Tony Khan on Putting Together Jay Briscoe Tribute on AEW Dynamite

– During a recent edition of The Mark Hoke Show, AEW President & CEO Tony Khan discussed the recent Jay Briscoe tribute match between his brother Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal that took place on AEW Dynamite. The match was presented on what would’ve been Jay Briscoe’s 39th birthday on January 25. Briscoe passed in a tragic car accident that took place just eight days earlier. Below are some highlights (via Fightful):

Tony Khan on the Jay Briscoe tribute on Dynamite: “The most important thing we could do was pay tribute to Jay Briscoe on his birthday. The way it came together, it was challenging to make it happen, but I really pushed for this and I felt strongly that we needed to celebrate the life and legacy of Jay Briscoe, and the perfect way to celebrate Jay Briscoe was a match between his best friend Jay Lethal and his brother Mark Briscoe. To have Mark Briscoe holding up both of those ROH Tag Team Championship belts on behalf of him and his brother, and that song played with Jay Briscoe saying, ‘Reach for the sky, boy,’ I thought that was one of the most iconic moments I’ve ever seen in wrestling. More importantly, it was so great for the Briscoe family, so great for the Pughs to be able honor Jamin on his birthday. It was a challenge to get it to where it happened, but it was worth it, and it was certainly the best tribute we could give him.”

Khan on Briscoe being one of the best talents ever: “He was such an iconic pro wrestler, and certainly, in my lifetime, he was one of the greatest I’ve ever seen, and in my professional life, one of the greatest I’ve ever worked with, if not the single greatest pro wrestler, bell-to-bell ever, I’ve had the pleasure of producing. So many people said that at his funeral. I can’t tell you the number of people who said, some of the best wrestlers in the world, who said, ‘Honestly, he’s the best I’ve ever faced.’ Not only is he one of the best wrestlers, but he has an amazing family and I’m so glad they were able to pay tribute to him in such a memorable and meaningful way.”