The main theme of the January 25th edition of AEW Dynamite was that it would be dedicated to Jay Briscoe, who tragically passed away on January 17th in a car accident.
After Warner Brothers/Discovery reversed their policy and allowed the Briscoes to be mentioned directly on AEW programming, AEW went to great lengths to make the show special in honor of Jay Briscoe’s memory.
In addition to the main event match between Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal, AEW showed a one-minute tribute video commemorating Jay Briscoe’s wrestling career and his personal life.
“First things first: we love every single one of you” – Jay Briscoe
When the main event came around, Mark Briscoe got a huge ovation and was given a hero’s welcome as he came to the arena. It was an emotional situation from the beginning as Lethal was already tearing up as he shook hands with Mark.
The match served as a greatest hits collection of the Briscoes’ biggest moves as Mark used a lot of his late brother’s biggest moves, such as a “froggy elbow” from the top rope through a ringside table.
But despite taking one big hit after from Lethal, including a Lethal Injection finisher, Mark Briscoe kept going. He made a heroic comeback and, after a few failed attempts, Mark landed Jay Briscoe’s J-Driller finisher to win the match
“Jamin, I love you, baby” – Mark Briscoe
After the match ended, the entire AEW locker room came out onto the entrance ramp to pay tribute to Jay Briscoe. Everyone on stage applauded and showed respect to Jay as Mark celebrated with both ROH World Tag Team titles, one in each hand.