When Mark Briscoe tragically lost his brother Jay in a car accident early last year, his first thought was a simple one: “I’m never wrestling again.” But after a little time to reconsider and feeling it was what Jay would want him to do, Mark resumed wrestling as a singles competitor in AEW and Ring of Honor.
Now, Mark stands only a few days away from potentially becoming ROH World Champion if he can defeat Eddie Kingston, a longtime friend, at ROH Supercard of Honor April 5 in Philadelphia. It’s a title Jay held twice, in-between runs with Mark as one of the greatest tag teams of this century.
The Briscoes are as synonymous with Ring of Honor as any of the wrestlers who came through the company, both in its original incarnation and as a subsidiary of AEW, so it’s not hard to understand why holding its top prize would mean a lot to Mark. Yet as he told Under the Ring host Phil Strum, it’s a championship that still may not get its proper due.
“It’s mean a lot, man, it’d be cool,” Mark Briscoe said about the prospect of becoming ROH World Champion. “Ring of Honor, from 2002, and the stages and the ages and eras of Ring of Honor, it’s amazing.
“I don’t think the Ring of Honor world title gets the credit it deserves for its significance in the history of professional wrestling.”
It’s not hard to see where he’s coming from. Along with Kingston, the ROH World Championship has been held by an incredible array of talent that includes CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins (when he was known as Tyler Black), Bryan Danielson, Kevin Owens (as Kevin Steen), Samoa Joe and Adam Cole.
That’s a virtual who’s who of top stars across several different companies. While Mark has never been able to count himself among them during two-plus decades in the pro wrestling business — many of them in ROH — he might be able to come Friday night.
“Obviously, it’d be a total honor and it’d be really cool, especially after being here from day one,” Mark Briscoe said. “Singles gold has eluded me to this point, but you know, I’m feeling real good about this. I’m training hard, I got my mind right. You know, I’ve been watching tapes, I’ve been studying Eddie, I know Eddie. And I know he’s gonna try and bring it, but I got something for him.”
You can hear the entire interview between Strum and Mark Briscoe above, or check out the latest episode of Under the Ring on YouTube.
ROH Supercard of Honor is set to take place Friday, April 5 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, and will be streamed live on HonorClub.