Backstage details on Jay Lethal leaving ROH and signing with AEW

As previously noted, Jay Lethal of Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor fame made his debut with AEW at the 2021 Full Gear PPV.

While speaking to the media after the 2021 AEW Full Gear PPV, Lethal talked about the situation with Ring of Honor going on hiatus…

“Well, unfortunately, doors are closing soon there. I’ve met a lot of friends there. I’ve wrestled there for over 10 years. I’m a very loyal professional wrestler. If you’re good to me, I’ll stay there until the doors close. The doors are closing and an opportunity presented itself and I was welcomed in with open arms. So to answer your question, my heart goes out to a lot of those guys who no longer have jobs. It’s sad, but it’s also a great time to be a professional wrestler because the wrestling world right now is freakin’ booming.”

Lethal also talked about signing AEW…

“It all happened so quickly, only a few days ago. My head was spinning because — Today was the first time we met and talked face to face. Imagine being, for lack of a better term, jobless and wondering how you’re going to pay your bills and such. You’re a professional wrestler so there’s not a ton of jobs. You can’t just fill out an application anywhere. I got a quick message from some of Tony’s associates, which was like a beacon of light. But literally, that was only a few days ago. Then I flew in yesterday and had to sit in my hotel room and I couldn’t get any sleep because all I could think about was, ‘Well, I don’t really know what’s happening tomorrow because we haven’t met yet. It was wild. All these thoughts going through my mind, ‘Will the people like me? The company’s on fire right now, I hope I make a good impression.’ Just a wild rush of emotions in my head.”

“This feels like home, immediately. Other than meeting Tony today for the first time, I walked into the building and instantly saw people that I have met throughout my 20 years of professional wrestling. Some I was very close with. Some I just met a few times in passing. Some men and women I hadn’t seen in over 15 years and it was as if we had never skipped a beat. So right away, my first 30 seconds here I was like, ‘This is home.’ Like I mentioned before, I’m a very loyal professional wrestler, so I plan on being here until the doors close. I plan on this being my home forever.” (quotes courtesy of Fightful.com)