own in-ring career.