ROH on Sinclair - Episode 446 - 3rd April 2020
This week's character profile episode spotlights Jay Lethal. After ROH originals the Briscoes were showcased last week, it makes complete sense that the next figure to get one of these special episodes would be 'The Franchise' of Sinclair-owned ROH.
It seems that ROH have more interview footage in the can, as we open with Lethal in a studio talking about his history in the company and his inability to pick a 'favourite match' because he's been a part of so many that he loved. When discussing his early years and first stint in ROH, he didn't feel like he was good enough at all and always felt his opponents were 'light years' ahead of him. They probably were, but when you consider he was in the ring with guys like Joe, Ki, Homicide, Danielson, Styles, Daniels and McGuinness that isn't exactly a bad thing. We do get a rare on-screen acknowledgement of his part in Special K too - albeit only so he can mark out over getting to work with Dusty Rhodes.
If he was forced to pick a favourite, his choice is his World Title win versus Jay Briscoe, and tells a touching story about his dad taking him to the Murphy Rec for his ROH debut, where he got completely squashed in a High Impact TV match against Homicide - and then getting to sit front row as his career came full circle and he became World Champion
A TV edited version of Jay Briscoe vs Jay Lethal, World Title vs TV Title, from Best In The World 2015 is shown.
After that match, he'd go on to defend his newly won World Championship the same year against AJ Styles. He calls AJ someone who has inspired and influenced him for his entire career, and lists the match as one of the best he has ever had.
A TV edited version of Jay Lethal vs AJ Styles from Final Battle 2015 is shown.
The episode ends with Jay talking about his desire to inspire the next generation of ROH talent the way that he loved to study the likes of Joe, Danielson, AJ, Spanky, Low Ki and more...
Tape Rating - N/A - I preferred the Briscoe spotlight, solely because I felt like that did more to lift the curtain and give us a glimpse at the men behind their on-screen persona (even if only briefly). Lethal comes off as very affable here, but he is very much an on-brand Sinclair-era statesman - even when talking about his earliest days in ROH. I feel like they should have gone with one match from his first tenure in ROH (most likely the Pure Title Match against Samoa Joe) to complement the World Title win from Best In The World 2015. In the circumstances - i.e. ROH's production team having to cobble something together at short notice, most likely working from home, it was perfectly decent however.