Jay Lethal recently signed with AEW, so his time with Ring of Honor is coming to an end. Lethal was widely considered to be “The Franchise” in ROH, as he practically did it all in the promotion. Lethal’s departure comes at a time when ROH is facing an uncertain future, given the news about the company’s looming hiatus and its decision to not renew the contracts of its talent roster at the end of 2021. Still, the promotion is renowned for its talented roster, and Lethal clearly thinks highly of this group of competitors.
During a recent interview with WrestleZone’s Colin Tessier, the two-time ROH World Champion praised Josh Woods, who won the ROH Pure Championship by beating Jonathan Gresham at the Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view. Lethal complimented Woods for his nature as a “legit badass” and his background as a wrestler. Looking forward, Lethal, who once held the ROH Pure Champion himself, shared his belief that Woods will have a remarkable run with the title.
“To see a friend of mine be crowned with a championship that I feel is rightfully deserved, I think Josh Woods, if you compare him to anybody else on our roster, he’s got a background like no other. I mean Josh Woods is a legit badass. I mean nobody on our roster, except for maybe Dalton Castle, could hold a candle to what Josh Woods has done outside of wrestling.
“And we all know that guys with his background, they excel in wrestling. It’s kinda easy for them, it’s an easy transition. And Josh is still trying to figure that transition out and figure out who he is, but he’s doing amazing at it, and I really feel like yeah, he’s gonna be a really good Pure Champion.”
Speaking of ROH’s brand of Pure Wrestling, Lethal described how this style is the company’s defining trait in the diverse wrestling world. He compared it to the way IMPACT Wrestling leans more on characters before he explained how he likes the fact that fans can now easily find the kind of wrestling they like, given the tange of options.
“I definitely think that there is, whatever type of wrestling you like, it is out there somewhere,” said Lethal. “If you like Pure Wrestling and actually seeing guys go and it’s that competitive-based, you know, some of the matches will be more mat-based too, but if you like that style, it’s definitely here in Ring of Honor. If you like more character-style of wrestling, IMPACT Wrestling is definitely the way to go. If you like newer stuff, the high-flying, the in-your-face, AEW’s definitely the way to go.
“Wherever you want, whatever flavor you want, whatever type of wrestling you’re in the mood for, it’s out there. You just gotta go find it. And if you like Pure Wrestling, then Ring of Honor is where that is. I love the fact that you know, there’s, you gotta figure out what kinda wrestling you like and then to find that programming. I just find something so cool about that.”
In presumably his final match on ROH programming, Lethal will face former world champion EC3 on this weekend’s episode of ROH Wrestling. He has already made his AEW debut, and he has confirmed that he won’t appear at the ROH Final Battle: End of an Era pay-per-view.
RELATED: Jay Lethal Added To AAA Mega Championship Match At Triplemania Regia
