.jpg) Pugh in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mark Pugh (1985-01-18)January 18, 1985 (age 40) Laurel, Delaware, U.S. |
| Children | 9 |
| Relative | Jay Briscoe (brother) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Keno Murdoch[1] Mark Briscoe |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 229 lb (104 kg) |
| Billed from | Sandy Fork, Delaware |
| Trained by | Angelo Bonaccorso Glen Osbourne Jim Kettner |
| Debut | May 20, 2000 |
Mark Pugh (born January 18, 1985), better known by hisring nameMark Briscoe, is an Americanprofessional wrestler. He is signed both toAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) andRing of Honor (ROH), where he made a name teaming with his brotherJay as theBriscoe Brothers and is the currentTNT Champion in hisfirst reign.[3] In ROH, he is a formerROH World Champion, a formerROH World Tag Team Champion with his brother Jay Briscoe a record 13 times, and was one third of theROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions with Jay andBully Ray. In January 2022, the Briscoe Brothers were honored as inaugural inductees into theROH Hall of Fame.
He and Jay are also formerImpact World Tag Team Champions, and have wrestled in Japan, working forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where they held theIWGP Tag Team Championship once, and theNEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship twice (along withToru Yano), andPro Wrestling Noah, where they wereGHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.
All totaled between ROH,TNA, NJPW andNoah, Mark Briscoe has held 20 championships, all but one (the ROH World Championship) being shared with Jay in either a traditional or six-man tag team.
Jay and Mark Briscoe made their debuts forCombat Zone Wrestling (CZW) atDelaware Invasion on January 20, 2001, teaming with independent wrestlerEddie Valentine, being brought in tojob as part of a three-on-one handicap match againstTrent Acid.[4] At the inauguralBest of the Best event, a show somewhat atypical of CZW in that it is a tournament spotlighting athletic junior heavyweight wrestling as opposed to violent hardcore matches,[5] the two advanced past the first round in a three-way match withNick Mondo where the stipulation was whoever took the fall would be eliminated.[6] They were then matched against each other in the second round, with Jay winning and advancing further.[6] This match was seen by fans as the best of the tournament, and seen in retrospect as having been responsible in large part for helping launch the brothers' careers, as they were new to theindependent circuit and very young at the time.[7]
After losing in title opportunities atBreakaway Brawl andA New Beginning,[8][9] the brothers won theCZW Tag Team Championship on July 14, 2001, as they defeated the original H8 Club atH8 Club: Dead?[10][11] They lost it in their first defense, toJohnny Kashmere andJustice Pain on July 28, 2001, atWhat About Lobo?[12] Mark wasn't used for several months after that, but Jay continued on as a singles wrestler in that time, even facing Justice Pain for theCZW Heavyweight Championship atSeptember Slam on September 8, which he did not win.[13]
At the end of 2001 and into 2002, CZW's territory (that is, the area at which they held the majority of their events) was shifting fromSewell, New Jersey, toPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania,[14][15] in order to hold events regularly at theold ECW arena, beginning with December 15'sCage of Death 3.[16][17] At this event, they facedNick Gage and Nate Hatred, but wore masks and were identified as The Midnight Outlaws.[16] This was likely to get around the fact that Jay was only 17 and Mark only 16 at the time; this meant, as they were under 18 years of age, that they could not legally work in a sport wrestling exhibition in the state of Pennsylvania.[18] As CZW regularly began holding shows in the Philadelphia area, the Midnight Outlaws made appearances at the next four CZW events. AtA Higher Level of Pain on April 13, 2002, Jay appeared across the ring from the Midnight Outlaws, tagging withRuckus against Mark and someone else. By this time, he had turned 18. Jay and Ruckus were won the match,[19] and this was the last time either Jay or Mark appeared for CZW until April 12, 2003, where Jay and Mark both returned for Best of the Best 3. Jay was a surprise entrant after being taunted byA.J. Styles, and Mark filling in for the injured Ruckus. Jay advanced to the semi-finals, where he lost toB-Boy, and Mark lost his fill-in match toSonjay Dutt.[20] The two faced off with theBackseat Boyz for the CZW World Tag Team Championship atTruth or Consequences on June 14, but failed to win the belts.[21]
On December 11, 2010, at Cage of Death XII The Briscoes returned to CZW challenging newly crowned CZW World Tag Team Champions Philly's Most Wanted ofBlk Jeez and Joker to a title match in January.[22] On January 7, 2011, at "From Small Beginnings Come Great Things" Philly's Most Wanted retained the CZW World Tag Team Championships against the Briscoe Brothers in a no contest. The Briscoes then challenged Philly's Most Wanted to a no disqualification rematch.[23] On February 12, 2011, at "Twelve: The Twelfth Anniversary Event" The Briscoe Brothers defeated Philly's Most Wanted to become the new CZW World Tag Team Champions.[24] They lost the title back to Philly's Most Wanted on May 14, 2011.[25] The Briscoes returned to CZW again on November 10, 2012, facingDave and Jake Crist in a losing effort.[26]
Mark Briscoe made hisJersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) debut on March 24, 2001, atMarch Madness Night 2, losing to Insane Dragon and Dixie teaming with his brother Jay Briscoe.[27] It is unclear how, if at all, JAPW's ownership and management worked around Pennsylvania's child labor law, as both brothers were underage at the time of this and two subsequent appearances in the old ECW arena. They made three other appearances in JAPW in 2001, and unsuccessful challenge for Dragon and Dixie'sJAPW Tag Team Championship on June 15 atHere to Stay.[27]
The six men went on to meet in a rematch of sorts at the next event,Royal Consequences 2 on August 10, 2002, Jay Briscoe and Insane Dragon defended the titles against Da Hit Squad and the team of Mark Briscoe and Deranged in atables, ladders, and chairs match, which Da Hit Squad won. Two shows later, on September 20 atFamily Crisis 2, Da Hit Squad successfully retained the title over the Briscoes in a regular match.[28]
The Briscoes did not appear for JAPW again until late 2005, again in a tables, ladders, and chairs match for the tag team title, this time against the teams ofTeddy Hart andHomicide, the Backseat Boyz, andThe S.A.T. The match, which took place at JAPW's8th Year Anniversary Show, was won Hart and Homicide. At the next show,Fall Out, the S.A.T. defeated them and thus became number one contenders to the tag team championship.[29] More recent JAPW appearances came in early 2006, losing along with the Outcast Killers to the S.A.T. once again atWild Card II in a tag team title match, and then atBrotherly Love to the team ofSabu and Sonjay Dutt, a match they also lost.[30] In October 2008, the Briscoes competed at JAPW's 11th Anniversary Show againstLAX (Homicide andHernandez). During a brawl outside the ring, Mark suffered a large gash on the side of his head.
Mark Briscoe was unable to wrestle on ROH's first showThe Era of Honor Begins in Philadelphia because of Pennsylvania's child labor laws. He accompanied his brother Jay to the ring at the event for a loss toAmazing Red.[31][32][33] Mark was subsequently able to perform atHonor Invades Boston, where he defeated his brother in the second-to-last match of the night.[34] The Brothers went on briefly to feud against each other, during which time Jay scored a non-title win overROH ChampionXavier atGlory By Honor.[35] This earned him a title shot atAll-Star Extravaganza, which he did not win.[36] AtScramble Madness, back in Boston, the brothers' storyline involved them picking their own partners for a tag team match. Jay picked past foe Amazing Red, whereas Mark's partner wasChristopher Daniels, as he seemingly joined The Prophecy. Daniels pinned Red to win the match.[37] The Brothers' feud against one another concluded at theFirst Anniversary Show, when Jay defeated Mark in a match, and the two hugged afterward to signify their reunion.[38] Mark never explicitly left the Prophecy, but in forming a team with his brother, he stopped teaming with them.
Newly united as a team in ROH, the Briscoes began, in 2003, to feud with A.J. Styles and Amazing Red, then holders of theROH Tag Team Championship, losing in title matches atNight of Champions,[39]The Epic Encounter,[40] andDeath Before Dishonor, which by stipulation was their last match for the title for as long as Styles and Red held it.[41] Before the last match, a poll was held on ROH's website, asking the fans if they wanted to see a third match between the two teams. Over 80% of respondents voted 'yes'. AtBeating the Odds, they returned from a brief absence to score a pair of wins which were depicted in the storyline as being improbable, Mark over ROH veteranB. J. Whitmer and Jay in a Four Corner Survival match withROH World ChampionSamoa Joe,NWA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles, andChris Sabin, pinning Sabin to earn a future title shot at Joe.[42] At ROH's Maryland debut,Tradition Continues, Joe retained over Jay.[43]
The Brothers took part in the gauntlet match atGlory By Honor 2, which was held to fill the tag team championship left vacant by Red suffering a serious knee injury. They defeated and eliminated the Special K team ofHydro and Angeldust as well as The Ring Crew Express, before being eliminated by the other Special K team in the match, Izzy and Dixie, due to outside interference from Angeldust.[44] After Izzy and Dixie later won the tag team title, the Brothers were granted a shot at it, atMain Event Spectacles. The reason given in the storyline was they were given the shot since they only lost in the gauntlet match because Special K cheated. In the opening segment of that event, they were aligned withJim Cornette, because, in the storyline, Cornette wanted to create new champions. They attacked his former client, Samoa Joe, who Cornette abandoned since he already was a champion. They went on to win the belts later in the show.[45][46] AtThe Conclusion,The Battle Lines Are Drawn, andThe Last Stand, which was by stipulation Joe's last shot at the tag team title for as long as the Briscoe Brothers held it, they retained the belts over Joe and a different partner each time, A.J. Styles,Bryan Danielson, andJerry Lynn respectively.[47][48][49] Since Joe took pinfalls atThe Conclusion (to Mark) andThe Last Stand (to Jay), both brothers subsequently earned shots at his world title. Both fell; Mark atFinal Battle 2003 and Jay atAt Our Best in a memorable and bloody steel cage match.[50][51]
They dropped the tag team title to theCM Punk andColt Cabana at ROH's Chicago-area debut,ROH Reborn: Stage Two,[45][52] working in ROH for the first time as outwardheels. At the next show,Round Robin Challenge III, the title switched three times among the teams in the round robin challenge, theSecond City Saints (Punk and Cabana), the Briscoe Brothers, and the Prophecy team ofDan Maff and B. J. Whitmer. The Briscoes defeated Maff and Whitmer in the fourth match of the night to win the title for a second time, and then lost it back to Punk and Cabana in the main event.[45][53] The Brothers both participated in ROH'sinaugural Survival of the Fittest tournament, with Mark going overAlex Shelley in his qualifier and Jay falling to Homicide. Mark lost in the elimination final.[54] After losing a two out of three falls tag team title match to Punk and Cabana atDeath Before Dishonor II Part 1, ending that feud,[55] they lost in separate singles matches to members ofThe Rottweilers the next night.[56] Between that and their victory in tag team action atTesting the Limit,[57] it is likely that a feud was planned between the Briscoes and the Rottweilers.
The Briscoe Brothers returned to ROH at theFourth Anniversary Show in 2006, forcibly including themselves in a match that was at first between the teams ofTony Mamaluke andSal Rinauro and Jason Blade and Kid Mikaze. They won in their re-debut.[58] They then feuded for the tag team championship again, but much as they had against Styles and Red three years earlier, they lost in three shots against the champions at the time,Austin Aries andRoderick Strong, atRing of Homicide,[59]Destiny,[60] andUnified.[61] As before, the storyline was that this cost them any chance at the belts for as long as those champs held them. It was around this time that the Brothers becameenforcers forJim Cornette's heel character as ROH Commissioner,[62] fighting battles against his enemies, most notably Homicide and his partner Samoa Joe atGlory By Honor V: Night Two and in anything goes, falls count anywhere, elimination match atDethroned.[63][64] During this time, they also feuded withKenta and his partnersDavey Richards andNaomichi Marufuji, facing Kenta and Richards atTime to Man Up and Kenta and Marufuji atGlory By Honor V: Night One.[65][66]
AtFifth Year Festival: Chicago, the Brothers finally reached the top of the mountain again, defeating Christopher Daniels andMatt Sydal to win the tag team championship.[45][67] Their reign was brief, as they dropped the belts toNaruki Doi andShingo Takagi in their first defense, atFifth Year Festival: Liverpool.[68] After this match, the storyline was that the brothers felt they needed to "man up" due to losing the title in their first defense, just as they had theGHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship earlier in the year. Thus, the two faced off what was described as "one time only" atFifth Year Festival: Finale. The match ended in a draw, with both of them unable to answer the referee's standing ten-count.[69] At the next event,All Star Extravaganza III, they won the title back from Doi and Shingo,[45] but in the course of the match Mark was seriously injured attempting a Shooting Star Press to the floor.[70] Mark was kept in the ICU of hospital for two nights, and suffered a seizure there before eventually being released.[71] Two weeks later, atFighting Spirit, Mark made an unadvertised and unannounced return, entering through the crowd to come to his brother's side during his match withErick Stevens againstKevin Steen and El Generico. The storyline was that with Mark out and injured, Jay was tagging with Stevens as a replacement. TheNo Remorse Corps then ran in and attacked Stevens, and Jay was momentarily left without a partner until Mark entered. Mark eventually suffered the fall in the match after several bumps to the head.[72] They then began to feud with Steen and Generico. After successfully retaining the tag title overClaudio Castagnoli and Matt Sydal at ROH's first pay-per-viewRespect is Earned, Steen and Generico showed up and immediately demanded their title shot; the scene followed with a wild brawl all over the building.[73] The feud was followed on both ROH's standard canon, with Steen defeating Mark atA Fight at the Roxbury,[74] and the PPV series, with the Brothers successfully retaining the tag team title against Steen and Generico atDriven, after which Steen repeatedly attacked both brothers with a ladder.[75] The Briscoes then retained over Steen and Generico in a steel cage match atCaged Rage and in ROH's first-ever ladder match atMan Up.[76][77]
After the ladder match,Jimmy Jacobs and the other members ofThe Age of the Fall attacked the Brothers and hanged Jay upside-down from the apparatus which held up the belts. It was announced that this would not be included in the footage shown on PPV,[78] although it was soon after shown on ROH's video wire and was included with the DVD of the event. After Mark was again injured in a motorcycle accident, though considerably less serious, Jay was alone in a match held at the taping for ROH's fourth PPV,Undeniable. This was an anything goes match againstNecro Butcher of the Age of the Fall, which he did not win.[79] On November 30, the Briscoes had a match which was taped to be included inUndeniable, a tag team title defense against Davey Richards andRocky Romero, which they won. AtFinal Battle 2007, the Briscoes lost the ROH World Tag Team Championship to Jimmy Jacobs andTyler Black of The Age of the Fall,[45] but won it back on April 12, 2008, atInjustice, defeating Richards and Romero, who had since won the championship from Jacobs and Black.[45] On April 20, ROH's official website reported that Mark had sustained a wrist injury due to Jacobs stabbing him with his trademarkrail spike and stood to miss up to six months. The next day, the company announced that Jay and a partner of his choosing would continue to be recognized as the tag team champions.[80] This partner was later revealed to be Austin Aries.[81]
After their successful defense against Jacobs & Black on May 10 atA New Level, the championship was declared vacant.[82] Mark returned to active competition atNorthern Navigation on July 25, teaming with Jay and Aries to defeat The Age of the Fall in a no disqualification match. On December 19, 2009, atFinal Battle 2009, the Briscoes won the ROH World Tag Team Championship for a record sixth time by defeatingThe American Wolves (Davey Richards andEddie Edwards).[45][83] They went on to lose the championship toThe Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli) atThe Big Bang! pay-per-view on April 3.[84] On August 23, 2010, Ring of Honor announced that the company had signed the Briscoe Brothers to contract extensions.[85] The Briscoe Brothers ended their feud with the Kings of Wrestling on December 18 atFinal Battle 2010, where they teamed with their father Mike "Papa" Briscoe in a six-man tag team match, where they defeated Hero, Castagnoli and their manager Shane Hagadorn.[86] On January 25, 2011, Ring of Honor announced that the Briscoe Brothers had signed new contract extensions with the promotion.[87] On March 19 atManhattan Mayhem IV, the Briscoe Brothers turned heel after suffering an upset loss against the All Night Xpress (Kenny King andRhett Titus).[88] On September 17 atDeath Before Dishonor IX, the All Night Xpress defeated the Briscoe Brothers in aladder match to become the number one contenders to the ROH World Tag Team Championship.[89] AtFinal Battle 2011 on December 23, the Briscoes defeatedWrestling's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas andShelton Benjamin) to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the seventh time.[90] On May 12, 2012, atBorder Wars, the Briscoe Brothers lost the title back to Haas and Benjamin.[91] On December 16 atFinal Battle 2012: Doomsday, the Briscoe Brothers defeatedS.C.U.M. (Jimmy Jacobs andSteve Corino) andCaprice Coleman andCedric Alexander in a three-way match to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the eighth time.[92] They lost the title toBobby FishandKyle O'Reilly on March 2, 2013, at the11th Anniversary Show.[93]
On June 22 atBest in the World 2013, Mark unsuccessfully challenged his brother Jay Briscoe for theROH World Championship.[94] On June 25, it was reported that both Jay's and Mark's contracts with ROH had expired and would not be renewed.[95][96] On July 16, ROH announced Mark as the sixteenth and final entrant in a tournament to determine the new ROH World Champion.[97] Mark was eliminated from the tournament in his first round match on July 27 by Adam Cole.[98] On September 28, Mark won theHonor Rumble to earn a shot at the ROH World Championship, but was later that same event defeated by Cole.[99] On May 17, 2014, the Briscoe Brothers took part in the ROH/New Japan Pro-Wrestling co-producedWar of the Worlds iPPV, where they unsuccessfully challengedBullet Club (Doc GallowsandKarl Anderson) for theIWGP Tag Team Championship.[100]
AtDeath Before Dishonor XIV Mark was unsuccessfully of defeatingBobby Fish for theROH World Television Championship. AtField of Honor The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe) was in a Tag Team Gauntlet match was they were unsuccessfully of winning theROH World Tag Team Championship which includedThe Addiction (Christopher Daniels andFrankie Kazarian),War Machine (Hanson andRay Rowe), The All Night Express (Rhett Titus and Kenny King),Chaos (Gedo andToru Yano),Cheeseburger andWill Ferrara and Leon St. Giovanni and Shaheem Ali. AtAll Star Extravaganza VIII The Briscoes teamed with Toru Yano and were defeated byKushida,A. C. H. andJay White in the first round of theROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship Tournament. AtFinal Battle The Briscoe unsuccessfully againstThe Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) for the ROH World Tag Team Championship.
On March 11, 2017, The Briscoes andBully Ray defeatedThe Kingdom to win theROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.[101] They lost the title toDalton Castle and The Boys on June 23 atBest in the World.[102] The Briscoes and Bully Ray challenged for the title again on September 22 atDeath Before Dishonor XV, but were defeated byHangman Page and The Young Bucks, when Jay turned on Ray.[103] On October 20, Mark also turned on Ray, attacking him andTommy Dreamer with his brother.[104]
On March 9, 2018, atROH 16th Anniversary Show, The Briscoes defeatedThe Motor City Machine Guns to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the ninth time.[105] They lost the titles on October 14, 2018, against So Cal Uncensored (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky).[106] They won the titles back on December 14, 2018,[107] for the tenth time, but lost them toVillain Enterprises at theROH 17th Anniversary Show.[108] The Briscoes failed to win the titles and additionally theIWGP Tag Team Championships atG1 Supercard in April, losing toGuerrillas of Destiny in a four-way tag match also involving Villain Enterprises andLos Ingobernables de Japon.[109] AtROH/NJPW War of the Worlds in May, The Briscoes lost to Guerillas of Destiny once more, failing to win the ROH World Tag Team Championships. In July, The Briscoes defeated Guerillas of Destiny in aNew York City Street Fight, to win the ROH World Tag Team Championships for the eleventh time.[110] AtDeath Before Dishonor XVII, The Briscoes retained the titles against LifeBlood (Bandido andMark Haskins).[111] AtFinal Battle, the Briscoes lost the titles to Jay Lethal andJonathan Gresham, ending their eleventh reign at 146 days.[112]
The following year atGateway to Honor, The Briscoes teamed with Slex, losing to Villain Enterprises. This match would turn out to be the Briscoes and many other ROH talent's last match with the company for the majority of 2020, due to the suspension of all ROH events in response to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[113][114][115] The Briscoes returned to ROH events in October, with no fans in attendance.[116] In December, The Briscoes competed separately atFinal Battle, the only ROH PPV of the year.[117] The following year atBest in the World, The Briscoes defeated Brian Johnson andPJ Black, with events returning to having fans in attendance.[118]
On October 27, 2021, Ring of Honor announced that it would go on a hiatus afterFinal Battle in December, with a return tentatively scheduled for April 2022. All personnel, including The Briscoes, would also be released from their contracts, but still paid till their contracts expired. It was also announced that champions would be able to defend ROH championships in other promotions.[119][120][121][122] At Final Battle in December, The Briscoes wrestled their final match for ROH defeating The Kingdom to win the ROH World Tag Team Championships for the twelfth time. After the match, The Briscoes thanked the ROH fans for their support and challenged any team to face them for the titles, but were interrupted byAEW'sFTR who attacked the Briscoes.[123]
During the remainder of 2021 and early 2022, The Briscoes successfully defended the ROH World Tag Team Championships at various independent shows. On March 2, 2022, during All Elite Wrestling (AEW)'s live weekly series,AEW Dynamite, owner & executiveTony Khan announced that he had acquired Ring of Honor from theSinclair Broadcast Group.[124] Following this, ROH returned for the first time since Final Battle atSupercard of Honor XV, where The Briscoes finally faced FTR for the ROH World Tag Team Championships, losing the titles, ending their twelfth reign at 111 days.[125] The Briscoes next appeared in July atDeath Before Dishonor, facing FTR for the titles in a two out of three falls match. The match ended with FTR defeating The Briscoes 2–1 after 43 minutes and 26 seconds, retaining the titles in another highly praised match.[126] On December 10, atFinal Battle, The Briscoes and FTR faced each other in a third match, which was aDog Collar match, where The Briscoes finally defeated FTR, winning the ROH World Tag Team Titles for the thirteenth time. Post match, FTR were attacked byColten andAustin Gunn, who had targeted FTR for weeks on AEW programming, causing The Briscoes to return to the ring to chase off the Gunns. In the ring, The Briscoes and FTR embraced, ending their year-long feud.[127] This would be the last match The Briscoes would have in ROH before Jay's passing on January 17, 2023.
Jay's previous anti-LGBTQ tweets were said to have stopped the brothers from being considered in tryouts for theWWE, as well as being banned from appearing onAll Elite Wrestling television and pay-per-views due to the intervention of an unnamedWarnerMedia executive. However, this ban was lifted shortly after Jay's death in a car accident on January 17, 2023.[128][129] On the January 25, 2023 edition ofAEW Dynamite (on what would have been his brother's 39th birthday), Mark Briscoe would defeat Jay Lethal in a match dedicated to his brother. After the match, Briscoe and Lethal hugged in the ring. Briscoe pointed up to the sky, in memory of his brother, and the whole locker room came out to celebrate with him. On February 15, it was reported Mark Briscoe officially signed withAll Elite Wrestling.[130] On the March 10 edition ofAEW Rampage, Briscoe declared that new ROH Tag Team Champions would be crowned atSupercard of Honor.[131] On the March 2, episode ofRing of Honor Wrestling, Briscoe made an appearance to answerSamoa Joe's open challenge for theROH World Television Championship forSupercard of Honor.[132] On March 31 atSupercard of Honor, Briscoe was unsuccessful at winning the ROH World Television Championship.[133] Briscoe was scheduled to faceClaudio Castagnoli for theROH World Championship atDeath Before Dishonor; however, Briscoe would end up being pulled from the match due to injury, being replaced byPac. On November 18, it was announced that Briscoe would participate in the inauguralContinental Classic, where he was placed in the Gold block.[134] Briscoe finished his block with 3 points and failed to qualify for the semi-finals.
On April 5, 2024, atSupercard of Honor, Briscoe defeatedEddie Kingston, winning theROH World Championship for the first time. It would also coincidentally be the 11th anniversary of Briscoe's brother Jay winning the world title.[135]
In June 2024, Briscoe formed an alliance withKyle O'Reilly,Orange Cassidy, andWillow Nightingale, known as "The Conglomeration". On the July 19 episode ofRampage,Tomohiro Ishii would join the group as well. On July 26 atDeath Before Dishonor, Briscoe successfully defended his title againstRoderick Strong.[136] On September 7, 2024, atAll Out, Briscoe failed to capture theAEW Continental Championship in afour-way match againstKazuchika Okada.[137] On the October 23 episode ofAEW Dynamite, Briscoe lost the ROH World Championship toChris Jericho in aLadder War, ending his reign at 201 days.[138] On November 24, Briscoe was announced as a participant in the2024 Continental Classic, where he was placed in the Blue league.[139] Briscoe finished the tournament with 9 points, but failed to advance to the playoff stage.
On April 6, 2025, atDynasty, Briscoe was defeated byKyle Fletcher in the first round of theOwen Hart Cup.[140] On May 25 atDouble or Nothing, Briscoe was defeated byRicochet in aStretcher match. Later in the show, Briscoe appeared and assistedKenny Omega,Swerve Strickland,Willow Nightingale, andThe Opps (Samoa Joe,Powerhouse Hobbs, andKatsuyori Shibata) defeat theDeath Riders (Jon Moxley,Claudio Castagnoli,Marina Shafir, andWheeler Yuta) andThe Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson andNicholas Jackson) in theAnarchy in the Arena match.[141] On the June 25 episode ofDynamite, Briscoe defeatedBandido,Konosuke Takeshita, andRoderick Strong in a four-way match to earn the number one spot in the men'sCasino Gauntlet match atAll In on July 12, but failed to win the match at the event.[142][143] After All In, Briscoe began feud withMJF, which ended in victory for Briscoe atAll Out on September 20 in aTables 'n' Tacks match.[144] On October 18 atWrestleDream, Briscoe unsuccessfully challenged Kyle Fletcher for theAEW TNT Championship.[145] On November 12 atBlood & Guts, Briscoe teamed withDarby Allin, Kyle O'Reilly, Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, and Roderick Strong in aBlood and Guts match, where they defeated theDeath Riders (Jon Moxley,Claudio Castagnoli,Wheeler Yuta,Daniel Garcia, andPac).[146]
Through ROH's working relationship with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), the Briscoes made their NJPW debut on January 4, 2016, atWrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome, where they teamed with Toru Yano to defeat Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale,Tama Tonga andYujiro Takahashi) to become the inauguralNEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions.[147] Through their affiliation with Yano, the Briscoes also became part of theChaos stable.[148] The three made their first successful title defense the following day against another Bullet Club trio of Fale, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson.[149] On February 11 atThe New Beginning in Osaka, the Briscoes and Yano lost the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship to Fale, Tonga and Takahashi in their second defense.[150] The Briscoes and Yano regained the title three days later atThe New Beginning in Niigata.[151] On February 20 atHonor Rising: Japan 2016, the Briscoes and Yano lost the title toThe Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson).[152]
The Briscoes returned to NJPW on June 19 atDominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall, where they defeatedGuerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga andTanga Loa) to win theIWGP Tag Team Championship.[153] They made their first successful title defense on August 14 against the Bullet Club team of Hangman Page and Yujiro Takahashi.[154] On September 22 atDestruction in Hiroshima, The Briscoe Brothers defeated reigningIWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks for their second successful title defense.[155] On October 10 atKing of Pro-Wrestling, they lost the title back to Tonga and Loa.[156]
On April 1, 2022, atMultiverse of Matches, The Briscoe Brothers made theirImpact Wrestling debut, losing to The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson). On May 7, 2022, they defeatedViolent By Design (represented byEric Young andDeaner) atUnder Siege to win theImpact World Tag Team Championship for the first time. AtSlammiversary, The Briscoe Brothers lost the titles toThe Good Brothers, ending their reign at 43 days.
As of 2025, Pugh has nine children; after Jay's death, his eighth child, Matthew Jamin Pugh, was given the nickname "Baby Jay".[157]
He announced the birth of his ninth child, Mack, during the August 27, 2025 edition of AEW Dynamite in a pre-taped promo.
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Briscoe (stable pledge) | Kyle Fletcher (championship) | Newark, New Jersey | Full Gear | November 22, 2025 |
However, I do order at least one CZW show a year – the annual junior heavyweight tournament, "Best of the Best."
Section 7.1(a)(3) – No such minor shall be permitted to perform in a boxing, sparring or wrestling match or exhibition or in an acrobatic or other act, performance, or exhibition hazardous to his safety or well-being
It didn't take long for Jay to find a partner as the choice was obvious. It will be a first time ever pairing of former rivals as Jay Briscoe & Austin Aries defend the ROH World Tag Team Titles against Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black on May 10th in New York City
There was reportedly a WarnerMedia executive–related reason for this, primarily the disgusting homophobic remarks he posted to Twitter in May 2013 regarding the same-sex marriage bill passed by the Delaware Senate—remarks he apologized for later that month, while mentioning that who he was in real life was not the same as his on-screen persona. And even though tributes from pro wrestlers like LGBTQ performer EFFY spoke on the "respect" and "love" that Jay showed, those appalling tweets no doubt played a part in why the Briscoes never made it onto AEW or WWE television.
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