WWE Scrapped Funeral Segment From Last Night's NXT Following Jay Briscoe's Death
WWE originally had plans for The New Day to host a funeral for Pretty Deadly's title shot on NXT.
WWE cancelled plans for a funeral segment set to air on last night's episode of NXT upon news of Jay Briscoe's tragic passing breaking.
As announced prior to the show, The New Day were set to host the mock funeral for Pretty Deadly's NXT Tag Team Championship aspirations, which fell by the wayside when the British duo were defeated in a contendership match last week. Wisely, this was pulled from the broadcast.
POST Wrestling's John Pollock reported as much:-
New Day was scheduled to host a funeral segment on NXT on Tuesday night - this segment was changed after the news of Jay Briscoe's passing, per sources
— John Pollock (@iamjohnpollock) January 18, 2023
Announcer Vic Joseph acknowledged Briscoe's passing during NXT, saying:-
"We were just informed of some tragic news inside the wrestling community that Jay Briscoe has passed away. We want to take this moment to send our condolences to his friends and his family."
Briscoe, real name Jamin Pugh, was just 38 years old. He is believed to have passed away following a car accident in his Laurel, Delaware hometown, leaving two dead and two children hospitalised.
A wrestler since 2000, Briscoe excelled in both the singles and tag realms, though it is in the latter that he will most be remembered. He and brother Mark's escapades in such promotions as Ring Of Honor mark them as one of the greatest pro wrestling tandems of all time. Recently, the duo had played a starring role under Tony Khan's promotional umbrella, participating in critically acclaimed bouts opposite FTR for the AEW owner's ROH revival, culminating in their 13th ROH World Championship Victory last December.
May Jamin Pugh rest in peace. We are WhatCulture wish to extend our deepest thoughts and condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.