"On June 19th, 2015, Jay Lethal defeated Jay Briscoe for the ROH World Title at the Best in the World pay-per-view to become the first man to hold the world championship and ROH World Television Title simultaneously.
At that moment, a strong argument could be made that Lethal, the self-proclaimed “Greatest First Generation Wrestler,” was the best wrestler in the sport.
Over the ensuing 364 days, Lethal successfully defended the ROH World Title 23 times on three continents and in five countries (United States, Japan, England, Scotland and Canada) against an impressive list of challengers with varied styles.
Today, as Lethal celebrates one year as world champion, there is no longer any argument about whether he is the measuring stick in pro wrestling. In fact, Lethal has solidified his status as one of the greatest ROH World Champions of all time.
He is just the fourth man in ROH history to hold the world title for at least a year, joining an elite group that consists of Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson and current ROH Matchmaker Nigel McGuinness. Lethal’s world title reign is the longest in ROH since McGuinness’ 545-day reign ended in 2009.
After Lethal’s historic victory over Briscoe, McGuinness asked Lethal, the crown jewel in Truth Martini’s House of Truth, which title he was going to vacate. The answer was neither. So for four months, Lethal defended the ROH World Title and ROH World Television Title in separate matches.
The first challenger for Lethal’s World Championship was “Mr. ROH” Roderick Strong, a former world champion, television champion and tag team champion.
Strong took Lethal to a 60-minute draw at Death Before Dishonor on July 24th, but Lethal scored a decisive victory over Strong in their televised championship rematch the following month.
In an unprecedented feat at All-Star Extravaganza on Sept. 18th, Lethal successfully defended both titles in the same night. He defeated Kyle O’Reilly in an ROH World Title Match and Bobby Fish in an ROH World Television Title Match.
Lethal’s run as a dual champion ended on Oct. 23rd, when the persistent Strong beat him for the television title. Lethal had held the television title for a record 567 days.
The loss may have been a blessing in disguise for Lethal, who now could focus entirely on defending the ROH World Title.
Proving that he was truly a world champion, Lethal traveled to England in November and successfully defended the title three times
in two days against three of the U.K.’s top competitors.
At the Final Battle pay-per-view on Dec.18th, Lethal put his title on the line against one of the most highly acclaimed stars in the sport in AJ Styles, a former two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Lethal defeated Styles in dominant fashion, but he wouldn’t be able to bask in the glory of his victory for long.
Up next was a title defense against former ROH World Champion Michael Elgin at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 10 on Jan. 4th. In front of a crowd of more than 40,000 at the Tokyo Dome, Lethal pinned Elgin.
Lethal returned to Japan a month later and successfully defended the championship against NJPW star Tomoaki Honma at legendary Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
At ROH’s 14th Anniversary Show on Feb. 26th, Lethal defied the odds by retaining the title in a triple threat match against O’Reilly and former ROH World Champion Adam Cole. The next night, Lethal turned back the challenge of former two-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hirooki Goto.
Lethal has made 10 more successful title defenses over the past three months, including three during a U.K. tour in April.
Now Lethal faces his toughest challenge yet. In the biggest rematch in ROH history, he will defend his title against the man he beat for the championship, Jay Briscoe, at the Best in the World pay-per-view Friday in Concord, N.C.
The entire wrestling world is eagerly looking forward to finding out if Briscoe can avenge his loss from a year ago, or if Lethal will add yet another chapter to his growing legacy."
- Link: ROHWrestling.com
At that moment, a strong argument could be made that Lethal, the self-proclaimed “Greatest First Generation Wrestler,” was the best wrestler in the sport.
Over the ensuing 364 days, Lethal successfully defended the ROH World Title 23 times on three continents and in five countries (United States, Japan, England, Scotland and Canada) against an impressive list of challengers with varied styles.
Today, as Lethal celebrates one year as world champion, there is no longer any argument about whether he is the measuring stick in pro wrestling. In fact, Lethal has solidified his status as one of the greatest ROH World Champions of all time.
He is just the fourth man in ROH history to hold the world title for at least a year, joining an elite group that consists of Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson and current ROH Matchmaker Nigel McGuinness. Lethal’s world title reign is the longest in ROH since McGuinness’ 545-day reign ended in 2009.
After Lethal’s historic victory over Briscoe, McGuinness asked Lethal, the crown jewel in Truth Martini’s House of Truth, which title he was going to vacate. The answer was neither. So for four months, Lethal defended the ROH World Title and ROH World Television Title in separate matches.
The first challenger for Lethal’s World Championship was “Mr. ROH” Roderick Strong, a former world champion, television champion and tag team champion.
Strong took Lethal to a 60-minute draw at Death Before Dishonor on July 24th, but Lethal scored a decisive victory over Strong in their televised championship rematch the following month.
In an unprecedented feat at All-Star Extravaganza on Sept. 18th, Lethal successfully defended both titles in the same night. He defeated Kyle O’Reilly in an ROH World Title Match and Bobby Fish in an ROH World Television Title Match.
Lethal’s run as a dual champion ended on Oct. 23rd, when the persistent Strong beat him for the television title. Lethal had held the television title for a record 567 days.
The loss may have been a blessing in disguise for Lethal, who now could focus entirely on defending the ROH World Title.
Proving that he was truly a world champion, Lethal traveled to England in November and successfully defended the title three times
in two days against three of the U.K.’s top competitors.
At the Final Battle pay-per-view on Dec.18th, Lethal put his title on the line against one of the most highly acclaimed stars in the sport in AJ Styles, a former two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Lethal defeated Styles in dominant fashion, but he wouldn’t be able to bask in the glory of his victory for long.
Up next was a title defense against former ROH World Champion Michael Elgin at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 10 on Jan. 4th. In front of a crowd of more than 40,000 at the Tokyo Dome, Lethal pinned Elgin.
Lethal returned to Japan a month later and successfully defended the championship against NJPW star Tomoaki Honma at legendary Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
At ROH’s 14th Anniversary Show on Feb. 26th, Lethal defied the odds by retaining the title in a triple threat match against O’Reilly and former ROH World Champion Adam Cole. The next night, Lethal turned back the challenge of former two-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hirooki Goto.
Lethal has made 10 more successful title defenses over the past three months, including three during a U.K. tour in April.
Now Lethal faces his toughest challenge yet. In the biggest rematch in ROH history, he will defend his title against the man he beat for the championship, Jay Briscoe, at the Best in the World pay-per-view Friday in Concord, N.C.
The entire wrestling world is eagerly looking forward to finding out if Briscoe can avenge his loss from a year ago, or if Lethal will add yet another chapter to his growing legacy."
- Link: ROHWrestling.com
