wrestling / News

Dax Harwood Pays Tribute To Jay Briscoe, Recalls First Meeting Briscoes

February 1, 2023 | Posted by Jonathan Hunter
The Briscoes FTR ROH Supercard of Honor Image Credit: ROH

Dax Harwood took some time on his podcast to talk about his bond with the late Jay Briscoe, a tragic loss that has rocked the wrestling world. You can see some highlights below:

On how much working with Jay meant to him: “I honestly feel that for the rest of my life, I’m going to be able to take care of my wife and my daughter through this one year. Because of the trilogy of matches that I had with Jay and Mark.”

The first time Dax and Cash met the Briscoes: “We first met Jay and Mark at Final Battle 2021. First time we ever met, first time we ever talked. First time we met them was in the ring. They knew that we were gonna bring it, and we did, and we weren’t gonna back down. I’d heard great stories about these guys, personally, who they were, what they represent, and how they treated people. We heard great stories but you never know how you’re gonna mesh with someone.”

Oh how easy it was to work with Jay and Mark: “Putting the match together at Supercard of Honor was such a breeze. So easy, it was a pleasure. Hearing the philosophies they had, contrasting whatever the philosophies we had, was so beautiful to me. It was such a learning experience for me. I’m so proud of the match, I’m so proud of that moment. I’m so proud to be part of that with them.”

On how he learned that Jay had passed: “On Tuesday evening, I got a phone call from Tony Schiavone. I picked it up and he said ‘hey Dax, I have some bad news for you. You’re the first person we’ve told because we know how close you guys are. Jay died in a car accident.’ I lost all feeling. I couldn’t even cry, y’know? I didn’t believe him. It was so weird. You hear these cliche stories of, no, it’s not real. No, it didn’t happen. But that’s really what happened to me. I couldn’t comprehend what had happened. Then [Tony] told me about [Jay’s] daughters and what had happened to them and I couldn’t believe that either. I hung up the phone with him, immediately called Cash. I think the same thing happened to him. It took him about fifteen seconds of saying no, no you’re lying, and then he broken down and cried. Then I broke down and cried.”

On losing a great human being: “Obviously we lost an incredible talent. More than anything, we lost a great human being who was way too good to be in wrestling. His brother was way too good to be in wrestling. If I’m being honest, Cash is too good to be in wrestling. I will forever be grateful that I will be able to make a living off of the series, and the relationship, and the friendship that I have with the three of them.”

On Dax reaching out to Mark Briscoe: “I talked to Mark a few times and I let him know. Hey, I don’t want to annoy you, or bother you, because I’m sure you’re getting a ton of messages and a ton of tough calls. But I want you to know, whatever you and your family need, me and Cash are gonna make sure you have. Whatever those girls need, we’re gonna make sure you have it. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that [Jay’s] family is taken care of.”

On Jay Briscoe not liking being the centre of attention: “I can tell you with 100% certainty. Jay would either be making fun of us for being so sappy or having so much sympathy for him, or he’d be mad at us. I know that for a fact.”

Dax’s tribute to Jay Briscoe: “I can’t say enough. I can talk about him all day. A great human being. A great man. Stood up for himself, stood up for his family. Everything he did was with his wife, daughter, and son in mind. Every single step that he took, every breath that he took, every decision that he made was for his family. Sometimes he put other people above him that he probably shouldn’t have. Everything he did was for them, and that’s the character of a man. He worked every day for everything that he’s got. Everybody knows that they’re these chicken farmers. Never a day did he not work that his family was taken care of. That’s the reason we had the bond that we had. Like I said, because of him, because of him wanting to work as hard as me, and Cash; because of him wanting to make a name for himself just like we wanted to make for himself, but above all because he wanted to make sure his wife and daughters and son were taken care of, we wanted to be the best. So for years and years to come, we can take care of our families. Without [Jay], I don’t think that my life in twenty years will be what it will be. So thank you Jay. I love you.”

If using any of the above quotations, please credit FTR h/t 411mania for the transcription.