Jamar Shipman
(born April 29, 1985), better known by the
ring name Jay Lethal, is an American
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
currently signed to
All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE.
AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, ...
(AEW).
Dubbed "The Franchise" of Ring of Honor, Lethal is a two-time
ROH World Champion, and holds the record for
most combined days with the ROH World Championship in company history. He was also a
record-setting two-time and longest reigning ROH World Television Champion, holding the title for 567 days, and the only man to hold the World Television Championship and the World Championship at the same time, and a former
ROH World Tag Team Champion with
Jonathan Gresham
Jonathan Gresham (born March 20, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling. He has previously wrestled for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former ROH World Champion, ROH ...
. Lethal is recognized by ROH as a
Grand Slam Champion, and is the only man to have held the ROH World, World Tag Team, World Television and
Pure championships. In 2020, he was selected by Ring of Honor as their ''Wrestler of the Decade'' (2010s).
He is also known for his work in
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he was a
six-time TNA X Division Champion and a
former
A former is an object, such as a template, gauge or cutting die, which is used to form something such as a boat's hull. Typically, a former gives shape to a structure that may have complex curvature.
A former may become an integral part of th ...
TNA World Tag Team Champion with
Consequences Creed as
The Lethal Consequences. Between ROH and TNA (now Impact Wrestling), Lethal has won 13 total championships.
Early life
Jamar Shipman was born on April 29, 1985, in
.
He is the middle child of Ronald and Shirley Shipman, with two brothers and two sisters.
In July 2001, aged 16, Shipman won a contest held by
Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) was an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey, United States.
History
1997
Jersey All Pro Wrestling was an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia and Angel Surita ...
(JAPW) which entitled the winner to a lifetime of free training in the JAPW
professional wrestling school.
[ He spent six months training there, at the end of which the school closed down.][ He then began training under ]Extreme Championship Wrestling
HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...
(ECW) alumni Mikey Whipwreck
John Michael Watson (born June 4, 1973), better known by his ring name Mikey Whipwreck, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler working for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a trainer, and global ambassador. He is best known for his career w ...
and Dan Maff.
Professional wrestling career
Jersey All Pro-Wrestling
Debut and various title reigns (2001–2004)
Shipman made his wrestling debut under the ring name Jay Lethal on October 26, 2001, at JAPW's "Class Of 2001 Student Show", in a match where he defeated Dixie. He won his first Championship, the JAPW Television Championship, on September 13, 2002, in Bayonne, New Jersey, at ''Never Forget'', defeating the champion, Ghost Shadow, and Rain in a three-way match. His reign lasted an unprecedented and unreplicated eleven months, with Lethal finally losing to Crazy Ivan on August 22, 2003, in Rahway, New Jersey
Rahway () is a city in southern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A bedroom community of New York City, it is centrally located in the Rahway Valley region, in the New York metropolitan area. The city is southwest of Manhattan ...
at ''Counter-Strike''. Lethal also held the JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship
The JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship is a championship in the Jersey All Pro Wrestling promotion in the United States.It became official title on December 5, 1997 when Rik Rachet defeated Chino Martinez in a tournament final to crown the first ...
, defeating the champion, Azrieal, Insane Dragon and Jack Evans on February 28, 2004, at ''Revolution'', in a four-way match. Azrieal tried to regain the title for eight months, but repeatedly lost to Lethal. On December 10, 2004, at ''Seasons Beatings'', Azrieal gained one more shot at the JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship by challenging Lethal to a " belt versus loser leaves town" match, which would see Azrieal leave JAPW if he lost. Azrieal was able to win the match, thus ending their lengthy feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one pa ...
.
JAPW Heavyweight Champion (2005–2009)
With two lengthy title reigns in the space of two years, Lethal had established himself as a dominant member of the JAPW roster by 2005, and he began challenging for the JAPW Heavyweight Championship, which had been held by Dan Maff since December 2003. On January 29, 2005, at ''Wild Card'', Lethal pinned Maff in a title match, but the decision was overturned by crooked referee Sean Hanson. In March 2005, Maff left JAPW and retired from wrestling following an argument with Homicide
Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...
, thus vacating the JAPW Heavyweight Championship. Lethal was awarded the Heavyweight Championship on March 26 at ''Caged Fury 2'' held in the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but he refused to accept it, claiming that he wanted to "earn" the title. JAPW mainstay Homicide then challenged Lethal to an impromptu match for the vacant title, which Homicide won. Lethal finally won the JAPW Heavyweight Championship on May 21 in Braintree, Massachusetts, at ''Braintree Invasion'' defeating Homicide, Kevin Steen and Samoa Joe in a four-way match by pinning Homicide following a diving headbutt
Aerial techniques, also known as "high-flying moves" are maneuvers in professional wrestling using the ring's posts and ropes as aids, in many cases to demonstrate the speed and agility of smaller, nimble and acrobatically inclined wrestlers prefer ...
.
Lethal defeated Steve Corino
Steven Eugene "Steve" Corino (born May 29, 1973) is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler currently signed with WWE as a trainer and producer for their developmental territory NXT. He is best known for his tenure with Extreme Championsh ...
on June 4 at ''HomeComing'' with his father in his corner, but, after the match, Corino and Ricky Landell
Ricky Landell (born April 25, 1982) is an American former professional wrestler. He is best known for competing in various independent promotions, the most notable being Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX / Pro Wrestling Zero1 and AWA Super ...
handcuffed Lethal to the top rope and attacked his father with Corino placing him in a crossface. This led to a six-man tag match on July 16, at ''Gored'' pitting Lethal and his father against Corino, Landell and Landell's manager, Rick Silver. Lethal and his father were outnumbered, but managed to pull off a win at the last minute after Lethal's mother introduced their partner, the returning Charlie Haas
Charles Doyle Haas II (born March 27, 1972) is an American professional and former amateur wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2000-2009 and Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2010-2013. In WWE he was a me ...
. After Haas attacked Lethal during the post-match celebrations, a title match was booked between Haas and Lethal for ''Haas of Pain'' held on September 10, which was won by Lethal. On October 22 at ''8th Year Anniversary Show'' Lethal ended his feud with Corino by defeating him for the title in a Dog Collar match with help from Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) pro ...
.
Lethal's next feud would be with The D-Factor's Rhino
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...
, who, on November 12, 2005, at ''Fall Out'', assaulted him following his successful title defense against B-Boy. On January 7, 2006, at ''Wild Card II'', Lethal lost the JAPW Heavyweight Championship to Rhino, who won the bout after giving Lethal a Rhino Driver through a table from the top rope. Lethal tried twice to regain his title, first on February 18, 2006, in a three-way match which also included Teddy Hart, and then on May 20, 2006, but was unsuccessful both times at regaining the title. After unsuccessfully going after the JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship held by Frankie Kazarian
Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. In addition, Kazarian also performs for Impact Wres ...
, Lethal and former rival Azrieal managed to win the JAPW Tag Team Championship by defeating the champions The Outcast Killaz (Oman Tortuga and Diablo Santiago) and The S.A.T.
The S.A.T. (Spanish Announce Team) is a professional wrestling tag team mostly seen in independent promotions that consisted of brothers Jose Maximo (Kelvin Ramirez, born October 13, 1983) and Joel Maximo (Julio Ramirez, November 28, 1979) who w ...
(Jose and Joel Maximo) in a three-way dance on October 28, 2006, at ''9th Year Anniversary Show'', held in Rahway, New Jersey. On June 9, 2007, at ''Back to Business'', The Latin American Xchange of Homicide and Hernandez defeated Lethal and Azrieal for the titles.
At the beginning of 2009 Lethal proclaimed that it was his destiny to win back the JAPW Heavyweight title, held by Kenny Omega. On February 28, 2009, in Jersey City, at ''Jersey City Rumble'' Lethal won a 21-person Jersey City Rumble to earn the right to challenge for Omega's title that same night. In the end, Lethal pinned Omega with the flipping release dragon suplex after Omega's associate Dan Maff turned on him, to win the JAPW Heavyweight Championship for the second time. During the match Maff had also attacked Lethal and that lead to a Championship match between the two on March 28, at ''Unfinished Business'', in which Lethal managed to retain his title. Lethal defeated Maff again on April 18 at ''International Invasion'', but only after Trent Acid
Michael Verdi (November 12, 1980 – June 18, 2010), best known by his ring name Trent Acid, was an American professional wrestler.
He worked as a tag team wrestler for most of his career, primarily as part of The Backseat Boyz with Johnny K ...
interfered in the match. Their feud ended on June 27 in Jersey City, at ''Caged Destiny'', when Maff defeated Lethal for the title inside a steel cage. Lethal has not made any appearances for JAPW since.
Ring of Honor
Hydro (2003–2004)
Shipman made his Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was s ...
(ROH) debut as Hydro, a member of Special K on ''Revenge on the Prophecy'' held in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
West Mifflin is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, located southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. The population was 20,313 at the 2010 census. It is named after Thomas Mifflin, 1st Governor of Pennsylvania, signer of the U ...
, on January 11, 2003. On May 22, 2004, at ''Generation Next'' he faced Alex Shelley in a singles match. Though he lost, Shelley recognized his pure wrestling talent and offered him membership in Generation Next Generation Next may refer to:
* Generation Next (professional wrestling), a professional wrestling stable
* ''Generation Next'' (album), the debut album from Aventura
* Generation Next (comics), a Marvel Comics team and eponymous series
* '' Gene ...
, Shelley's stable of future stars. Hydro declined, opting to remain part of Special K. Hydro won a four corner survival match at ''World Title Classic'' on June 12, which entitled him to enter the Pure Wrestling tournament later that year. At ''Survival of the Fittest'' on June 24, he and Dixie took part in a four-way tag match for the Tag Team Championship
A championship or title in professional wrestling is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations.
Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in predetermined rival ...
in a losing effort, as CM Punk
Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known ...
single-handedly defended the title to allow his tag team partner and co-champion Colt Cabana to prepare for his match later that evening. Hydro then challenged Punk to an impromptu match, which Punk also won. Hydro shook hands before the match, thus following the "Code of Honor A code of honor or honor code is generally a set of rules or ideals or a mode or way of behaving regarding honor that is socially, institutionally, culturally, and/or individually or personally imposed, reinforced, followed, and/or respected by cer ...
" (which Special K normally ignored).
Samoa Joe's protégé (2004–2005)
Hydro took part in the Pure Wrestling tournament on July 17, 2004, at ''Reborn: Completion''. At the outset of the event, World Champion
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
Samoa Joe advised Hydro to change his name and become more serious. Acting on Joe's advice, Hydro left Special K and went back to calling himself Jay Lethal. He was eliminated from the tournament after Doug Williams pinned him in a four-way match using the Chaos Theory
Chaos theory is an interdisciplinary area of scientific study and branch of mathematics focused on underlying patterns and deterministic laws of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, and were once thought to have ...
.
At ''Testing the Limit'' on August 7, Lethal took part in a four-way match, pitting him against Alex Shelley, Ace Steel and 2 Cold Scorpio. Despite the moral support of his parents, who were in the audience, Lethal suffered a second loss to Shelley. Having rejected Shelley's offer of a place in Generation Next before the match for a second time, Lethal asked Shelley for a singles match. Lethal and Shelley faced one another for a third time on August 28 at ''Scramble Cage Melee'', with Shelley cheating to gain a third victory. Having lost every match for months, Lethal was obliged to face Matt Stryker at ''Glory by Honor III'' on September 11 with his ROH career on the line. Lethal won, breaking his losing streak. Low Ki, who had been feuding with Samoa Joe for several months, challenged Lethal, as Joe's protégé, at ''The Midnight Express Reunion'' on October 2. In the course of the match, Low Ki's manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
Julius Smokes harassed Lethal's parents (once again watching the match from the audience) and Low Ki spat at Lethal's mother. Low Ki easily defeated Lethal, then mocked him after the match.
Lethal lost to Chad Collyer at ''Gold'' on October 15, but recovered with a win over Delirious the next day at ''Joe vs. Punk II''. He teamed with his mentor, Samoa Joe, and lost to R. J. Brewer and Nigel McGuinness at ''Weekend Of Thunder: Night One'' on November 5, before suffering another loss to The Embassy member Jimmy Rave the subsequent evening. After his match with Rave, Lethal attacked Prince Nana
Nana Osei Bandoh is an American professional wrestler and manager of Ghanaian extraction, better known by his ring name, Prince Nana. He has stated that he is an Ashanti prince.
Early life
Although Nana was born in the United States, he cla ...
, the leader of The Embassy. This led to Nana recruiting several masked mercenaries
A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...
(dubbed the " Weapons of Masked Destruction") in an attempt to end Lethal's career. Lethal defeated both WMDs at ''All-Star Extravaganza 2'' on December 4 and ''Final Battle 2004'' on December 26 respectively, in both cases ending the match with his signature flipping release dragon suplex.
Lethal's feud with The Embassy continued into 2005, and on February 19 at the ''Third Anniversary Celebration: Part One'' he pinned Embassy member Jimmy Rave to become number one contender to the Pure Championship. Pure Champion and Embassy member R. J. Brewer, who had control over when to wrestle his title matches, chose to have the title defense immediately after Lethal's match, defeating the exhausted Lethal to retain his title following a trifecta of Lung Blowers. Lethal was scheduled to face Walters for the title in a re-match at ''Trios Tournament 2005'' on March 5 in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, but was attacked by an unknown assailant backstage, resulting in Lethal's eye swelling shut. Despite the injury, Lethal went on to defeat Walters later that night to win the Pure Championship, his first title in ROH.
On March 12 at ''Back to Basics'', Lethal and Samoa Joe teamed once again to face CM Punk and Spanky
George McFarland (October 2, 1928 – June 30, 1993) was an American actor most famous for starring as a child as Spanky in the ''Our Gang'' series of short-subject comedies of the 1930s and 1940s. The ''Our Gang'' shorts were later syndicated ...
, with Lethal pinning Spanky with a bridging dragon suplex. At the ''Best of the American Super Juniors Tournament'' on April 2, Lethal and Joe faced Jimmy Jacobs and B. J. Whitmer for the vacant Tag Team Championship, but were defeated. Lethal retained his Pure Championship in a match with Spanky at ''Stalemate'' on April 16, but on May 7 at ''Manhattan Mayhem'' he lost the title to his mentor Samoa Joe. After the match, both men were ambushed after the match by The Rottweilers, who revealed Low Ki was the one who attacked Lethal at ''Trios Tournament 2005''. This led to a tag match that same night pitting Lethal and Joe against Low Ki and fellow Rottweiler Homicide. The match ended when Homicide gave Lethal Da Cop Killa while Low Ki simultaneously delivered a '' Ghetto Stomp'', driving Lethal's neck into the ground. Lethal was stretcher
A stretcher, gurney, litter, or pram is an apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care. A basic type (cot or litter) must be carried by two or more people. A wheeled stretcher (known as a gurney, trolley, bed or cart) is often ...
ed from the arena, wearing a neck brace, ostensibly seriously injured.
After being out "injured" for a month, Lethal returned on June 12 at ''The Future is Now'' to save James Gibson from a beating at the hands of The Rottweilers. He returned to the ring on June 18 at ''Death Before Dishonor III'', where he faced Low Ki in a grudge match which was declared a no contest after both men were disqualified. At ''Sign of Dishonor'' on July 8, Lethal teamed with fellow former Special K member Dixie to defeat The Heartbreak Express. Later that evening, Mick Foley
Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American actor, author, retired professional wrestler, and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE under the company's Legends program, acting as a company ambassador.
Foley worked for ...
forced World Champion CM Punk, who had signed with World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and va ...
(WWE) and was trying to leave ROH with the World Championship, to defend his title against Lethal. Punk retained his title with a muscle buster/ rear naked choke combination, often used by Samoa Joe, who had come ringside to cheer Lethal on.
Seeking revenge for the neck injury he had in May, Lethal challenged Homicide at ''Escape from New York'' on July 9, but lost due to Homicide using a chain. On July 23 at ''The Homecoming'' he joined forces with Samoa Joe and James Gibson to face The Rottweilers (Homicide, Low Ki and Ricky Reyes) but again suffered a defeat, with Homicide using the chain this time on Gibson. Lethal challenged Low Ki once more on August 12 at ''Redemption'' as part of his ongoing rivalry with The Rottweilers. The match ended in a draw after the enemies fought outside the ring and were counted out. After the match, Homicide came to the ring to attack Lethal, but was stopped by his opponent for the night, Matt Hardy. On August 13 at ''Punk: The Final Chapter'', Lethal and Joe defeated Low Ki and Homicide by disqualification after Homicide hit an elbow drop to the referee. Afterwards the four men brawled all over the arena, with Low Ki ''Ghetto Stomping'' Lethal off the bleachers and ending with him giving Lethal the Ki Krusher in the middle of the ring.
At ''Glory by Honor IV'' on September 17, Lethal lost to Low Ki in a " Fight Without Honor". He went on to defeat Low Ki later that night, however, in a standard singles match to end their feud. He defeated Sal Rinauro to advance to the finals of the 2005 Survival of the Fittest tournament on September 24, but was eliminated by Roderick Strong.
Last feuds and departure (2005–2006)
After unsuccessfully challenging Nigel McGuinness for the Pure Championship on October 1, Lethal went undefeated until November 19, 2005, when he and Samoa Joe lost to Austin Aries and Roderick Strong in a number one contender's match for the Tag Team Championship. On December 3, 2005, at ''Steel Cage Warfare'', Lethal wrestled Joe in an exhibition match. During the bout, Lethal turned heel by attacking Joe's knee with a chair and then pinned him with the flipping release dragon suplex.
On January 27, 2006, Lethal teamed with Bryan Danielson
Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he worked fr ...
, losing to Austin Aries and Roderick Strong in a match for the Tag Team Championship. At the ''Fourth Anniversary Show'' on February 25, 2006, in Edison, New Jersey
Edison is a township located in Middlesex County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan Valley region, Edison is a commercial hub, home to Menlo Park Mall and Little India. It ...
, Lethal lost cleanly to Samoa Joe to end their short-lived feud. He departed from the promotion following this, but subsequently returned three times for one-night appearances (working all matches as a face), losing to Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness on May 13, teaming with Colt Cabana on July 15 in a losing effort against Jimmy Rave and Sal Rinauro, and losing a four way survival match against Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club stable. Castagnoli also performs for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Hono ...
, Christopher Daniels, and the match winner, Nigel McGuinness on August 5, 2006.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Pursuit of the X Division Championship (2005–2006)
While wrestling for JAPW, Lethal caught the eye of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) producer
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
and announcer Jeremy Borash, who offered him a spot in the TNA roster.[ Lethal debuted in TNA on the December 17, 2005 episode of '' Impact!'', losing to X Division Champion and fellow ROH alum Samoa Joe. In January 2006, he was signed to a contract by TNA. He made his ]pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...
debut at Against All Odds in 2006 on February 12, defeating Matt Bentley, Alex Shelley and Petey Williams in a four-way match by pinning Williams.
On the February 18, 2006 episode of ''Impact!'', Lethal defeated Roderick Strong and Shannon Moore to earn a spot in Team USA, the defending champions in the 2006 World X Cup. Other members of the team were Chris Sabin
Joshua Harter (born February 4, 1982), better known by his ring name Chris Sabin, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, and is also known for his work in Ring of Honor.
After being trained by Scott D ...
, Sonjay Dutt
Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer and manager. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop ActionImpact Wrestling under the ring name Sonj ...
and Alex Shelley. Team USA wrestled their first match at Lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
on April 23, 2006, where Lethal, Dutt and Shelley lost to Team Japan ( Black Tiger, Minoru Tanaka and Hirooki Goto
is a Japanese professional wrestler. Since his debut, he has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He is also known for being the longest reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with his Chaos stablemates, Tomohiro Ishi ...
) after Black Tiger pinned Lethal with a Black Tiger suplex. On the April 27, 2006 episode of ''Impact!'', Lethal unsuccessfully challenged Samoa Joe for the X Division Championship. On May 14 at Sacrifice Lethal participated in the World X Cup Gauntlet match, but ended up being the second to last man eliminated from the match by Team Mexico's Puma
Puma or PUMA may refer to:
Animals
* ''Puma'' (genus), a genus in the family Felidae
** Puma (species) or cougar, a large cat
Businesses and organisations
* Puma (brand), a multinational shoe and sportswear company
* Puma Energy, a mid- and d ...
. The tournament ended on the following episode of ''Impact!'' with Chris Sabin defeating Team Canada Canadian National Team or Team Canada may refer to:
Canada at multi-sport events
* Canada at the Olympics
* Canada at the Paralympics
* Canada at the Commonwealth Games
* Canada at the Pan American Games
Canada's national sport teams
* Canada me ...
's Petey Williams to win the World X Cup for Team USA.
In the June 1, 2006 episode of ''Impact!'', Lethal scored a win over Alex Shelley, but was after the match attacked by his associate Kevin Nash, who had declared a war on the X Division in the aftermath of Team USA's World X Cup victory.[ During the July 13, 2006 episode, Lethal won the right to challenge for the title of his choosing by scoring the deciding fall in an eight-man "All or Nothing" tag team match, where he teamed with Rhino and Team 3D ( Brother Ray and Brother Devon) against Team Canada (Petey Williams, Bobby Roode, Eric Young and A1). The next week, Lethal challenged ]Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he also serves as Director of Business Development.
Beginning his career in his father ...
for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is ...
, but was defeated following interference from Scott Steiner. Two weeks later, Lethal took part in a five way X Division match to determine the number one contender for the title. Although Petey Williams won the match, one week later Lethal was added to the match, making it a three-way match for the X Division title at Hard Justice involving Lethal, Williams and defending champion Senshi. Lethal was pinned by Senshi after Williams hit him with his Canadian Destroyer
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
.
In a strong product placement
Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of th ...
, Lethal alongside Sonjay Dutt, got fellow X Division superstar Chris Sabin ready for his match at No Surrender by watching clips of ''Jackass Number Two
''Jackass Number Two'' is a 2006 American reality slapstick comedy film directed by Jeff Tremaine. It is the sequel to '' Jackass: The Movie'' (2002), both based upon the MTV series '' Jackass''. Like its predecessor and the original television ...
'', which was being heavily promoted by TNA at the time. One night on ''Impact!'', during Chris Sabin's match with Alex Shelley, Shelley's partner Johnny Devine was pushed in a shopping cart and rammed into the steel post, allowing Sabin to pin Shelley. The following week, Lethal was able to defeat Petey Williams after Sabin and Dutt distracted the referee, allowing Lethal to roll a bowling ball into Petey's groin. Following in this storyline, Lethal went on to defeat Williams again on September 24, 2006, at the No Surrender pay-per-view, following Williams allegedly being given laxative
Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation.
Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lub ...
s by stable mate Dutt, rendering him incapable of doing most of his moves, and giving Lethal the victory when Williams could no longer "hold it". He and Dutt were also involved in Sabin's match later in the night with similar antics involving a blow-up doll, but to no avail as Sabin would lose the match despite the interference.[ These, too, were designed as advertising for ''Jackass Number Two'', as were other moments for '' Mortal Kombat: Armageddon''.
]
Black Machismo (2006–2008)
In December 2006, Kevin Nash recruited Lethal, Senshi, Austin Starr
Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion. He is best known for his ...
, Sonjay Dutt and Alex Shelley to compete in a tournament known as the Paparazzi Championship Series. The series included a push-up contest, musical chairs, Limbo contest, Texas Hold'em and a few others, although Lethal did not win the tournament. After the tournament, which concluded in January 2007, Lethal and Dutt continued appearing in Paparazzi segments with Nash and PCS winner Alex Shelley, with Nash promising to give Lethal and Dutt Extreme Makeovers to help advance their careers. The February 15 episode of ''Impact!'' included a segment named "Paparazzi Idol", a parody of ''American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to A ...
''. After Lethal's attempt to sing was disliked by the judges, judge Kevin Nash suggested that Lethal do an impression, to which Lethal responded with a spot-on impression of wrestling legend "Macho Man" Randy Savage
Randall Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestl ...
. The April 5, 2007 episode of ''Impact!'' presented Lethal and Dutt with their new gimmicks
A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand out ...
; Lethal's new gimmick was impersonating Savage. The following week, Nash introduced Lethal, who was led to the ring by a remixed version of Savage's entrance theme " Pomp and Circumstance" and dressed in full "Macho Man" attire, as "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal. He imitated Savage's trademark catchphrase "Oh yeah!" and was able to defeat X Division Champion Chris Sabin using many of Savage's signature in-ring maneuvers and mannerisms, most notably his diving elbow drop finisher.
At the Lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
pay-per-view on April 15, 2007, Lethal nearly won the X Division title from Sabin in a five-person Xscape match (five start the match in the cage; the first three eliminations are done by pinfall or submission; the final two must then try to escape the cage, with the first one to exit being declared the winner). Lethal and Sabin were both climbing over the same side of the cage, fighting as they went, and Sabin kicked Lethal's leg so that his leg went through the bars of the cage, trapping him there while Sabin jumped down and won the match. On the April 26 episode of ''Impact!'' Lethal and tag team
Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
partner, Sonjay Dutt, who had rejected Nash's idea for his new gimmick, won a shot at the X Division Championship held by Chris Sabin at Sacrifice. Dutt, however, was unhappy at Lethal getting the pinfall. After their loss to Sabin at Sacrifice, both Dutt and Lethal started brawling until Kevin Nash came out and separated the two until Dutt kicked Nash and stormed out of the ring visibly upset. On May 8, TNA Mobile announced that Randy Savage himself called Jay Lethal and said that he loved the "Black Machismo" character as the two spoke on the phone for several minutes. However, Lethal subsequently expressed doubt over whether he had really spoken with Savage as the Macho Man's trademark voice is easily imitated. At Slammiversary, Lethal defeated Chris Sabin in a singles match for the X Division Championship, his first title in TNA. Only days later, however, on the following ''Impact!'', he lost the title to Samoa Joe after Chris Sabin was pinned, in a Match of Champions three-way qualifying match.
At Victory Road Lethal competed in an Ultimate X gauntlet match in a losing effort after Christopher Daniels retrieved the X. At Hard Justice Lethal and Sonjay Dutt, who had made peace with Lethal after coming up with the gimmick of a guru, defeated Triple X's Christopher Daniels and Senshi and The Motor City Machineguns
The Motor City Machine Guns is an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. They are currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where they are three-time and current Impact World Tag Team Champions. The team ...
(Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) in a three-way tag match when Lethal pinned Daniels. This led to Jim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author and podcaster who has previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, promoter, trainer, and occasional prof ...
booking a match on the August 16 episode of ''Impact!'' pitting Daniels versus Lethal with the winner becoming the number one contender to the X Division title, which Lethal would go on to win. As a result of that Lethal would go on to face Triple Crown champion Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Actio ...
for the X Division title at No Surrender, where Lethal would beat Angle cleanly with a roll-up to win the X Division Championship for the second time.
At Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book o ...
Lethal successfully defended his X Division Championship against his best friend, Sonjay Dutt, who during the match once again began showing signs of annoyance towards Lethal and his mannerisms. However, after the match Dutt made peace with Lethal, who then invited SoCal Val, TNA's ring girl, to the ring to celebrate the victory. The celebration was cut short by Team 3D (Brother Ray and Brother Devon), who were at the time feuding with the fan favorite- turned Motor City Machineguns, who beat down both Lethal and Dutt and left the arena with Lethal's Championship belt.[ 3D later declared a war on the entire X Division, claiming that its wrestlers were just "little boys" and that they needed to be toughened up. During the feud Johnny Devine turned on the X Division and joined Team 3D, often carrying Lethal's stolen belt around, before officially winning it in a Street Fight on the January 24, 2008, episode of ''Impact!'', following interference from Team 3D.] The feud ended on February 10 at Against All Odds, where Lethal, Shelley and Sabin defeated Team 3D and Devine in a six-man street fight, ending with Lethal pinning Devine to also win back the X Division Championship. On April 17, 2008, Lethal lost his X Division title after Petey Williams attacked him from behind after a match and cashed in his "Feast or Fired" briefcase for his X Division title shot.
On the next episode of ''Impact!'', Lethal proposed to his on-screen
An on-screen display (OSD) is an image superimposed on a screen picture, commonly used by modern television sets, VCRs, and DVD players to display information such as volume, channel, and time.
History
In the past, most adjustments on TV se ...
girlfriend SoCal Val, which she accepted. At Slammiversary Sonjay Dutt, after months of teasing, finally turned heel by interrupting the wedding ceremony and proclaiming his love for Val, before attacking Lethal and his wedding guests. On the next two ''Impact!'' Lethal attacked Dutt out of rage when Dutt claimed that Val loved him. On the next ''Impact!'' So Cal Val said that she wanted to put off the wedding. Dutt and Lethal met at Victory Road in a one on one contest, which Dutt won after Val pleaded with Lethal to stop hurting Dutt, which allowed Dutt to take advantage and roll up Lethal. Lethal proposed to Val again, but found that her ring was missing, as Dutt had stolen it. Lethal and Dutt would meet again in a Black Tie
Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element ...
Brawl and Chain match at Hard Justice, which Lethal won, even though Val distracted him by leaving during the match, because he wouldn't stop hurting Dutt. During a segment of ''Karen's Angle'', Dutt confronted Val and attempted to seduce her, until Lethal attacked him and during the fight accidentally elbowed Val in the face. The following week Val announced that she would put the wedding ring up for grabs in a " Ladder of Love match" on September 14 at No Surrender. At No Surrender Val turned on Lethal by giving him a low blow, which allowed Dutt to climb the ladder and get the wedding ring.
Lethal Consequences (2008–2009)
At Bound for Glory IV Lethal won the Steel Asylum match to become the number 1 contender to the X Division title. On the October 23 live episode of ''Impact!'' Sheik Abdul Bashir defeated Lethal to retain the championship. The following week, Lethal along with A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, Consequences Creed, Petey Williams, Eric Young, O.D.B. and The Motor City Machineguns formed a faction of younger wrestlers known as the TNA Frontline to oppose The Main Event Mafia.
On the January 8, 2009 episode of ''Impact!'', Lethal cashed in his briefcase, formed a team with Consequences Creed and defeated then-champions Beer Money, Inc. ( Robert Roode and James Storm) after Roode's singles match with Matt Morgan to become the new TNA World Tag Team Champions. However, they quickly lost the titles back to Beer Money, Inc. at the Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book o ...
pay-per-view on January 11.
On January 15, Lethal and Creed defeated Abyss and Matt Morgan to earn another shot at the Tag Team Championship. Upon becoming the number one contenders, Lethal and Creed formed a long-term tag team known as Lethal Consequences (a combination of their ring names) and then started a feud with The Motor City Machineguns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) after dissention between the Guns and the Frontline.[ They were scheduled a match with the Guns on February 5, but Beer Money interfered in Creed's entrance, injuring his left shoulder. Frontline member Eric Young substituted for Creed, winning the match with a Death Valley driver to both Shelley and Sabin. Beer Money then went on to retain the title at Against All Odds due to Creed's shoulder injury. After their title match, Lethal Consequences continued their feud with the Motor City Machineguns, with both teams winning one match a piece over the next two weeks.][ At Destination X, Lethal competed in an Ultimate X match for the X Division Championship, along with Consequences Creed, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley and ]Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...
, who ended up winning the match and the Championship.
On April 24, 2009, it was announced on TNAWrestling.com that Lethal had signed a new multi-year deal with the company.
On the November 5, 2009, episode of ''Impact!'' Jay Lethal announced an open invitational challenge. Due to the announcement of Hulk Hogan
Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1 ...
joining TNA, Lethal challenged wrestling legends to take him on. The following week, Jim Neidhart answered the challenge and defeated Lethal. The series continued on the December 17 episode of ''Impact!'', when Tatanka answered the challenge and defeated Lethal in a singles match. After months of inactivity, Lethal's alliance with Consequences Creed came officially to an end on March 29, 2010, when Creed was released from his contract.
Feud with Ric Flair and Fortune (2010–2011)
After spending most of early 2010 off TV, Lethal returned on the March 29 episode of ''Impact!'' by approaching Hulk Hogan, reminiscing about their days as " The Mega Powers" (Hogan's old team with Randy Savage). Playing along with Lethal's antics, Hogan placed him in charge of the show for his one-week absence due to a business trip. After raising the ire of Hogan's business partner Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, professional wrestling booker, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Senior Vice President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) an ...
with his comedic booking ideas, Bischoff placed Lethal in a two-on-one handicap match against Beer Money, Inc.; Lethal, however, managed to win the match after surprising Robert Roode with a roll-up. On the May 3 episode of ''Impact!'', Hogan gave Lethal Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...
's Hall of Fame ring that Abyss had won from him the previous week. When Lethal, now imitating Flair, was confronted by Flair himself, he claimed that he meant no disrespect and out of respect towards Flair, returned the ring to him. This, however, wasn't enough for Flair, who attacked Lethal along with A.J. Styles, Desmond Wolfe and Beer Money, Inc., before he was saved by Abyss, Team 3D and the TNA World Heavyweight Champion Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
. At Sacrifice, Lethal came out during the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match between champion Rob Van Dam and challenger A.J. Styles, and locked Ric Flair in a Figure-four leglock in order to prevent him from interfering in the match. On the May 20 episode of ''Impact!'', Lethal competed in his first match after dropping the Black Machismo gimmick, and teamed up with Rob Van Dam to defeat Beer Money, Inc. in a tag team match. After the match, Lethal brawled with Flair. At Slammiversary VIII, Lethal defeated Flair's protégé A.J. Styles in a singles match. After defeating Desmond Wolfe, another one of Flair's allies, on the June 17 episode of ''Impact!'', Hogan granted him a match with Flair at Victory Road. On July 11 at Victory Road, Lethal defeated Flair with his own move, the figure-four leglock. On the August 5 episode of ''Impact!'', Lethal faced Flair in a rematch, this time contested under Street Fight rules, with A.J. Styles, Kazarian, Robert Roode and James Storm of Flair's Fortune stable banned from ringside. Flair managed to win the match, after an interference from X Division Champion Douglas Williams, who would officially join Fortune the following week. On September 6, at the tapings of the September 16 episode of ''Impact!'', Lethal defeated Williams to win the X Division Championship for the fourth time. On September 23, at a live event in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, Lethal lost the X Division Championship to Amazing Red. Lethal regained the title two days later at a live event in Rahway, New Jersey. At Bound for Glory, Lethal successfully defended the X Division Championship against Douglas Williams.
After his title match at Bound for Glory, Lethal was attacked by Robbie E, who claimed he was a disgrace to New Jersey and vowed to bring some class to the X Division Championship himself. On the October 28 episode of ''Impact!'', Robbie E defeated Lethal in a non–title Street Fight, after interference from his manager Cookie
A cookie is a baked or cooked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips, ...
, to earn the right to challenge for the X Division Championship. At Turning Point
A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work.
Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to:
Film
* ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke
* ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Amer ...
, Lethal lost the X Division Championship to Robbie E, after another interference from Cookie. After suffering another loss to Robbie and Cookie on the following episode of ''Impact!'' in a mixed tag team match, where he teamed with Taylor Wilde, Lethal came to the conclusion that he needed to find someone who could negate Cookie the next time he went for the X Division Championship. At Final Resolution, Lethal faced Robbie E in a match for the X Division Championship, during which Cookie was suspended above the ring in a shark cage. Robbie retained the title via disqualification, when Lethal was caught using Cookie's hairspray on him. On December 7 at the tapings of the December 16 episode of ''Impact!'', Lethal defeated Robbie E, after Christy Hemme came out to negate Cookie, to win the X Division Championship for the sixth time, and after the match celebrated with Hemme which led to a kiss between the two; Lethal now shared the record for most reigns as the X Division Champion. On January 9, 2011 at Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book o ...
, Lethal lost the X Division Championship to Fortune member Kazarian. On April 21, 2011, it was reported that Lethal had parted ways with TNA. His final match for the promotion was an eight-man Xscape match, which took place on April 17 at Lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
. His last televised match was aired on the April 19 episode of ''Xplosion Xplosion may refer to:
* Impact ''Xplosion'', an American TV series
*''Xplosión'', a 1993 album by Vico C
*"Xplosion", a song by OutKast from their 2000 album ''Stankonia
''Stankonia'' is the fourth studio album by American hip hop duo Outkas ...
'', in a three-way match with Sangriento and Chris Sabin. Lethal's release from TNA was later used to ignite a storyline feud between the X Division and Eric Bischoff, as well as add fuel to the ongoing feud between the now-face Fortune and Bischoff's Immortal
Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life.
Immortal or Immortality may also refer to:
Film
* ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film
* ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film ''The Wisdom of ...
stable, with both Robert Roode and Brian Kendrick naming him on the May 5 episode of ''Impact!''.
Return to Ring of Honor
Various feuds (2011–2014)
On May 2, 2011, ROH announced that Lethal would be making his return to the promotion on June 26 at the Best in the World 2011
Best in the World 2011 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event by Ring of Honor (ROH) that took place on June 26, 2011. It was an afternoon show that began at 4pm and marked the return of ROH to the Hammerstein Ballroom for the first ...
internet pay-per-view. In his ROH return match Lethal, as a face defeated Mike Bennett. On August 8, ROH announced that Lethal had signed a contract with the promotion. On August 13, at the first '' Ring of Honor Wrestling'' tapings under the Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (SBG) is a publicly traded American telecommunications conglomerate that is controlled by the descendants of company founder Julian Sinclair Smith. Headquartered in the Baltimore suburb of Cockeysville, Maryland, ...
banner, Lethal defeated El Generico to win the ROH World Television Championship. On September 17 at Death Before Dishonor IX
Death Before Dishonor IX (DBD IX) was the 9th ROH Death Before Dishonor professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on September 17, 2011, at the Grand Ballroom of the Manhattan Center in the N ...
, Lethal teamed up with fellow TNA alum Homicide in a tag team match, where they were defeated by Embassy's Rhino and Tommaso Ciampa. On December 3, Lethal defeated nineteen other men in the Honor Rumble to earn a shot at the ROH World Championship in 2012. On December 23 at Final Battle 2011
Final Battle 2011 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on December 23, 2011 at the Manhattan Center in New York City. It was the tenth annual event in the ROH Final Battle, Final Bat ...
, Lethal successfully defended the ROH World Television Championship in a three-way match against El Generico and Mike Bennett. At the January 7, 2012, tapings of ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'', Lethal successfully defended the title against Bennett in a No Time Limit match. On January 20, Lethal unsuccessfully challenged Davey Richards for the ROH World Championship. On March 4 at the 10th Anniversary Show, Lethal's ROH World Television Championship match with Tommaso Ciampa ended in a fifteen-minute time limit draw. On March 31 at Showdown in the Sun, Lethal lost the World Television Championship to Roderick Strong, following outside interference from Ciampa. At the following pay-per-view, Border Wars on May 12, Lethal defeated Ciampa in a singles match to end his undefeated streak. On June 24 at Best in the World 2012: Hostage Crisis, Lethal failed in his attempt to regain the World Television Championship from Strong in a three-way elimination match, also involving Ciampa. The feud between Lethal and Ciampa culminated on August 11 at Boiling Point, where Lethal defeated Ciampa in a two-out-of-three-falls match. On September 22, Lethal won the 2012 Survival of the Fittest tournament to earn another shot at the ROH World Championship. Lethal received his title shot on October 6 in Rahway, New Jersey, but the match with Kevin Steen ended in a no contest.
Following the match, ROH shot an angle
In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two rays, called the '' sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the '' vertex'' of the angle.
Angles formed by two rays lie in the plane that contains the rays. Angles ...
, where Steen spat at Lethal's parents at ringside, which led to Lethal snapping and attacking several ROH officials, including Jim Cornette. Having found his "killer instinct", Lethal appeared at the following internet pay-per-view, Glory By Honor XI: The Unbreakable Hope on October 13, earning a submission win over Davey Richards.[ After defeating Rhino on December 16 at Final Battle 2012: Doomsday, Lethal petitioned for a shot at the ROH World Championship, which was turned down by matchmaker Nigel McGuinness, leading to Lethal spitting in his face and the two brawling with each other. At the January 5, 2013, tapings of ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'', Lethal managed to coax Steen into accepting a title match with him, which led to McGuinness agreed to change his mind and make the match official. Lethal received his title shot on March 2 at the 11th Anniversary Show, but was defeated by Steen. On April 5 at Supercard of Honor VII, Lethal failed to earn another shot at the ROH World Championship, when he was defeated by Michael Elgin in a number one contender's match. After the ROH World Championship was vacated, Lethal entered a tournament to determine the new champion, defeating Sonjay Dutt in his first round match on July 27. On August 3, Lethal was eliminated from the tournament in the second round by Adam Cole.
]
Championship reigns (2014–present)
On April 4, 2014, at Supercard of Honor VIII
Supercard of Honor VIII was the 8th Supercard of Honor professional wrestling live event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH), which took place on April 4, 2014, at the John A. Alario Sr. Event Center in Westwego, LA
Storylines
''Supercard of Honor ...
, Lethal turned heel for the first time in nearly a decade by accepting help from Truth Martini, to defeat Tommaso Ciampa to regain the World Television Championship, becoming the first two-time holder of the title. After the match, Lethal declared that there was a house in ROH, "The House of Truth House of Truth may refer to:
* Congregation Beth Emeth (House of Truth), a Jewish synagogue in New York
* House of Truth (song), 2019 song by Jamie Hannah and Boy George
* House of Truth (Washington, D.C.), an early 20th century political salon ...
", marking the return of the stable with Lethal as the figurehead. Over the next year, Lethal would become recognized as the longest reigning World Television Champion in ROH history, with successful championship defenses against the likes of Matt Taven, Caprice Coleman, A. C. H., Matt Sydal on the last PPV of the year; Final Battle 2014 and again at the ROH 13th Anniversary Show against Alberto el Patrón. In March 2015, Lethal became the most successful World Television Champion of all time, with the most successful defenses as champion, more than doubling the previous record held by Matt Taven. On April 4, Lethal reached a full year in his title reign, effectively making him the holder of all records associated with the World Television Championship.
In April 2015, Lethal began professing himself as "the" ROH Champion, claiming his World Television championship was now the true top title that mattered in ROH (over the World Championship). In May 2015, Lethal debuted a new World Television Championship belt, which omitted the word "Television" and now read simply "ROH Champion". As a result, matchmaker Nigel McGuinness announced that at Best in the World 2015, Lethal would face Jay Briscoe in a winner-takes-all "Battle of the Belts" match with both ROH's World Championship and World Television Championships on the line. Lethal defeated Briscoe after hitting Briscoe with his own '' Jay Driller'' and then a ''Lethal Injection'' to retain his title and win the World Championship, thus making him a double champion in the process, as well as becoming the first African-American to win the championship. The win also made him Ring of Honor's third Triple Crown Champion, as he is also a former ROH Pure Champion. On August 22, Lethal teamed with the "King of Strong Style" Shinsuke Nakamura
is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand.
Nakamura is known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where ...
to defeat reDRagon at Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was s ...
's Field of Honor
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon rules.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and ...
event. On October 23 at Glory By Honor XIV, Lethal lost the Television Championship to Roderick Strong, ending his reign at 567 days, and 36 successful championship defenses.
As part 2015's "supershow" series with Preston City Wrestling, Lethal retained the ROH World Championship in three individual defenses over Noam Dar, Doug Williams and Joey Hayes. Through ROH's working relationship with New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority share ...
(NJPW), Lethal made his debut for the Japanese promotion on January 4, 2016, at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome
Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2016, in Tokyo, Japan, at the Tokyo Dome. It was the 25th January 4 Tokyo Dome S ...
, where he successfully defended the ROH World Championship against Michael Elgin. Lethal returned to the UK again to defend the ROH World Championship, this time defeating Mark Haskins at a sold-out show in York Hall, London for Revolution Pro Wrestling. On February 20, Lethal main evented the second night of the ROH and NJPW co-produced Honor Rising: Japan 2016 event in Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.4 ...
, successfully defending the ROH World Championship against Tomoaki Honma
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is a former one-time IWGP Tag Team Champion and a two-time World Tag League winner with Togi Makabe.
Professional wrestling career
Big ...
. Afterwards, Lethal and Truth Martini joined Tetsuya Naito
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the leader of the '' Los Ingobernables de Japón'' faction.
Tetsuya Naito began training for a professional wrestling career in 2000, initially under Ani ...
's '' Los Ingobernables de Japón'' stable. Lethal and Naito knew each other from working together in TNA. On March 26 of ROH tapings, Lethal successfully defended his title against Hirooki Goto
is a Japanese professional wrestler. Since his debut, he has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He is also known for being the longest reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with his Chaos stablemates, Tomohiro Ishi ...
. Afterwards, a rare double-turn took place when Donovan Dijak came out with Prince Nana
Nana Osei Bandoh is an American professional wrestler and manager of Ghanaian extraction, better known by his ring name, Prince Nana. He has stated that he is an Ashanti prince.
Early life
Although Nana was born in the United States, he cla ...
and attacked Truth Martini. Lethal would then begin a feud with a returning Colt Cabana, who had set his sights on the ROH World Championship. At Global Wars, Lethal and Cabana fought to a no-contest after The Bullet Club interfered and attacked everyone in the ringside area, including Lethal. During the attack, Lethal was zip tied to the ring ropes and repeatedly superkicked by new Bullet Club member Adam Cole.
At Best in the World '16
Best in the World '16 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place in Cabarrus Arena in Concord, North Carolina on June 24, 2016. It was the seventh annual ROH Best in the World event. The ...
on July 24, Lethal successfully defended his title after defeating Jay Briscoe. The two shook hands afterwards. The following day, Lethal was again attacked by Cole and Bullet Club, who shaved him bald. The following month, Lethal returned to NJPW, successfully defending the ROH World Championship against Satoshi Kojima
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but makes appearances for Pro Wrestling Noah. Considered to be one of the greatest Japanese professional wrestlers of the 21st century and of all-time, he was the first wre ...
on August 14. On August 19 at Death Before Dishonor XIV
Death Before Dishonor XIV was the 14th Death Before Dishonor professional wrestling event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH), which took place on August 19, 2016, at Sam's Town Live in Sunrise Manor, Nevada. Death Before Dishonor XIV was broadcast ...
, Lethal lost the ROH World Championship to Adam Cole, ending his reign at 427 days. At Field of Honor
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon rules.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and ...
Lethal was involved in a Four corner survival match for the ROH World Championship which was won by Adam Cole.
On August 20, 2016 Lethal was betrayed by Los Ingobernables de Japón after they walked out on Jay in a six-man tag team match. At All Star Extravaganza VIII Lethal defeated Tetsuya Naito
is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the leader of the '' Los Ingobernables de Japón'' faction.
Tetsuya Naito began training for a professional wrestling career in 2000, initially under Ani ...
. At Final Battle Lethal was defeated by Cody after he hit a low blow, then proceed to attack Lethal. Lethal defeated Jushin Thunder Liger in the first round of the Decade of Excellence. He was defeated by Jay Briscoe in the second round. On April 1 at Supercard of Honor XI
Supercard of Honor XI was the 11th Supercard of Honor professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place Saturday, April 1, 2017, at the Lakeland Center (Jenkins Arena) in Lakeland, Florida ...
Lethal defeated Cody in a Texas Bullrope match. On ROH TV taping Lethal defeated Silas Young, Jay White & Hangman Page in a four-way match to become #1 contender to the ROH World Championship. On May 12 at War of the Worlds, Lethal unsuccessfully challenged Christopher Daniels for the ROH World Championship in a three-way match, also involving Cody.
On the June 30, 2018 tapings of ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'', Lethal defeated Dalton Castle for his second ROH World Championship, while also marking the first time the ROH World Championship changed hands at a non-pay-per-view event, a television taping and aired on tape delay. He would drop the title on April 6, 2019, to Matt Taven in a triple threat ladder match (with Marty Scurll also involved) at G1 Supercard
G1 Supercard was a professional wrestling supershow co-produced by the American Ring of Honor (ROH) and Japanese New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotions. It was the 13th annual Supercard of Honor event and took place on April 6, 2019, at Madis ...
, ending his second reign at 280 days. On December 13, 2019, at Final Battle Lethal, along with Jonathan Gresham
Jonathan Gresham (born March 20, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling. He has previously wrestled for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former ROH World Champion, ROH ...
, won the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the first time, after they defeated The Briscoe Brothers. On the November 28, 2020 episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling, Lethal appeared with newly formed faction The Foundation (Jonathan Gresham
Jonathan Gresham (born March 20, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling. He has previously wrestled for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former ROH World Champion, ROH ...
, Rhett Titus
Everett Lawrence Titus (born September 15, 1987) is an American professional wrestler working for Ring of Honor (ROH). where he is a former ROH World Television Champion, an overall two-time ROH Tag Team Champion individually, as well as win ...
& Tracy Williams). Lethal would stay with ROH until October 2021 when the promotion announced they would enter into a hiatus until 2022. Shortly after the announcement, Lethal joined All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE.
AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, ...
and was pulled from the Final Battle card. However, after ROH World Champion Bandido was diagnosed with COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...
, it was announced that Lethal would be replacing Bandido in his Final Battle match against Jonathan Gresham
Jonathan Gresham (born March 20, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling. He has previously wrestled for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former ROH World Champion, ROH ...
. At the event, Lethal was defeated by Gresham.
On April 1, 2022, Lethal returned to Ring of Honor, now owned by Tony Khan
Antony Rafiq Khan (born October 10, 1982) is an American businessman, promoter, and sports executive. He is known for his involvement in American football, professional wrestling and soccer. He is best known as the founder and co-owner of All ...
, and wrestled at Supercard of Honor XV. At the event, Lethal turned heel after using a low blow to defeat Lee Moriarty and then attacked crutch-donning Matt Sydal. He also would reunite with Sonjay Dutt
Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer and manager. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop ActionImpact Wrestling under the ring name Sonj ...
, who restrained him as he was attacking Sydal, and the two began a feud with Samoa Joe after Joe won the ROH Television Championship.
Independent circuit (2011–2019)
Lethal made his first independent appearance since his release from TNA on May 28, working for '' Lucha Libre USA''. As a tribute to Randy Savage, who had died just a week earlier, Lethal worked in his Black Machismo gimmick in a tag-team match, where he and Magno were defeated by The Right ( Jon Rekon and Petey Williams). In Lethal's second appearance for Lucha Libre USA on June 18, he defeated Medianoche in a singles match. On June 19 it was announced that Lethal would be taking part in the pilot tapings of All Wheels Wrestling on June 29, working under the ring name J.R. Lethal. At the pilot tapings, his ring name was changed to RPM. At the tapings he first defeated Dubai, the former Sheik Abdul Bashir, in a five-minute Iron Man match, but was then defeated by Schwagg Dutt, the former Sonjay Dutt, in an Ultimate X match, which also included Dubai and Aaron Aguilera.
On February 25, 2012, Lethal defeated Damien Darling at a Family Wrestling Entertainment (FWE) event to win the FWE Tri-Borough Championship.[ He lost the title to Darling on March 24, but later that same day first won the FWE Rumble and then defeated Eric Young for the FWE Heavyweight Championship.] On July 28, Lethal lost the title to Tommy Dreamer in a four-way elimination match, which also included Brian Kendrick and Carlito. On March 22, 2013, Lethal made his debut for Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...
-based Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned and operated by wrestlers themselves, having been created by Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super ...
(PWG), losing to Eddie Edwards in a singles match. The following day, Lethal defeated Willie Mack at another PWG event. On May 25, Lethal took part in English promotion Southside Wrestling Entertainment's (SWE) Speed King 2013 tournament, eventually defeating Dean Allmark, El Ligero, Martin Kirby, Marty Scurll and MK McKinnan in a six-way final to win the tournament and become the new SWE Speed King Champion.
On July 30, 2016, Lethal defended the ROH World Championship against Denis Rivera for CWA in Puerto Rico where the CWA Heavyweight Championship was also on the line. Lethal was victorious, retaining his ROH World Championship and gaining the CWA title in the process.
Lethal made his What Culture Pro Wrestling (WCPW) debut on the second episode of WCPW Loaded in a match against El Ligero with the stipulation that if Ligero won he would get a shot at Lethal's ROH Championship. During the match, the two men (both being babyfaces) showed tremendous respect to each other; however, the match ended in a no contest when Martin Kirby interfered and attacked both men. After the match, Lethal stated that in order to defend his title, he would have to get permission from the Ring of Honor officials who were not present, but he guaranteed Ligero a shot at the title in the future. Later Lethal was against Noam Dar for his ROH World Championship on July 25, 2016 on the episode of ''WCPW: Built To Destroy'', where Lethal won. Lethal was set to face El Ligero at ''WCPW Refuse To Lose'' on October 6, 2016. The match was originally scheduled to be for the ROH World Championship, but will instead be for the WCPW Internet Championship, due to Lethal no longer being ROH World Champion. In August, it was announced that Lethal would not be able to compete for the promotion due to contractual reasons. On WCPW Loaded episode 10 it was announced that Alberto El Patron
José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a c ...
would be Lethal's replacement.
Lethal returned to the promotion on January 29, 2017, where he took part of Triple Threat match for the ROH World Championship, which he lost. The match also included El Ligero; the winner was Adam Cole. On June 16 at the WCPW Build to Destroy 2017, Lethal would then defeat former ROH World Champion Davey Richards. After the match, Lethal was attacked by Drake, but he was able to fend off the attack.
On August 17, 2019; Lethal made his debut for High Impact Wrestling Canada
High Impact Wrestling Canada (HIW) was a professional wrestling promotion, based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Known for its hard hitting "Saskatchewan Style", the HIW roster consisted of nearly 40 regular performers. On January 1, 2019, the ...
at Battle Arts VI in Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as ...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...
. He unsuccessfully challenged Bobby Sharp
Robert Sharp (born September 10, 1988) is an active Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Lion Warrior" Bobby Sharp. He is currently working for numerous companies across Canada including Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling, Hig ...
for the HIW Wildside Provincial Championship
The HIW Wildside Provincial Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship in the professional wrestling promotion, High Impact Wrestling Canada. The title was established on April 24, 2004 as the HIW Great Plains Provincia ...
.
All Elite Wrestling (2021–present)
On November 13, 2021, Lethal made his debut for All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE.
AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, ...
(AEW) at the Full Gear pay-per-view, challenging Sammy Guevara for the AEW TNT Championship on the November 17 episode of '' Dynamite'', which Guevara accepted. Lethal would go on to lose the match, but got his arms raised by the Inner Circle post-match as a sign of respect. Lethal would then enter a feud with Team Taz in January 2022, which eventually led him to challenge Ricky Starks for the FTW Championship
The FTW ("Fuck the World") Championship (also referred to as the FTW World Championship) is a professional wrestling championship created by Taz in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 1998. The championship was retired in 1999 after being u ...
on the February 4, 2022 episode of ''Rampage
Rampage may refer to:
Places
* Rampage Mountain, a mountain in Montana
People
* Quinton Jackson (born 1978; nicknamed "Rampage"), American mixed martial artist and actor
* Randy Rampage (1960-2018), Canadian musician
* Rampage (rapper) (born 1 ...
''; he eventually lost the match against Starks. On April 6, 2022, Lethal appeared on-screen with Sonjay Dutt, who was now his manager, and the two promised a present to Samoa Joe. The next week, Satnam Singh attacked Joe and aligned himself with Lethal and Dutt. On the May 6, 2022 episode of Rampage, Jay Lethal would defeat Konosuke Takeshita and have Dutt and Singh assist in attacking him, only for ''Best Friends'' (Orange Cassidy
James Cipperly (born May 4, 1984), better known by his ring name Orange Cassidy, is an American professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW All-Atlantic Champi ...
and Chuck Taylor) and Samoa Joe to make the save.
Ric Flair’s Last Match
Ric Flair's Last Match was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event and supershow that took place on July 31, 2022, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee in the United States and aired on FITE and In Demand. The event was produced and promoted by Conrad Thompson and David Crockett under the banner of Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) as part of the Starrcast V convention, and was the first card promoted under the JCP banner since 1988. Ric Flair headlined the event in the final match of his 50-year career, teaming with son-in-law Andrade El Idolo to defeat Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.
Other media
Shipman, under his Jay Lethal ring name, had a brief appearance in the critically acclaimed 2008 film '' The Wrestler''. In November 2010, he was a contestant on an all-TNA week of ''Family Feud
''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. It features two families who compete to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes.
The show has had three separate runs, the ...
'', teaming with Matt Morgan, Mick Foley
Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American actor, author, retired professional wrestler, and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE under the company's Legends program, acting as a company ambassador.
Foley worked for ...
, Mr. Anderson, and Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
against Angelina Love, Christy Hemme, Lacey Von Erich, Tara, and Velvet Sky
Jamie Lynn Szantyr (born June 2, 1981) is an American color commentator and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to NWA. She is best known for her time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a ...
.
Lethal appeared in the video games ''TNA Impact!
''Impact!'' (stylized as ''IMPACT!''), also known as ''IMPACT! on AXS TV'',
is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling (formerly known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)) tha ...
'', '' TNA Impact!: Cross The Line'', and ''TNA Wrestling Impact!
''TNA Wrestling Impact!'' (styled ''TNA Wrestling iMPACT!'') is a mobile professional wrestling video game released by Namco Networks in 2011. It is based on the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Unlike ''TN ...
''.
Championships and accomplishments
* American Championship Entertainment
** ACE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Mo Sexton
* Big Time Wrestling
** BTW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* Champion Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico)
** CWA World Championship (1 time)
* Family Wrestling Entertainment
** FWE Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time)
** FWE Tri-Borough Championship
Family Wrestling Entertainment, also known as FWE, was an independent professional wrestling promotion. The company was based and ran shows in New York. They hosted a show about every four months. All of their shows are available on iPPV and also ...
( 1 time)
** FWE Rumble (2012)
* International High Powered Wrestling
** IHPW Diamond Division Championship (1 time)
** IHPW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) was an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey, United States.
History
1997
Jersey All Pro Wrestling was an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia and Angel Surita ...
** JAPW Heavyweight Championship (2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outsid ...
)
** JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship
The JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship is a championship in the Jersey All Pro Wrestling promotion in the United States.It became official title on December 5, 1997 when Rik Rachet defeated Chino Martinez in a tournament final to crown the first ...
( 1 time)
** JAPW Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Azrieal
** JAPW Television Championship ( 1 time)
** Jersey City Rumble (2009)[
* Jersey Championship Wrestling
** JCW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
** JCW Television Championship (1 time)
** Jersey J-Cup (]2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...
)
* Millennium Wrestling Federation
The Millennium Wrestling Federation (MWF) is a New England independent professional wrestling promotion based in Melrose, Massachusetts. Founded in January 2001 by promoters Dan Mirade & Neil Manolian, the MWF is one of the top promotions in the N ...
** MWF Television Championship ( 1 time)
* National Wrestling Alliance Upstate
** Upstate 8 Tag Team Tournament (2004) - with Azrieal
* National Wrestling Superstars
** WSU/NWS King and Queen of the Ring (2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
) – with Miss April
* Politically Incorrect Wrestling
** PIW World Championship (1 time)
* Prairie Wrestling Alliance
** PWA Championship (1 time)
* Pro-Wrestling ELITE
** PWE Interstate Championship (1 time)
* ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...
''
** Ranked No. 5 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the '' PWI 500'' in 2016
* Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was s ...
** ROH Pure Championship ( 1 time)
** ROH World Championship (2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outsid ...
)[
** ROH World Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with ]Jonathan Gresham
Jonathan Gresham (born March 20, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling. He has previously wrestled for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former ROH World Champion, ROH ...
** ROH World Television Championship (2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outsid ...
)1[
** Honor Rumble (2011)][
** Survival of the Fittest (]2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
)[
** Third Triple Crown Champion
** Third Grand Slam Champion
** ROH Wrestler of the Decade (2010s)
** ROH Year-End Award (e times)
*** Wrestler of the Year (2018)
*** Feud of the Year (2017)
*** Tag Team of the Year (2020)
*** Match of the Year (2019)
* Southside Wrestling Entertainment
** SWE Speed King Championship (1 time)][
** Speed King (2013)][
*Stars & Stripes Championship Wrestling
**Tradition Cup Championship (1 time)
* Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
** TNA World Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Consequences Creed
** TNA X Division Championship ( 6 times)
** Feast or Fired (]2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...
– World Tag Team Championship contract)[
** World X Cup ( 2006) – with ]Chris Sabin
Joshua Harter (born February 4, 1982), better known by his ring name Chris Sabin, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, and is also known for his work in Ring of Honor.
After being trained by Scott D ...
, Sonjay Dutt
Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer and manager. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop ActionImpact Wrestling under the ring name Sonj ...
and Alex Shelley[
** TNA Year End Awards (1 time)
***X Division Wrestler of the Year (2007)][
* United Wrestling Coalition
** UWC United States Championship ( 1 time)
* Unreal Championship Wrestling
** UCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)]
** UCW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* Wrestlezone Scotland
** Wrestlezone Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Scotty Swift
* ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter
The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.
Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four W ...
''
** Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) TNA Reverse Battle Royal on '' Impact!''
1 Lethal modified the championship's faceplate during his second reign to simply read as "ROH Champion".
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Southside Wrestling Entertainment profile
TNA Wrestling alumni profile
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lethal, Jay
1985 births
African-American male professional wrestlers
All Elite Wrestling personnel
American male professional wrestlers
Living people
Professional wrestlers from New Jersey
ROH Pure Champions
ROH World Champions
ROH World Television Champions
Sportspeople from Elizabeth, New Jersey
TNA/Impact World Tag Team Champions
21st-century professional wrestlers
ROH World Tag Team Champions
TNA/Impact X Division Champions