Jamar Shipman (born April 29, 1985), better known by the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

Jay Lethal, is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

. He is signed to

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...

(AEW). He is best known for his tenures in

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; the promotion was subs ...

(ROH),

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...

(TNA) and

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 Surit ...

(JAPW). Dubbed "The Franchise" of Ring of Honor, Lethal is a two-time

ROH World Champion The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The current champion is Bandido, who is in his second reign. In ...

, 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 The ROH World Television Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#Gimmick/style championships, world television championship in the Ring of Honor (ROH) professional wrestling promotion, promotion. With the int ...

, 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 The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). The current champions are Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara who are in t ...

with

Jonathan Gresham Jonathan Gresham (born March 20, 1988) is an American professional wrestler. He performs on the independent circuit. He has previously wrestled for All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former ROH World Champion, ROH Pure ...

. 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 TNA, where he was a six-time

TNA X Division Champion The TNA X Division Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of TNA's second then- weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The cu ...

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 the ...

TNA World Tag Team Champion with

Consequences Creed Austin Watson (born September 4, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and YouTuber. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Xavier Woods and is part of The New Day and is one-half of the current World ...

as The

Lethal Consequences Lethal Consequences was a professional wrestling tag team in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). The team consisted of Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed. The team name was a portmanteau of the ring names of Lethal and Creed. History Total Non ...

. Between ROH and TNA, Lethal has won 13 total championships.

Early life

Jamar Shipman was born on April 29, 1985, in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. 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

(JAPW) which entitled the winner to a lifetime of free training in the JAPW

professional wrestling school Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that o ...

. He spent six months training there, at the end of which the school closed down. He then began training under

Extreme Championship Wrestling Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was an American professional wrestling promotion that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operated by its parent company HHG Corporation. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as Nationa ...

(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. He is best known for his career with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he was an ECW Triple C ...

and

Dan Maff Daniel Lopez (born October 28, 1973), better known by his ring name Dan Maff, is an American professional wrestler, known for his time with Ring of Honor (ROH). Professional wrestling career Da Hit Squad Lopez attended Jersey All Pro Wrestling ...

Professional wrestling career

Jersey All Pro-Wrestling (2001–2009)

Debut and various title reigns (2001–2004)

Shipman made his wrestling debut under the ring name Jay Lethal on December 7, 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 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 ...

, 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 (New Jersey), city in southern Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A bedroom community of New York City, it is centrally located in the Rahway River, Rahway Valley region, in the New ...

at ''Counter-Strike''. Lethal also held the

JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship The JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the American independent professional wrestling promotion Jersey All Pro Wrestling. It became official title on December 5, 1997 when Rik Rachet defeated Chino M ...

, 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 , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...

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 The Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the American independent professional wrestling promotion Jersey All Pro Wrestling. It became an official title on October 31, 1997 when J ...

, 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 is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

, thus vacating the JAPW Heavyweight Championship. Lethal was awarded the Heavyweight Championship on March 26 at ''Caged Fury 2'' held in the

ECW Arena 2300 Arena is a multipurpose indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, used primarily for professional wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts, and concert events. Originally known as Viking Hall, the venue has since been named XPW Arena, New A ...

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 Kevin Yanick Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kevin Owens. As of A ...

and

Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...

in a four-way match by pinning Homicide following a diving headbutt. Lethal defeated

Steve Corino Steven Eugene Corino (born May 29, 1973) is a Canadian professional wrestling trainer and former professional wrestler. , he works for the American professional wrestling promotion WWE as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center and as a produ ...

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 Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use ...

. 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 wrestling, professional and former Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2000 to 2009 and Ring of H ...

. 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 Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

with help from

Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestli ...

. Lethal's next feud would be with The D-Factor's

Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

, who, on November 12, 2005, at ''Fall Out'', assaulted him following his successful title defense against

B-Boy A b-boy is a person devoted to breaking or break dancing. B Boy may also refer to: Music * "B-Boy", a song by Tech N9ne featuring Big Scoob, Bumpy Knuckles, Kutt Calhoun, and Skatterman from the album '' K.O.D.'', 2009 * "B Boy" (song) by Meek ...

. 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 Edward Ellsworth Annis (born February 2, 1980) is a Canadian-American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Teddy Hart. He currently wrestles on the independent circuit. He is one-half of the RCW (Real Canadian Wrestling) Tag Tea ...

, 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 wrestling, professional wrestler and musician signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. He is also known for his wo ...

, Lethal and former rival Azrieal managed to win the

JAPW Tag Team Championship The JAPW Tag Team Championship is a championship in the Jersey All Pro Wrestling promotion. It became official title on December 5, 1997 when The Blood Angels (Diablos Macabre and Lucifer Grimm) defeated Don Montoya and Homicide in a tournament fi ...

by defeating the champions The Outcast Killaz (Oman Tortuga and Diablo Santiago) and The S.A.T. (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 The Latin American Xchange (LAX) is a professional wrestling stable that has wrestled in various incarnations primarily for Total Nonstop Action / Impact Wrestling and currently in Major League Wrestling (MLW). The group achieved initial succ ...

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 Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name , is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW International Champion in his first reign. He also works as an ...

. 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 wrestling, professional wrestler. He worked as a tag team wrestler for most of his career, primarily as part of The Backsea ...

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 Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high elastic modulus, yield strength, fracture strength and low raw material cost, steel is one of the m ...

. Lethal has not made any appearances for JAPW since.

Ring of Honor (2003–2006)

Hydro (2003–2004)

Shipman made his

(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 19,589 at the 2020 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 Patrick Kenneth Martin (born May 23, 1983), better known by the ring name Alex Shelley, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is widely known for his tenure ...

in a singles match. Though he lost, Shelley recognized his pure wrestling talent and offered him membership in Generation Next, 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 In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling match types, professional wrestling matches, in which competitors a ...

in a losing effort, as

CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...

single-handedly defended the title to allow his tag team partner and co-champion

Colt Cabana Scott Colton (born May 6, 1980), better known by the ring name Colt Cabana, is an American professional wrestler, color commentator, and podcaster. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and as a coach, and he performs the same ...

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 {{unreferenced, date=April 2023 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, ...

" (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 method, scientific study and branch of mathematics. It focuses on underlying patterns and Deterministic system, deterministic Scientific law, laws of dynamical systems that are highly sens ...

. At ''Testing the Limit'' on August 7, Lethal took part in a four-way match, pitting him against Alex Shelley,

Ace Steel Christopher Guy (born January 25, 1973) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ace Steel. , he is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a Producer (wrestling), producer. He is perhaps be ...

and

2 Cold Scorpio Charles Bernard Scaggs (born October 25, 1965) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name 2 Cold Scorpio. He gained fame for his performances in professional wrestling promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW ...

. 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 Brian Woermann (born July 21, 1979) is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Matt Stryker. Professional wrestling career Brian Woermann attended Milford High School, where he played basketball and Diving. A ...

at ''Glory by Honor III'' on September 11 with his ROH career on the line. Lethal won, breaking his losing streak.

Low Ki Brandon Silvestry (born September 6, 1979) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Low Ki. He is known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Major ...

, 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 organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

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 Chad Collyer (born December 12, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler. Professional wrestling career Collyer attended Manchester College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He was an accomplished amateur wrestler, w ...

at ''Gold'' on October 15, but recovered with a win over

Delirious Delirious may refer to: * A state of delirium Film and television * ''Delirious'' (1991 film), an American comedy directed by Tom Mankiewicz, starring John Candy * ''Delirious'' (2006 film), an American comedy-drama directed by Tom DiCillo, sta ...

the next day at ''Joe vs. Punk II''. He teamed with his mentor, Samoa Joe, and lost to

R. J. Brewer John Stagikas (born July 31, 1979) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, R. J. Brewer. Brewer is known for his appearances with Lucha Libre USA, where he portrayed a Conservatism in the Unite ...

and

Nigel McGuinness Steven Haworth (born 23 January 1972), better known by his ring name Nigel McGuinness, is an English professional wrestling, professional wrestler and commentator. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he serves as a color commentato ...

at ''Weekend Of Thunder: Night One'' on November 5, before suffering another loss to The Embassy member

Jimmy Rave James Michael Guffey (December 8, 1982 – December 12, 2021), better known by the ring name Jimmy Rave, was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). E ...

the subsequent evening. After his match with Rave, Lethal attacked

Prince Nana Nana Osei Bandoh (born August 1, 1979), better known by his ring name, Prince Nana, is an American professional wrestling manager and former professional wrestler of Ghanaian descent. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he serves a ...

, the leader of The Embassy. This led to Nana recruiting several masked

mercenaries A mercenary is a private individual who joins an War, armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rath ...

(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

, 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 ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 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, 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 Christopher Scoville (born February 17, 1984) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jimmy Jacobs. He is best known for his 12-year career in Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a List of ROH Wor ...

and

B. J. Whitmer Benjamin Whitmer (born January 25, 1978), better known by the ring name B. J. Whitmer, is an American professional wrestling producer, professional wrestling trainer, color commentator, and retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his ...

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 The Rottweilers were a professional wrestling stable in Ring of Honor led by Homicide. The Rottweilers were known for their disrespect towards the Code of Honor and often used cheap tactics to win matches. History The Rottweilers started out as ...

, 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 medical device, 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 ...

ed from the arena, wearing a

neck brace A cervical collar, also known as a neck brace, is a medical device used to support and immobilize a person's neck. It is also applied by emergency personnel to those who have had traumatic head or neck injuries, although they should not be rou ...

, 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 retired professional wrestler and author. He is signed to WWE, under a Legends contract while also serving as an ambassador. Foley worked for many wrestling promotions, including the W ...

forced World Champion CM Punk, who had signed with

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

(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 The rear naked choke (RNC), also known as hadaka jime (裸絞) in Judo and "lion killer choke (Mata Leão)" in BJJ, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word ''naked'' in this context suggests that, unlike other stra ...

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 Reyes Nunez (born August 21, 1978), better known by the ring name Ricky Reyes, is a Cuban-American retired professional wrestler. He is known for his appearances in Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, World Wrestling Council, Lucha Undergrou ...

) 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 Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he a former List of TNA World Tag Team Champions, three time TNA Wor ...

. On August 13 at ''Punk: The Final Chapter'', Lethal and Joe defeated Low Ki and Homicide by disqualification after Homicide hit an

elbow drop Strikes can be offensive moves in professional wrestling, that can sometimes be used to set up an opponent for a hold or for a throw. There are a wide variety of strikes in pro wrestling, and many are known by several different names. Professional ...

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 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; the promotion was subse ...

". He went on to defeat Low Ki later that night, however, in a standard singles match to end their feud. He defeated

Sal Rinauro Salvatore Rinauro (born September 12, 1982) is an American professional wrestler, performing for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He is best known for his work in Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro and National Wrestling Alliance in addition to ...

to advance to the finals of the 2005 Survival of the Fittest tournament on September 24, but was eliminated by

Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his ring name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Paragon stable and is a former one-time AEW I ...

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 The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...

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 semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...

, 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 (New Jersey), township located in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central Jersey, Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan River, Raritan Valley r ...

, 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 The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...

), losing to Pure Champion

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. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Death Riders and a former AEW World Trios Championship, AEW World Trios Champion. He also per ...

Christopher Daniels Christopher Daniel Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he works as the Head of Ta ...

, and the match winner, Nigel McGuinness on August 5, 2006.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2005–2011)

Pursuit of the X Division Championship (2005–2006)

While wrestling for JAPW, Lethal caught the eye of

(TNA) producer and

announcer An announcer is a voice artist who relays information to the audience on a broadcast media programme or live event either on radio or television. Television and other media Some announcers work in television production, radio or filmmaki ...

Jeremy Borash Jeremy Borash (born July 19, 1974) is an American professional wrestling play-by-play commentator, announcer, ring announcer, booker, interviewer, and producer, working for WWE as Vice President of Content and Development. He is known for his ...

, 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 ...

debut at Against All Odds in 2006 on February 12, defeating

Matt Bentley Matthew James Bentley (born December 10, 1979), is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) by the ring name Michael Shane, later changed to "Maverick" Matt Bentley. He was trained ...

and

Petey Williams Peter Williams III (born August 26, 1981) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a backstage producer. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling, where he is a two-time X Division Champion. He is also known for hi ...

in a four-way match by pinning Williams. On the February 18, 2006 episode of ''Impact!'', Lethal defeated

and

Shannon Moore Shannon Moore (born July 27, 1979) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1999 and 2001 and with WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for ...

to earn a spot in

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

, 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 the ring name Chris Sabin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 f ...

Sonjay Dutt Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a Glossary of professional wrestling terms#agent, producer and Glossary of professional wrestling terms#manage ...

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 that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...

on April 23, 2006, where Lethal, Dutt and Shelley lost to

Team Japan Team Japan is a professional wrestling group that was brought together as a part of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's World X Cup Tournament. History 2004 Team Japan started as six-man team as team captain Nosawa from All Japan Pro Wrestling tea ...

( Black Tiger, Minoru Tanaka and

Hirooki Goto is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He is also one-half of the tag team Bishamon alongside Yoshi-Hashi. ...

) 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 Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...

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 Team Mexico is a professional wrestling stable that was first formed in 2004 to compete in TNA Wrestling's America's X-Cup Tournament and has since returned to compete in other TNA X Cup Tournaments. History 2004 The original team consisted of ...

's Puma. 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 ** Canadian Olympic Committee * Canada at the Paralympics ** Canadian Paralympic Committee * Canada at the Commonwealth Games * Canada at ...

'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 Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor, podcaster and retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is also known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Ac ...

, 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 The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley. The team was also joined by various Dudley family members, notably Spike Dudley and ...

( Brother Ray and

Brother Devon Devon Hughes ( ; born August 1, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, under a legends contract. He is best known for performing in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1999 and for the World Wrestli ...

) against Team Canada (Petey Williams,

Bobby Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (professional wrestling), producer and was formerly an in-ring performer. Roode is known ...

, Eric Young and A1). The next week, Lethal challenged

Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he both wrestles and serves as Director of Business Development. He is also ...

for the

NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...

, but was defeated following interference from

Scott Steiner Scott Rechsteiner (born July 29, 1962), better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler. Steiner is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and has also wrestled for Jim Crockett ...

. 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 Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, was an annual professional wrestling Impact Plus Impact Plus Monthly Specials, event produced by Impact Wrestling. It was originally introduced as a pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view e ...

involving Lethal, Williams and defending champion Senshi. Lethal was pinned by Senshi after Williams hit him with his

Canadian Destroyer A piledriver is a professional wrestling driver move in which the wrestler grabs their opponent, turns them upside-down, and drops into a sitting or kneeling position, driving the opponent head-first into the mat. The technique is said to have b ...

. 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 t ...

, 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, and produced by Tremaine, Spike Jonze, and Johnny Knoxville. It is the sequel to '' Jackass: The Movie'' (2002), both based upon the MTV series '' ...

'', 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 John Parsonage (born April 27, 1974) is a Canadians, Canadian semi-retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Hot Shot" Johnny Devine. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Pro ...

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, lubri ...

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)

Jay Lethal on ramp at Lethal Consequences

In December 2006, Kevin Nash recruited Lethal, Senshi, Austin Starr, 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 Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It 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 Randy Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler and professional baseball player, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation ( ...

. 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 ou ...

; 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 The Pomp and Circumstance Marches are a series of five marches for orchestra composed by Edward Elgar, together with a sixth march created from sketches. The marches were dedicated to his friends including composer Granville Bantock and o ...

" 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

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 establis ...

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

. 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 Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event produced by the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. It is one of TNA's “Big Four” PPV events (along with TNA Hard To Kill, Hard ...

, 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 The Ultimate X match is a type of professional wrestling match created by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), mainly used in their X Division. It is considered the signature match of the X Division. Match format Ultimate X is contested by th ...

gauntlet match in a losing effort after Christopher Daniels retrieved the X. At

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 are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. They are signed to WWE, where they perform on the SmackDown brand and are former one-time WWE Tag Team Champions. They are b ...

(Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) in a three-way tag match when Lethal pinned Daniels. This led to

Jim Cornette James Mark Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author, sports historian, and podcaster who previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, photographer, promoter, tra ...

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 and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...

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: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...

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 Paige Nicole Mayo (born March 27, 1986) is an American professional wrestling valet, occasional professional wrestler, interviewer, ring announcer, model and ringside attendant who is better known by her ring name SoCal Val. Professional wres ...

, 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 In professional wrestling, a face (babyface) is a heroic, "good guy", "good-doer", or "fan favorite" wrestler, booked (scripted) by the promotion with the aim of being cheered by fans. They are portrayed as heroes relative to the heel wrestler ...

- 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 girlfriend SoCal Val, which she accepted. At

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 North American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal ...

Brawl and Chain match at

, 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)

Bound for Glory IV Bound for Glory IV was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) professional wrestling promotion, promotion that took place on October 12, 2008 at ...

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 Dara Shawn Daivari () (born April 30, 1984) is an American retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name Shawn Daivari. He is signed to WWE as a producer. He is also known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he is a ...

defeated Lethal to retain the championship. The following week, Lethal along with A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe,

, Petey Williams, Eric Young, O.D.B. and

The Motor City Machine Guns The Motor City Machine Guns are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. They are signed to WWE, where they perform on the SmackDown brand and are former one-time WWE Tag Team Champions. They are ...

formed a faction of younger wrestlers known as the TNA Frontline to oppose

The Main Event Mafia The Main Event Mafia was an American professional wrestling stable in the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Beginning in 2008, the group included former WWF/E wrestler Kurt Angle as leader, four of the former World Champi ...

. 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. Beer Money, Inc. was a professional wrestling tag team which consisted of Robert "Bobby" Roode and James Storm in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where they are record-tying five-time TNA World Tag Tea ...

(

Robert Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (professional wrestling), producer and was formerly an in-ring performer. Roode is known ...

and

James Storm James Allen Cox (born June 1, 1977) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name James Storm. He currently competes on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He sta ...

) after Roode's singles match with

Matt Morgan Matthew Thomas Morgan (born September 10, 1976) is an American politician and retired professional wrestler. He is the former mayor and current deputy mayor of the city of Longwood, Florida and is a former gladiator on ''American Gladiators''. ...

to become the new TNA World Tag Team Champions. However, they quickly lost the titles back to Beer Money, Inc. at the

pay-per-view on January 11. On January 15, Lethal and Creed defeated

Abyss Abyss may refer to: Religion * Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld * Abyss (Thelema), a spiritual principle within the system of Thelema Film and television * ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film s ...

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

(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 Destination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event held by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion TNA Wrestling. The event primarily revolved around the X-Division, the 2005 ...

, 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. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

, 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 Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...

joining TNA, Lethal challenged wrestling legends to take him on. The following week,

Jim Neidhart James Henry Neidhart (February 8, 1955 – August 13, 2018) was an American professional wrestler known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart, where he was a two-time WWF Tag ...

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)

Lethal (right) wrestling Ric Flair in 2010 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 The Mega Powers was a tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1987 to 1989, consisting of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, and managed by Savage's wife, Miss Elizabeth. Lust and jealousy surrounding her led to the team's demise and subs ...

" (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, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Booker, professional wrestling booker, promoter, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Sen ...

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 retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Flair's career spanned 50 years. He is ...

'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 Steven Haworth (born 23 January 1972), better known by his ring name Nigel McGuinness, is an English professional wrestler and commentator. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he serves as a color commentator on ''Collision'' as we ...

and Beer Money, Inc., before he was saved by Abyss, Team 3D and the

TNA World Heavyweight Champion The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won ...

Rob Van Dam Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movemen ...

. At

, 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 Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use ...

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 Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fate * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (19 ...

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 A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in o ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Lethal lost the X Division Championship to

Amazing Red Jonathan Figueroa (born April 26, 1982), better known by his ring name Amazing Red, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler and promoter. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former three-time X ...

. 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 Robert Strauss (born October 1, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and Manager (professional wrestling), manager. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (wrestling), producer, the on-screen assistant to the NXT general manager Ava (w ...

, 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 sweet biscuit with high sugar and fat content. Cookie dough is softer than that used for other types of biscuit, and they are cooked longer at lower temperatures. The dough typically contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of ...

, 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 Am ...

, 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 Shantelle Larissa Malawski (born January 26, 1986) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with TNA Wrestling, where she performed under the ring name Taylor Wilde. Malawski was under a World Wrestling Enter ...

, 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 Final Resolution is a professional wrestling TNA+ event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to ...

, 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 Christina Lee Hemme ( ; born October 28, 1980) is an American wrestling executive and retired professional wrestler, ring announcer, backstage interviewer, singer and model (person), model. She was previously signed to Total Nonstop Action Wre ...

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

, 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

. His last televised match was aired on the April 19 episode of ''

Xplosion Xplosion may refer to: Music *''Xplosión'', a 1993 album by Vico C *The Xplosions!, a band signed to Highland Records Songs * "Xplosión", a 1993 song by Vico C, the title track off the eponymous album ''Xplosión'' *"Xplosion", a song by 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 ROH (2011–2021)

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 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 ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'' (also known as ''ROH Honor Club TV'', and often shortened as ''ROH Wrestling TV'', ''ROH TV'', ''ROH TV on HonorClub'', or ''ROH on HonorClub'') is an American professional wrestling television series produced by Rin ...

'' tapings under the

Sinclair Broadcast Group Sinclair, Inc., doing business as Sinclair Broadcast Group, is a publicly traded American telecommunications conglomerate that is controlled by the descendants of company founder Julian Sinclair Smith. Headquartered in the Baltimore suburb o ...

banner, Lethal defeated

El Generico Rami Sebei (born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Sami Zayn. Sebei made his professional wrestling debut in 2002 under the ring name Stevie McFly. Pr ...

to win the

ROH World Television Championship The ROH World Television Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#Gimmick/style championships, world television championship in the Ring of Honor (ROH) professional wrestling promotion, promotion. With the int ...

. On September 17 at Death Before Dishonor IX, Lethal teamed up with fellow TNA alum Homicide in a tag team match, where they were defeated by Embassy's Rhino and

Tommaso Ciampa Tommaso Whitney (born May 8, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Tommaso Ciampa () and ...

. On December 3, Lethal defeated nineteen other men in the Honor Rumble to earn a shot at the

ROH World Championship The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The cu ...

in 2012. On December 23 at Final Battle 2011, 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 ''

'', Lethal successfully defended the title against Bennett in a No Time Limit match. On January 20, Lethal unsuccessfully challenged

Davey Richards Wesley David Richards (born March 1, 1983), best known under the ring name Davey Richards, is a retired American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Best known for his time in Impact Wrestling, TNA Wrestling and Ring of Honor, and for ...

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 Showdown in the Sun was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH) that took place over two consecutive days: Friday, March 30 and Saturday, March 31, 2012 at the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale ...

, 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 The boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid equals the pressure surrounding the liquid and the liquid changes into a vapor. The boiling point of a liquid varies depending upon the surrounding envi ...

, where Lethal defeated Ciampa in a

two-out-of-three-falls match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

. 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 can refer to a number of concepts relating to the intersection of two straight Line (geometry), lines at a Point (geometry), point. Formally, an angle is a figure lying in a Euclidean plane, plane formed by two R ...

, 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 Supercard of Honor VII was the 7th ROH Supercard of Honor, Supercard of Honor professional wrestling internet pay-per-view (iPPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on April 5, 2013 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, ...

, Lethal failed to earn another shot at the ROH World Championship, when he was defeated by

Michael Elgin Aaron Michael Frobel (born December 13, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name Michael Elgin. He is known for his work with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a List of IWGP Intercontinent ...

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 Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989), known by the ring name Adam Cole, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of The Paragon (professional wrestling), ...

ROH World Television Champion; ROH World Champion (2014–2016)

On April 4, 2014, at Supercard of Honor VIII, Lethal turned heel for the first time in nearly a decade by accepting help from

Truth Martini Martin Krcaj (born May 8, 1975) is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, and trainer better known by the ring name Truth Martini. He is perhaps best known as the manager of The House of Truth stable in Ring of Honor. Career Early ...

, 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", 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 Matthew Marinelli (born March 20, 1985), known by his ring name, Matt Taven, is an American professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and its sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is one- ...

Caprice Coleman Caprice Coleman (born 20 March 1977) is an American professional wrestler who has competed in Mid-Atlantic and Southern independent promotions including Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, NWA Wildside, Ring of Honor and, in recent years, Live Acti ...

, A. C. H.,

Matt Sydal Matthew Joseph Korklan (born March 19, 1983), better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his tenure with WWE from 2008 to 2014 under the ring nam ...

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 Jamin Dale Pugh (January 25, 1984 – January 17, 2023), known by his ring name Jay Briscoe, was an American professional wrestler. He was known for his time with his brother Mark Briscoe as the Briscoe Brothers in Ring of Honor, where he was ...

in a winner-takes-all "Battle of the Belts" match with both the ROH World Championship and RHW 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 wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Nakamura is known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former 3-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, with his first rei ...

to defeat

reDRagon reDRagon was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly, formed in 2012, and lasting until September 1, 2022 when Fish quietly left All Elite Wrestling (AEW). They are also known for their work in Ring of Honor ...

's Field of Honor 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 Pro Championship Wrestling (PCW UK) is a British owned independent professional wrestling promotion established as Preston City Wrestling in 2011. It was re-branded as Pro Championship Wrestling in 2020, and is still stylised as PCW. PCW runs th ...

, Lethal retained the ROH World Championship in three individual defenses over

Noam Dar Noam Dar (; born 28 July 1993) is an Israeli and Scottish professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE where he perfroms on the NXT brand and is the current NXT Heritage Cup champion in his record-setting fourth reign. He is also known for his ti ...

, Doug Williams and Joey Hayes. Through ROH's working relationship with

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

(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 Sh ...

, 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 Mark Haskins (born June 25, 1988), is an English professional wrestler. He is known internationally for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, as well as his appearances in Ring of Honor, Progress Wrestling, Revolution Pro Wrestling, Drag ...

at a sold-out show in York Hall, London for

Revolution Pro Wrestling Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro/RPW) is a British professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on 26 August 2012 by Andy Quildan after separating from International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. Revolution Pro Wre ...

. 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, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, successfully defending the ROH World Championship against

Tomoaki Honma is a Japanese people, Japanese professional wrestler primarily working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is a former List of IWGP Tag Team Champions, one-time IWGP Tag Team Championship, IWGP Tag Team Champion and a two-time G1 Ta ...

. Afterwards, Lethal and Truth Martini joined

Tetsuya Naito is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his 20-year run in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he served as the leader of the ''Los Ingobernables de Japon'' stable, and was a multi-time world champion. ...

's ''

Los Ingobernables de Japón (Spanish for "The Ungovernables of Japan" and often spelled without the accent as ''Los Ingobernables de Japon'' in English-speaking countries), also shortened to ''L.I.J.'' or ''Los Ingos'', was a Japanese professional wrestling stable, based ...

'' stable. Lethal and Naito knew each other from working together in TNA. On March 26 of ROH tapings, Lethal successfully defended his title against

. Afterwards, a rare double-turn took place when

Donovan Dijak Christopher James Dijak ( ; born April 23, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he performs under the ring name Donovan Dijak. He also currently works on the independent circuit. Dijak ...

came out with

and attacked Truth Martini. Lethal would then begin a feud with a returning

, who had set his sights on the ROH World Championship. At

Global Wars Global Wars is a professional wrestling event that had been held annually by the American Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion since 2012. Originally named Border Wars, the event was renamed Global Wars in 2014 after ROH announced a partnership with the ...

, 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. He is signed to both New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he is a former two-time MLW World Heavyweight Championship, MLW World Heavyweight Champion and former one half of the MLW W ...

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.

Various feuds (2016–2018)

At Field of Honor Lethal was involved in a Four corner survival match for the

which was won by

. On August 20, 2016 Lethal was betrayed by

after they walked out on Jay in a six-man tag team match. At All Star Extravaganza VIII Lethal defeated

. At

Final Battle Final Battle is a professional wrestling event, held annually by the Ring of Honor promotion. The event was initially held in 2002. It is held in December, and is the promotion's last show of the calendar year. The 2009 edition of the show was ...

Lethal was defeated by Cody after he hit a low blow, then proceed to attack Lethal. Lethal defeated

Jushin Thunder Liger , better known as and later , is a Japanese retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a trainer. He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having work ...

in the first round of the Decade of Excellence. He was defeated by

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, Florid ...

Lethal defeated Cody in a Texas Bullrope match. On ROH TV taping Lethal defeated

Silas Young Caleb DeWall (born September,9,1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Silas Young. He was last contracted for Ring of Honor, where he is a two-time ROH World Television Champion, and has ...

Jay White Jamie White (born 9 October 1992), better known by the ring name Jay White, is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Bullet Club sub-group Bang Bang Gang. White is a former ...

Hangman Page Stephen Blake Woltz (born July 27, 1991), better known by his ring name "Hangman" Adam Page, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a former AEW World Champion and AEW World Tag Team Champion ...

in a four-way match to become #1 contender to the ROH World Championship. On May 12 at

War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and '' Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel wa ...

, Lethal unsuccessfully challenged

for the ROH World Championship in a three-way match, also involving Cody.

Second reign as ROH World Champion; ROH World Tag Team Champion; departure (2018–2021)

On the June 30, 2018 tapings of ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'', Lethal defeated

Dalton Castle Dalton Castle may refer to: * Dalton Castle, Cumbria * Dalton Castle (wrestler) {{disambiguation ...

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

in a triple threat ladder match (with

Marty Scurll Martin Scurll (born 26 July 1988) is an English professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Ring of Honor (ROH). Scurll began his career in 2005, working on the British independent circuit. In 2012, he competed on the TNA's show TNA Wres ...

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

Lethal, along with

, won the

ROH World Tag Team Championship The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship contested for in the United States, American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). The current champions are D ...

for the first time, after they defeated The Briscoe Brothers. On the November 28, 2020 episode of

, Lethal appeared with newly formed faction The Foundation (

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 winning ...

, and

Tracy Williams Tracy Williams (born December 18, 1988) is an American professional wrestler. Best known under his nickname "Hot Sauce", he currently performs for Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former ROH World Tag Team Champion and former ROH World Telev ...

). In October 2021, ROH announced they would enter into a hiatus until 2022. Shortly after the announcement, Lethal joined

and was pulled from the

card. However, after ROH World Champion Bandido was diagnosed with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, it was announced that Lethal would be replacing Bandido in his Final Battle match against

. At the event, Lethal was defeated by Gresham. This marked his final appearance with ROH prior to its acquisition by

Tony Khan Antony Rafiq Khan (born October 10, 1982) is an American businessman, sports executive, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the founder, co-owner, president, CEO, executive producer, and head booker of All Elite Wrestling ...

in March 2022.

Independent circuit (2011–present)

Lethal made his first independent appearance since his release from TNA on May 28, working for ''

Lucha Libre USA Lucha Libre USA (LLUSA) was an American ''Lucha Libre'' promotion owned by Steven Ship. The promotion was most notable for producing the ''Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors'' television program, which initially aired on the MTV2 broadcast channel ...

''. 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 Magno may refer to: * Magno the Magnetic Man, a fictional superhero originally published by Quality Comics * Magno (character), a superhero in the post-Zero Hour future of the DC Comics universe * Rio Magno, a river in Jamaica People * 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 Aaron Aguilera (born February 28, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and actor best known as Jesús and Uno on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), MTV's Wrestling Society X, All Japan Pro Wrestling as Zodiac and Lucha Libre USA as Lu ...

. 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-based Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), losing to Eddie Edwards (wrestler), Eddie Edwards in a singles match. The following day, Lethal defeated Willie Mack at another PWG event. On May 25, Lethal took part in England, English promotion Southside Wrestling Entertainment's (SWE) Speed King 2013 tournament, eventually defeating Dean Allmark, El Ligero, Martin Kirby,

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

for his

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 Del Rio, Alberto El Patron 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

. On June 16 at the WCPW Build to Destroy 2017, Lethal would then defeat former ROH World Champion

. 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 at Battle Arts VI in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He unsuccessfully challenged Bobby Sharp for the HIW Wildside Provincial Championship. On July 31, 2022, at Ric Flair's Last Match event, Lethal teamed with

losing to

and Andrade El Idolo.

All Elite Wrestling / Ring of Honor (2021–present)

On November 13, 2021, Lethal made his debut for

(AEW) at the Full Gear (2021), Full Gear pay-per-view, challenging Sammy Guevara for the AEW TNT Championship on the November 17 episode of ''AEW Dynamite, 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 on the February 4, 2022 episode of ''AEW Rampage, Rampage''; he eventually lost the match against Starks. On April 1, 2022, Lethal returned to Ring of Honor, now owned by

, 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

, who restrained him as he was attacking Sydal, and the two began a feud with

after Joe won the ROH Television Championship. On April 6, 2022, Lethal appeared on-screen with Sonjay Dutt, who was now his manager, and the two promised a present to

. 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 and Chuck Taylor (wrestler), Chuck Taylor) and Samoa Joe to make the save. On Aug. 5, 2022, at Battle of the Belts III, Lethal failed to win the AEW TNT Championship from Wardlow (wrestler), Wardlow. On November 2, Jarrett attacked Darby Allin and aligned himself with Lethal, Dutt and Singh. On November 19 at Full Gear (2022), Full Gear, Lethal and Jarrett was defeated by Allin and Sting (wrestler), Sting. On January 4, 2023 episode of ''Dynamite'', Lethal and Jarrett challenged The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) for the AEW World Tag Team Championship, but failed to win the titles. Two days later at the Battle of the Belts V event, Lethal and Jarrett had a rematch with The Acclaimed in a No holds barred match, No Holds Barred tag team match, which they were unsuccessful. On the January 18 episode of ''Dynamite'', Lethal was unsuccessful at winning the AEW All-Atlantic Championship against Orange Cassidy. On January 25 episode of ''Dynamite'', Lethal was defeated Mark Briscoe in a tribute match to Jay Briscoe who died in a car accident one week prior on January 17. After the match, Lethal and Briscoe hugged in the ring. On February 22 episode of ''Dynamite'', Lethal and Jarrett won the AEW Revolution (2023), Revolution Tag Team Battle Royal to be added to the AEW Tag Team Championship match, but were once again unsuccessful. On May 17 episode of ''Dynamite'', The Lethal Connection attacked the AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR (professional wrestling), FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood), with Karen Jarrett helping The Lethal Connection. Lethal and Jarrett failed to win the title from FTR at Double or Nothing (2023), Double or Nothing with Mark Briscoe was the Referee (professional wrestling), special guest referee. On the June 14 episode of ''Rampage'', Lethal, Jeff Jarrett and Karen Jarrett took on Mark Briscoe, Papa Briscoe and AEW referee Aubrey Edwards. During the match, Lethal was hit with the Guitar by Edwards, who also made Karen submit with the figure four leglock. Lethal was a participant in the inaugural Continental Classic (2023), Continental Classic, where he was placed in the Gold block. Lethal did not win a match in his block and recorded no points.

Other media

Shipman, under his Jay Lethal ring name, had a brief appearance in the critically acclaimed 2008 film ''The Wrestler (2008 film), The Wrestler''. In November 2010, he was a contestant on an all-TNA week of ''Family Feud'', teaming with

, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Anderson, and

against Angelina Love,

, Lacey Von Erich, Lisa Marie Varon, Tara, and Velvet Sky. Lethal appeared in the video games ''TNA Impact! (video game), TNA Impact!'', ''TNA Impact!: Cross The Line (video game), TNA Impact!: Cross The Line'', and ''TNA Wrestling Impact!''.

Championships and accomplishments

* American Championship Entertainment ** ACE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Mario Bokara, Mo Sexton * Big Time Wrestling ** BTW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Champion Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico) ** CWA World Championship (1 time) *Discovery Wrestling ** Discovery Awards (1 time) *** Match of the Year (2016) – * Family Wrestling Entertainment ** FWE Heavyweight Championship (FWE Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) ** FWE Tri-Borough Championship (FWE Tri-Borough Championship#Title history, 1 time) ** FWE Rumble (2012) * International High Powered Wrestling ** IHPW Diamond Division Championship (1 time) ** IHPW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

(JAPW Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 2 times) **

(JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) **

(JAPW Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) – with Azrieal **

(JAPW Television Championship#Title history, 1 time) ** Jersey City Rumble (2009) * Jersey Championship Wrestling ** JCW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) ** JCW Television Championship (1 time) ** Jersey J-Cup (Jersey J-Cup#2003, 2003) * Millennium Wrestling Federation ** MWF Television Championship (MWF Television Championship#Title history, 1 time) * National Wrestling Alliance, National Wrestling Alliance Upstate ** Upstate 8 Tag Team Tournament (2004) - with Azrieal * National Wrestling Superstars ** WSU King and Queen of the Ring, WSU/NWS King and Queen of the Ring (WSU King and Queen of the Ring#2009, 2009) – with AJ Lee, 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'' ** Ranked No. 5 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500, PWI 500'' in 2016 *

**ROH Pure Championship (ROH Pure Championship#Title history, 1 time) **

(List of ROH World Champions, 2 times) **

(List of ROH World Tag Team Champions, 1 time) – with

(ROH World Television Championship#Reigns, 2 times)Lethal modified the championship's faceplate during his second reign to simply read as "ROH Champion". ** ROH Honor Rumble#List of Winners, Honor Rumble (2011) ** ROH Survival of the Fittest, Survival of the Fittest (ROH Survival of the Fittest#Survival of the Fittest 2012, 2012) ** Triple Crown (professional wrestling)#List of ROH Triple Crown winners, Third Triple Crown (professional wrestling), Triple Crown Champion ** Grand Slam (professional wrestling)#List of ROH Grand Slam winners, Third Grand Slam Champion ** ROH Year-End Award (6 times) *** Wrestler of the Year (2018) *** Feud of the Year (2017) *** Match of the Year (2019) *** ROH Wrestler of the Decade (2020) *** Tag Team of the Year (2020) *** Faction of the Year (2020) – * Southside Wrestling Entertainment ** SWE Speed King Championship (1 time) ** Speed King (2013) *Stars & Stripes Championship Wrestling **Tradition Cup Championship (1 time) *

** TNA World Tag Team Championship (TNA World Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) – with Consequences Creed ** TNA X Division Championship (List of TNA X Division Champions, 6 times) ** Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments#Feast or Fired, Feast or Fired (Final Resolution (December 2008), 2008 – Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments#Feast or Fired#Results, World Tag Team Championship contract) ** TNA X Cup Tournaments, World X Cup (TNA 2006 World X Cup Tournament, 2006) – with

and

** Impact Year End Awards, TNA Year End Awards (1 time) *** X Division Star of the Year (Impact Year End Awards#2007 TNA Year End Awards, 2007) * 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 * ''Dave Meltzer#Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' ** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Worst Worked Match of the Year, Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) Fight for the Right Tournament, TNA Reverse Battle Royal on ''Impact! (TV series), Impact!''

Notes

References

External links

* * * *
Southside Wrestling Entertainment profile

TNA Wrestling alumni profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lethal, Jay 1985 births African-American 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 male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers ROH World Tag Team Champions TNA/Impact X Division Champions