Mark Briscoe will still not be allowed to appear for All Elite Wrestling, even after the death of his brother Jay.
Jay Briscoe died in a car accident last week when a vehicle driving the other way swerved onto his lane, mere minutes from Jay’s home in Laurel, Delaware.
Briscoe was 38 at the time of his death, and his daughters, who were in the vehicle at the time, have since undergone surgery.
Controversy
The Briscoes were one of the most popular tag teams of their era but were banned from appearing for AEW.
The decision was made by AEW’s partners at Warner Bros. Discovery, who did not want the Briscoes given controversial statements from Jay’s past.
In June 2011, Jay stirred controversy when he tweeted “a lot of f*gs out in New York today,” and would share a similar homophobic message following Hurricane Irene.
When the Delaware Senate passed a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry in May 2013, Briscoe said “try and teach my kids that there’s nothing wrong with that and I’ll f*cking shoot you.”
After considerable backlash, Briscoe explained these comments as his redneck heel character, and did not reflect his personal beliefs on homosexuality.
Briscoe also agreed to donate his full salary from the next two shows to the Partners Against Hate charity.
In 2021, Ian Riccaboni said “If folks only knew how Jay supports and puts over all talent, specifically LGBTQ+ talent, as a leader in the locker room.”
Following his death this month, Dave Meltzer said that Briscoe was considered to have completely reformed his views on the LGBTQ+ community, and that he enjoyed the support of LGBTQ+ wrestlers.
Banned from AEW
Though it was Jay who made the comments that saw the Briscoes banned by WBD, his brother Mark will suffer the consequences.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alverez read asked if Mark will be allowed on AEW TV and to join the roster following Jay’s passing.
“I already know the answer. The answer is no. Okay? I can’t tell you more. It could change, but that is the answer.”
Dave Meltzer.
Both Meltzer and Alverez were evidently frustrated, and Meltzer said he hopes this changes.
