Jay Lethal recently spoke with Justin Barrasso for Sports Illustrated Extra Mustard’s Week In Wrestling, his first interview since Adam Cole defeated him for the Ring of Honor World Championship. You can read a few excerpts below:
Jay Lethal comments on what’s next for him:
I’m going to keep doing what I normally do. I’ve never come to a point where I thought, ‘I need to change what I’m doing because it’s not working.’ I’m not saying that to be braggadocios, but I’m comfortable in what I can do, and only I know what I can do well. So I’m going to continue doing what I was doing before I had the belt, which is what got me the spotlight to have someone look at me and think, ‘Let’s make him the number one guy.’ I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing.
I still can’t believe I was ‘The Guy,’ and hopefully I become ‘The Guy’ again. Looking back on it, I had a blast. I still can’t believe I was champion of a company known around the world for its wrestling, which is hard to put into words. I don’t regret anything I did, and I wasn’t super sad about losing the title because the coolest thing is getting it and being the two-time champion, and then getting it back and being the three-time champion. I’ve got to lose it just to get it back.
Lethal reveals a highlight during his title run, and support from within the industry:
Yes, there was one moment in particular. I defended both belts, the World title and Television championship, on the same night at All Star Extravaganza against Bobby Fish and then later against Kyle O’Reilly. My God, how much faith do you have to have in your employee to deliver two times in one night? To me, there was no bigger honor than having their stamp of approval that, ‘This guy can get the job done and deliver exactly what we need.’ That was definitely the highest point of my title reign.
Mick Foley had a lot of words of support for me. Foley always supports people who work hard. I saw him at an independent show when I wrestled Tommaso Ciampa, and he raved about that match.
Lethal reveals his ‘wish list’ of who he would like to wrestle, if he will still have a chip on his shoulder while he fights his way back to the ROH title:
Chris Jericho is someone I would love to wrestle. He’s aged like a fine wine. He’d make a good tag team partner and opponent, and hopefully I get to step in the ring with him before he stops wrestling.
One of the biggest motivators I had as champion was being the champion of this locker room – it’s literally the best locker room in the world. I had to top what happened before in my matches, which is an impossible feat – imagine trying to follow the Young Bucks? That’s the biggest motivator. As good as I thought that match was, I wanted to go out and top it.
That chip is still on my shoulder. Even before I won any title in Ring of Honor, that mentality was still the same—‘I’ve got the Young Bucks on the show, or Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley, or Kyle O’Reilly’—and I’m a competitor and love healthy competition. You can’t fake the spirit of competition, and we’re all trying to out-do everyone in the locker. Competition is real in professional wrestling.
