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Mark Briscoe
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Mark Pugh (born January 18, 1985), better known by his ring name Mark Briscoe, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed both to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH), where he made a name teaming with his brother Jay as the Briscoe Brothers.[3] In ROH, he is a former ROH World Champion, a former ROH World Tag Team Champion with his brother Jay Briscoe a record 13 times, and was one third of the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions with Jay and Bully Ray. In January 2022, the Briscoe Brothers were honored as inaugural inductees into the ROH Hall of Fame.

Key Information

He and Jay are also former Impact World Tag Team Champions, and have wrestled in Japan, working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where they held the IWGP Tag Team Championship once, and the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship twice (along with Toru Yano), and Pro Wrestling Noah, where they were GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.

All totaled between ROH, TNA, NJPW and Noah, 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.

Professional wrestling career

[edit]

Combat Zone Wrestling (2001–2003, 2010–2012)

[edit]

Jay and Mark Briscoe made their debuts for Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) at Delaware Invasion on January 20, 2001, teaming with independent wrestler Eddie Valentine, being brought in to job as part of a three-on-one handicap match against Trent Acid.[4] At the inaugural Best 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 with Nick 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 the independent circuit and very young at the time.[7]

After losing in title opportunities at Breakaway Brawl and A New Beginning,[8][9] the brothers won the CZW Tag Team Championship on July 14, 2001, as they defeated the original H8 Club at H8 Club: Dead?[10][11] They lost it in their first defense, to Johnny Kashmere and Justice Pain on July 28, 2001, at What 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 the CZW Heavyweight Championship at September 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 from Sewell, New Jersey, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,[14][15] in order to hold events regularly at the old ECW arena, beginning with December 15's Cage of Death 3.[16][17] At this event, they faced Nick 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. At A Higher Level of Pain on April 13, 2002, Jay appeared across the ring from the Midnight Outlaws, tagging with Ruckus 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 by A.J. Styles, and Mark filling in for the injured Ruckus. Jay advanced to the semi-finals, where he lost to B-Boy, and Mark lost his fill-in match to Sonjay Dutt.[20] The two faced off with the Backseat Boyz for the CZW World Tag Team Championship at Truth 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 of Blk 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, facing Dave and Jake Crist in a losing effort.[26]

Jersey All Pro Wrestling (2001–2002, 2005)

[edit]
Mark Briscoe before a match

Mark Briscoe made his Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) debut on March 24, 2001, at March 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's JAPW Tag Team Championship on June 15 at Here 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 a tables, ladders, and chairs match, which Da Hit Squad won. Two shows later, on September 20 at Family 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 of Teddy Hart and Homicide, the Backseat Boyz, and The S.A.T. The match, which took place at JAPW's 8th 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 at Wild Card II in a tag team title match, and then at Brotherly Love to the team of Sabu and Sonjay Dutt, a match they also lost.[30] In October 2008, the Briscoes competed at JAPW's 11th Anniversary Show against LAX (Homicide and Hernandez). During a brawl outside the ring, Mark suffered a large gash on the side of his head.

Ring of Honor / All Elite Wrestling (2002–present)

[edit]

Debut and Tag Team Champions (2002–2004)

[edit]
Main article: The Briscoe Brothers

Mark Briscoe was unable to wrestle on ROH's first show The 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 to Amazing Red.[31][32][33] Mark was subsequently able to perform at Honor 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 over ROH Champion Xavier at Glory By Honor.[35] This earned him a title shot at All-Star Extravaganza, which he did not win.[36] At Scramble 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 was Christopher Daniels, as he seemingly joined The Prophecy. Daniels pinned Red to win the match.[37] The Brothers' feud against one another concluded at the First 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 the ROH Tag Team Championship, losing in title matches at Night of Champions,[39] The Epic Encounter,[40] and Death 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'. At Beating 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 veteran B. J. Whitmer and Jay in a Four Corner Survival match with ROH World Champion Samoa Joe, NWA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles, and Chris 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 at Glory 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 of Hydro 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, at Main 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 with Jim 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] At The Conclusion, The Battle Lines Are Drawn, and The 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, and Jerry Lynn respectively.[47][48][49] Since Joe took pinfalls at The Conclusion (to Mark) and The Last Stand (to Jay), both brothers subsequently earned shots at his world title. Both fell; Mark at Final Battle 2003 and Jay at At Our Best in a memorable and bloody steel cage match.[50][51]

They dropped the tag team title to the CM Punk and Colt Cabana at ROH's Chicago-area debut, ROH Reborn: Stage Two,[45][52] working in ROH for the first time as outward heels. At the next show, Round Robin Challenge III, the title switched three times among the teams in the round robin challenge, the Second City Saints (Punk and Cabana), the Briscoe Brothers, and the Prophecy team of Dan 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's inaugural Survival of the Fittest tournament, with Mark going over Alex 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 at Death Before Dishonor II Part 1, ending that feud,[55] they lost in separate singles matches to members of The Rottweilers the next night.[56] Between that and their victory in tag team action at Testing the Limit,[57] it is likely that a feud was planned between the Briscoes and the Rottweilers.

Return and various feuds (2006–2013)

[edit]
Mark (left) and Jay (right) at a Ring of Honor show in 2006.

The Briscoe Brothers returned to ROH at the Fourth Anniversary Show in 2006, forcibly including themselves in a match that was at first between the teams of Tony Mamaluke and Sal 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 and Roderick Strong, at Ring of Homicide,[59] Destiny,[60] and Unified.[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 became enforcers for Jim Cornette's heel character as ROH Commissioner,[62] fighting battles against his enemies, most notably Homicide and his partner Samoa Joe at Glory By Honor V: Night Two and in anything goes, falls count anywhere, elimination match at Dethroned.[63][64] During this time, they also feuded with Kenta and his partners Davey Richards and Naomichi Marufuji, facing Kenta and Richards at Time to Man Up and Kenta and Marufuji at Glory By Honor V: Night One.[65][66]

At Fifth Year Festival: Chicago, the Brothers finally reached the top of the mountain again, defeating Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal to win the tag team championship.[45][67] Their reign was brief, as they dropped the belts to Naruki Doi and Shingo Takagi in their first defense, at Fifth 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 the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship earlier in the year. Thus, the two faced off what was described as "one time only" at Fifth 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, at Fighting Spirit, Mark made an unadvertised and unannounced return, entering through the crowd to come to his brother's side during his match with Erick Stevens against Kevin Steen and El Generico. The storyline was that with Mark out and injured, Jay was tagging with Stevens as a replacement. The No 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 over Claudio Castagnoli and Matt Sydal at ROH's first pay-per-view Respect 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 at A Fight at the Roxbury,[74] and the PPV series, with the Brothers successfully retaining the tag team title against Steen and Generico at Driven, after which Steen repeatedly attacked both brothers with a ladder.[75] The Briscoes then retained over Steen and Generico in a steel cage match at Caged Rage and in ROH's first-ever ladder match at Man Up.[76][77]

After the ladder match, Jimmy Jacobs and the other members of The 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 against Necro 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 in Undeniable, a tag team title defense against Davey Richards and Rocky Romero, which they won. At Final Battle 2007, the Briscoes lost the ROH World Tag Team Championship to Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black of The Age of the Fall,[45] but won it back on April 12, 2008, at Injustice, 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 trademark rail 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 at A New Level, the championship was declared vacant.[82] Mark returned to active competition at Northern 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, at Final Battle 2009, the Briscoes won the ROH World Tag Team Championship for a record sixth time by defeating The American Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards).[45][83] They went on to lose the championship to The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli) at The 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 at Final 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 at Manhattan Mayhem IV, the Briscoe Brothers turned heel after suffering an upset loss against the All Night Xpress (Kenny King and Rhett Titus).[88] On September 17 at Death Before Dishonor IX, the All Night Xpress defeated the Briscoe Brothers in a ladder match to become the number one contenders to the ROH World Tag Team Championship.[89] At Final Battle 2011 on December 23, the Briscoes defeated Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the seventh time.[90] On May 12, 2012, at Border Wars, the Briscoe Brothers lost the title back to Haas and Benjamin.[91] On December 16 at Final Battle 2012: Doomsday, the Briscoe Brothers defeated S.C.U.M. (Jimmy Jacobs and Steve Corino) and Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander in a three-way match to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship for the eighth time.[92] They lost the title to Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly on March 2, 2013, at the 11th Anniversary Show.[93]

Singles competition (2013–2017)

[edit]

On June 22 at Best in the World 2013, Mark unsuccessfully challenged his brother Jay Briscoe for the ROH 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 the Honor 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-produced War of the Worlds iPPV, where they unsuccessfully challenged Bullet Club (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) for the IWGP Tag Team Championship.[100]

At Death Before Dishonor XIV Mark was unsuccessfully of defeating Bobby Fish for the ROH World Television Championship. At Field of Honor The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe) was in a Tag Team Gauntlet match was they were unsuccessfully of winning the ROH World Tag Team Championship which included The Addiction (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian), War Machine (Hanson and Ray Rowe), The All Night Express (Rhett Titus and Kenny King), Chaos (Gedo and Toru Yano), Cheeseburger and Will Ferrara and Leon St. Giovanni and Shaheem Ali. At All Star Extravaganza VIII The Briscoes teamed with Toru Yano and were defeated by Kushida, A. C. H. and Jay White in the first round of the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship Tournament. At Final Battle The Briscoe unsuccessfully against The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) for the ROH World Tag Team Championship.

Return to the tag team division (2017–2023)

[edit]

On March 11, 2017, The Briscoes and Bully Ray defeated The Kingdom to win the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.[101] They lost the title to Dalton Castle and The Boys on June 23 at Best in the World.[102] The Briscoes and Bully Ray challenged for the title again on September 22 at Death Before Dishonor XV, but were defeated by Hangman Page and The Young Bucks, when Jay turned on Ray.[103] On October 20, Mark also turned on Ray, attacking him and Tommy Dreamer with his brother.[104]

On March 9, 2018, at ROH 16th Anniversary Show, The Briscoes defeated The 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 to Villain Enterprises at the ROH 17th Anniversary Show.[108] The Briscoes failed to win the titles and additionally the IWGP Tag Team Championships at G1 Supercard in April, losing to Guerrillas of Destiny in a four-way tag match also involving Villain Enterprises and Los Ingobernables de Japon.[109] At ROH/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 a New York City Street Fight, to win the ROH World Tag Team Championships for the eleventh time.[110] At Death Before Dishonor XVII, The Briscoes retained the titles against LifeBlood (Bandido and Mark Haskins).[111] At Final Battle, the Briscoes lost the titles to Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham, ending their eleventh reign at 146 days.[112]

The following year at Gateway 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 the COVID-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 at Final Battle, the only ROH PPV of the year.[117] The following year at Best in the World, The Briscoes defeated Brian Johnson and PJ 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 after Final 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 by AEW's FTR 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 & executive Tony Khan announced that he had acquired Ring of Honor from the Sinclair Broadcast Group.[124] Following this, ROH returned for the first time since Final Battle at Supercard 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 at Death 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, at Final Battle, The Briscoes and FTR faced each other in a third match, which was a Dog Collar match, where The Briscoes finally defeated FTR, winning the ROH World Tag Team Titles for the thirteenth time. Post match, FTR were attacked by Colten and Austin 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.

Return to singles competition (2023–2024)

[edit]

Jay's previous anti-LGBTQ tweets were said to have stopped the brothers from being considered in tryouts for the WWE, as well as being banned from appearing on All Elite Wrestling television and pay-per-views due to the intervention of an unnamed WarnerMedia 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 of AEW 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 with All Elite Wrestling.[130] On the March 10 edition of AEW Rampage, Briscoe declared that new ROH Tag Team Champions would be crowned at Supercard of Honor.[131] On the March 2, episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling, Briscoe made an appearance to answer Samoa Joe's open challenge for the ROH World Television Championship for Supercard of Honor.[132] On March 31 at Supercard of Honor, Briscoe was unsuccessful at winning the ROH World Television Championship.[133] Briscoe was scheduled to face Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH World Championship at Death Before Dishonor; however, Briscoe would end up being pulled from the match due to injury, being replaced by Pac. On November 18, it was announced that Briscoe would participate in the inaugural Continental 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, at Supercard of Honor, Briscoe defeated Eddie Kingston, winning the ROH World Championship for the first time. It would also coincidentally be the 11th anniversary of Briscoe's brother Jay winning the world title.[135]

The Conglomeration (2024–present)

[edit]
Briscoe at All In in July 2025

In June 2024, Briscoe formed an alliance with Kyle O'Reilly, Orange Cassidy, and Willow Nightingale, known as "The Conglomeration". On the July 19 episode of Rampage, Tomohiro Ishii would join the group as well. On July 26 at Death Before Dishonor, Briscoe successfully defended his title against Roderick Strong.[136] On September 7, 2024, at All Out, Briscoe failed to capture the AEW Continental Championship in a four-way match against Kazuchika Okada.[137] On the October 23 episode of AEW Dynamite, Briscoe lost the ROH World Championship to Chris Jericho in a Ladder War, ending his reign at 201 days.[138] On November 24, Briscoe was announced as a participant in the 2024 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, at Dynasty, Briscoe was defeated by Kyle Fletcher in the first round of the Owen Hart Cup.[140] On May 25 at Double or Nothing, Briscoe was defeated by Ricochet in a Stretcher match. Later in the show, Briscoe appeared and assisted Kenny Omega, Swerve Strickland, Willow Nightingale, and The Opps (Samoa Joe, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Katsuyori Shibata) defeat the Death Riders (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Marina Shafir, and Wheeler Yuta) and The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson) in the Anarchy in the Arena match.[141] On the June 25 episode of Dynamite, Briscoe defeated Bandido, Konosuke Takeshita, and Roderick Strong in a four-way match to earn the number one spot in the men's Casino Gauntlet match at All In on July 12, but failed to win the match at the event.[142][143] After All In, Briscoe began feud with MJF, which ended in victory for Briscoe at All Out on September 20 in a Tables 'n' Tacks match.[144] On October 18 at WrestleDream, Briscoe unsuccessfully challenged Kyle Fletcher for the AEW TNT Championship.[145] On November 12 at Blood & Guts, Briscoe teamed with Darby Allin, Kyle O'Reilly, Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, and Roderick Strong in a Blood and Guts match, where they defeated the Death Riders (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Daniel Garcia, and Pac).[146]

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2016)

[edit]
The Briscoe Brothers as the IWGP Tag Team Champions in June 2016

Through ROH's working relationship with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), the Briscoes made their NJPW debut on January 4, 2016, at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome, where they teamed with Toru Yano to defeat Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga and Yujiro Takahashi) to become the inaugural NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions.[147] Through their affiliation with Yano, the Briscoes also became part of the Chaos 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 at The 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 at The New Beginning in Niigata.[151] On February 20 at Honor Rising: Japan 2016, the Briscoes and Yano lost the title to The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson).[152]

The Briscoes returned to NJPW on June 19 at Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall, where they defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) to win the IWGP 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 at Destruction in Hiroshima, The Briscoe Brothers defeated reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks for their second successful title defense.[155] On October 10 at King of Pro-Wrestling, they lost the title back to Tonga and Loa.[156]

Impact Wrestling (2022)

[edit]

On April 1, 2022, at Multiverse of Matches, The Briscoe Brothers made their Impact Wrestling debut, losing to The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson). On May 7, 2022, they defeated Violent By Design (represented by Eric Young and Deaner) at Under Siege to win the Impact World Tag Team Championship for the first time. At Slammiversary, The Briscoe Brothers lost the titles to The Good Brothers, ending their reign at 43 days.

Personal life

[edit]

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.

Championships and accomplishments

[edit]
The Briscoes as two thirds of the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Mark Briscoe

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Mark Briscoe (born Mark Pugh; January 18, 1985) is an American professional wrestler signed to (AEW) and its (ROH) promotion. Best known as one-half of the tag team with his brother , he helped establish the duo as a dominant force in independent wrestling through high-impact, hardcore-style matches emphasizing physicality and family loyalty. The captured the a record 13 times between 2003 and 2021, tying or surpassing defenses in several reigns while competing against top teams in brutal environments often involving weapons like . They also secured the IWGP Tag Team Championship once in , extending their success internationally. Jay Briscoe's death in a car accident on , 2023, marked a profound loss, prompting Mark to honor his brother's legacy through continued performances rooted in their shared rural upbringing on a family chicken farm. In singles competition, Briscoe won the ROH World Championship on April 5, 2024, defeating Eddie Kingston at Supercard of Honor in a match dedicated to Jay, showcasing Briscoe's resilience and in-ring versatility beyond tag specialization. His career highlights empirical success in endurance and adaptability within a promotion historically valuing pure wrestling over scripted narratives, with additional titles in Combat Zone Wrestling and other independents underscoring a foundation built on consistent output rather than promotional hype.

Early life and training

Childhood and family influences

Mark Pugh, professionally known as Mark Briscoe, was born on January 18, 1985, in Salisbury, Maryland, the nearest hospital to his family's home, and raised in the rural town of Laurel, Delaware, in Sussex County. He grew up alongside his older brother Jamin Pugh (Jay Briscoe, born January 25, 1984), in a close-knit household on the family's chicken farm in nearby Sandy Fork, an unincorporated community emphasizing agricultural self-sufficiency. Daily responsibilities, such as checking on the chickens as directed by their father, fostered a strong work ethic and physical resilience amid the demands of farm life. The Pugh family's traditional structure, spanning multiple generations, included significant influence from their grandparents, affectionately called "Granny and Pa," who provided unwavering support for the brothers' early aspirations. In a rural setting characterized by open spaces and limited urban distractions, Mark and Jay engaged in rough, improvised play—jumping from roofs onto trampolines, wielding makeshift weapons like folding tables and bats—that mirrored antics viewed on local television. This environment, combined with familial encouragement, nurtured their innate affinity for wrestling, with Mark later reflecting, "I damn near think we knew how to wrestle before we knew how to walk." Such formative experiences in a hardworking, farm-based family instilled values of perseverance and familial loyalty, shaping the brothers' grounded approach to life's challenges long before entering organized pursuits. The Sussex County countryside, known for its poultry industry, reinforced through hands-on labor, contributing to a that defined their .

Introduction to professional wrestling

Mark Briscoe, born January 18, 1985, in , entered through grassroots efforts centered on backyard matches with his older brother and local peers, beginning around age 15. These informal sessions, often captured on tapes to showcase their rudimentary skills, served as a primary training method absent structured academy programs typical in more formalized wrestling regions. By demonstrating this backyard footage to regional promoters, the brothers secured initial guidance from local veterans, marking a self-directed entry into the reliant on observation, repetition, and familial experimentation rather than institutional curricula. Formal training commenced in February 2000 under figures associated with independents, focusing on basic techniques through hands-on repetition and error correction in low-stakes environments. This trial-and-error approach honed fundamentals like timing and resilience without the safety nets of professional schools, reflecting the era's independent scene where access often depended on personal initiative and regional networks. Briscoe's early development emphasized physical conditioning from life alongside wrestling drills, fostering a raw, unpolished style rooted in practical adaptation. The formed organically during these nascent stages, debuting professionally on May 20, 2000, in modest venues against local opposition. Their emerged from genuine sibling interplay—combining competitive friction with cooperative synergy—bypassing contrived personas for an authentic portrayal that resonated in small crowds. This partnership underscored a foundational reliance on brotherly trust to navigate in-ring chaos, setting the stage for skill refinement via repeated exposure in preliminary bouts.

Professional wrestling career

Early independent promotions (2001–2005)

Mark Briscoe, teaming with his brother Jay as the Briscoe Brothers, debuted in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) on January 20, 2001, at the Delaware Invasion event in a three-on-one handicap match alongside Eddie Valentine against Trent Acid, which they lost. The promotion's emphasis on ultraviolent, hardcore-style bouts—featuring weapons, brawling outside the ring, and high-impact maneuvers—provided an early testing ground for Briscoe's resilience and in-ring aggression, as evidenced by subsequent tag team contests against established deathmatch specialists. For instance, on March 10, 2001, at CZW's War At Station 44, the Briscoes faced Justice Pain and Nick Berk in a tag match that exemplified the promotion's tolerance for physical punishment and innovative spot-based wrestling. Further appearances, such as against Nate Hatred and Nick Gage on July 14, 2001, at CZW H8 Club: Dead?, reinforced their adaptation to CZW's chaotic environment, where empirical success in surviving multi-man brawls and weapon-assisted exchanges built a foundation for fan engagement through demonstrated toughness rather than technical polish. Briscoe's CZW tenure through 2003 included additional high-stakes encounters, such as a quarterfinal brother-versus-brother singles match against on May 19, 2001, at the inaugural Best of the Best tournament, highlighting intra-team dynamics amid the promotion's no-holds-barred format. These experiences causally contributed to his development of a brawling style suited to unregulated violence, distinct from more choreographed mainstream wrestling, as the Briscoes frequently jobbed initially but gained credibility via consistent participation in events drawing small but dedicated crowds attuned to authentic grit. By August 11, 2001, at CZW Who's the Boss?, they competed in multi-team tags against combinations like Eddie Valentine and Jon Dahmer, underscoring iterative exposure to hardcore veterans that honed pain tolerance without reliance on gimmicks. In (JAPW), Briscoe debuted on March 24, , at March Madness Night 2, where the Briscoes lost a tag to Insane Dragon and , marking an entry into another regional circuit favoring intergender and high-flying hardcore hybrids. They followed with a over the same opponents around April 20-21, , demonstrating quick adaptation and tag synergy against agile, aggressive foes in a promotion that bridged East Coast indies with elements of extreme wrestling. Sporadic returns in 2002 and a more notable stint in 2005, including multi-team title scrambles, positioned the Briscoes against talents like and Backseat Boyz, fostering loyalty among fans who valued their unfiltered physicality over scripted narratives— a pattern observable in attendance draw for their authentic, no-retreat confrontations. This phase solidified Briscoe's early reputation in independent promotions as a reliable purveyor of raw, high-risk action, empirically linked to later acclaim through the causal chain of surviving and innovating within unforgiving regional scenes.

Ring of Honor / All Elite Wrestling tenure (2002–present)

Mark Briscoe debuted in (ROH) on June 14, 2003, following the promotion's inaugural event in 2002 where he and his brother appeared in a non-wrestling capacity due to child labor restrictions, as Mark was 17 years old. The quickly established themselves as a dominant , leveraging a hard-hitting, brawling style influenced by their rural roots and affinity for weapons like chairs and tables. Over two decades, they became synonymous with ROH's tag division, holding the a record 13 times, with reigns spanning from their first win on October 4, 2003, against the Backseat Boyz, to their final as a team on December 10, 2022. Following ROH's acquisition by (AEW) in March 2022, Briscoe continued performing on ROH events taped for AEW's platforms, transitioning into a hybrid role that included AEW television appearances starting in January 2023. ![Briscoeslive.jpg][float-right]

Tag team dominance with Jay Briscoe (2002–2013)

The Briscoe Brothers' early ROH tenure focused on tag team warfare, aligning with manager Jim Cornette in 2003 to secure their inaugural ROH World Tag Team Championship reign, which lasted until February 2004. They defended the titles against teams like the Kings of Wrestling and Special K, emphasizing no-holds-barred matches that showcased their resilience and familiarity with extreme rules. Subsequent reigns included victories over Pro Wrestling NOAH's Kenta and Kota Ibushi in 2005 and multiple defenses in international tours, such as winning the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship in Japan on January 7, 2007. By 2011–2013, they had accumulated eight tag title reigns, feuding with groups like S.C.U.M. and the American Wolves, solidifying their status as ROH's premier homegrown act through consistent high-stakes bouts at events like Glory by Honor. Their chemistry, built on real-life brotherhood, allowed for fluid switches between brawling and technical maneuvers, contributing to ROH's reputation for athletic tag wrestling.

Transition to singles competition (2013–2017)

In 2013, Mark Briscoe pursued singles opportunities, challenging his brother for the on June 22 at Best in the World, where Jay retained via pinfall after a 20-minute match highlighting family tension. He won the 2013 Honor Rumble by last eliminating , earning a title shot but failing to dethrone Jay. This period marked Briscoe's exploration of individual potential, with matches against competitors like and , often ending in no-contests or losses that underscored his underdog resilience rather than outright success. By 2017, singles momentum waned as tag team priorities resurfaced, though these efforts laid groundwork for later solo achievements, demonstrating Briscoe's adaptability beyond the brotherly tandem.

Return to tag team wrestling (2017–2023)

Reuniting fully in 2017, the Briscoes captured the ROH World Tag Team Championship again on March 10 against the Hung Bucks, embarking on reigns that included defenses against The Kingdom and Lifeblood. Their style evolved to incorporate more six-man variations, winning the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship twice as part of Bullet Club alliances in New Japan Pro-Wrestling crossovers. The duo's final tag run peaked with the 12th and 13th ROH tag title wins in 2021–2022, defending at Final Battle against teams like FTR amid ROH's AEW integration. Jay Briscoe's death in a car accident on January 17, 2023, ended the partnership, prompting Mark to dedicate subsequent performances to his brother's legacy while competing in tribute matches.

Singles resurgence and ROH World Championship (2023–2025)

Post-2023, Briscoe refocused on singles, debuting on AEW television January 25 and signing a contract February 15, with appearances on and Collision totaling over 30 matches by mid-2025. He challenged for the on March 31, 2023, at Supercard of Honor, submitting to the Coquina Clutch after a competitive bout. Momentum built to April 5, 2024, when Briscoe defeated at Supercard of Honor via Jaydriller to win the , his first singles world title after 21 years in the promotion. The reign emphasized emotional storytelling tied to Jay's memory, with defenses against and others until vacating or losing it later in 2024. By October 2025, Briscoe vied for AEW's TNT Championship against Fletcher at WrestleDream, signaling ongoing singles viability.

Involvement with The Conglomeration (2024–present)

In 2024, Briscoe joined The Conglomeration, an AEW stable led by comprising , , and later Hologram, with Briscoe credited for coining the group's name impromptu during a promo. The faction feuded with The Hurt Syndicate and Death Riders, winning tag matches like Briscoe and over Fletcher and on Collision. This alliance amplified Briscoe's AEW exposure, blending his hardcore roots with the group's eclectic, opportunistic dynamic, and positioned him in multi-person bouts at events like All Out 2025.

Tag team dominance with Jay Briscoe (2002–2013)

The Briscoe Brothers, consisting of Jay and Mark Briscoe, debuted in Ring of Honor (ROH) on the promotion's inaugural event, The Era of Honor Begins, held on February 23, 2002, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, though Mark was barred from competing on the first show due to child labor laws. They quickly established themselves through intense, brawling style matches, initially feuding with established teams and building toward their first ROH World Tag Team Championship win on November 1, 2003. This early success against opponents like A.J. Styles and Amazing Red highlighted their raw athleticism and sibling synergy, setting the foundation for their ascent as ROH's top tag team. By 2004, the Briscoes were embroiled in high-stakes feuds, notably against —featuring wrestlers like and —culminating in victories such as their win over and on August 7, 2004. These encounters often escalated into chaotic, no-disqualification brawls that showcased the brothers' proficiency in , emphasizing weapons, high-impact dives, and unyielding resilience. However, following internal tensions and booking shifts, they took an 18-month hiatus from ROH starting in August 2004. Upon their return at ROH's Fourth Year Anniversary Show on March 31, 2006, the Briscoes recaptured momentum, defeating and to win the on , 2006, for a reign lasting 96 days with multiple defenses. Their post-return feuds intensified, particularly with The Kings of Wrestling ( and ), spanning several years and featuring brutal no-DQ stipulations that tested their brotherly chemistry and endurance. This rivalry, marked by events like the 2010 Final Battle where the Briscoes teamed with their father Mike against the Kings and Shane Hagadorn, underscored their role as ROH's enduring tag team anchors. The Briscoes continued their dominance with additional title reigns, including a 196-day run from October 6, 2007, after defeating and Shingo, before losing to ( and Tyler Black) on April 19, 2008. Feuds like the one with produced memorable no-DQ contests, such as the December 30, 2007, title loss, reinforcing their reputation for violent, high-stakes warfare. By 2009, they secured another reign on December 19, defeating The American Wolves for 77 days until dropping the belts to The Kings of Wrestling on March 5, 2010. These achievements, including record-setting defenses in key reigns, demonstrated sustained draw power despite occasional critiques of repetitive booking, as their consistent performances drove ROH's tag division narratives.

Transition to singles competition (2013–2017)

In 2013, following Jay Briscoe's ascension to the , Mark Briscoe shifted focus to singles competition to test his individual merits beyond the brothers' dominant run. On June 22 at Best in the World, Mark challenged Jay for the title in a familial showdown but fell short via pinfall after 22 minutes of intense back-and-forth action. This bout highlighted Mark's aggressive, hard-hitting offense but exposed gaps in sustaining momentum against a top-tier singles specialist. Mark continued his solo push through tournaments and battle royals, suffering a first-round defeat to on July 27 in a field of elite competitors. However, on September 28 at A New Dawn, he triumphed in the Honor Rumble, outlasting 19 others in the over-the-top-rope elimination match to secure a championship opportunity. Despite this resilience showcase, Briscoe could not capitalize, losing a subsequent title defense against Cole via submission. These results reflected a pattern of competitive showings marred by decisive losses to established singles aces like Cole, testing Briscoe's transition from tag reliance. From 2014 to 2017, Briscoe's singles outings yielded mixed outcomes, with standout endurance in survival-format matches contrasting struggles in one-on-one title pursuits against the promotion's upper echelon. The period culminated in 2016 with excursions to via ROH's alliance, where Briscoe engaged in events emphasizing stiff strikes and endurance, broadening his technical exposure amid international defenses. This stint reinforced his reputation for unyielding grit in-ring, though the era underscored ongoing adaptation hurdles in promo delivery and solo narrative building relative to his tag team synergy.

Return to tag team wrestling (2017–2023)

In March 2017, Mark and Jay Briscoe partnered with Bully Ray to defeat The Kingdom on March 11, capturing the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship in a match that highlighted their renewed emphasis on multi-man tag competition. This victory marked an early success in their return to tag team focus within Ring of Honor, leveraging the brothers' longstanding synergy alongside Ray's veteran presence. The trio held the titles until losing them to Dalton Castle and The Boys later that year, but the reign underscored the Briscoes' ability to integrate into stable-based tag dynamics. The Briscoes continued their tag team pursuits by securing additional reigns during this period, contributing to their overall record of 13 defenses across multiple tenures. In 2019, they defended the titles against at the ROH 17th Anniversary Show on March 15, ultimately losing the belts in a high-stakes encounter before invoking their rematch clause for a subsequent event on the Road to tour. These matches exemplified their aggressive, no-holds-barred approach, with bouts against teams like FTR earning critical praise, including ratings of four-and-a-half stars or higher from in the for their technical and storytelling depth. In 2022, the Briscoes broadened their reach with cross-promotional appearances in Impact Wrestling, debuting on April 1 at the event where they faced in a competitive loss that showcased their style to a wider audience. That year, they also won the Jim Crockett Cup tournament, defeating The Commonwealth Connection in the finals, further cementing their status as enduring tag specialists. Despite critiques of their hardcore elements contributing to occasional injuries—such as scripted angles simulating wear from high-impact maneuvers—the Briscoes maintained remarkable longevity, performing consistently through 2022 without derailing their output, and their influence persisted in shaping harder-hitting tag strategies among emerging ROH duos.

Singles resurgence and ROH World Championship (2023–2025)

After the death of his brother Jay Briscoe on January 17, 2023, Mark Briscoe transitioned to a singles-focused career in Ring of Honor (ROH) and All Elite Wrestling (AEW), competing in individual matches to establish himself independently of the Briscoe Brothers tag team legacy. This shift began prominently with a singles bout on the January 25, 2023, episode of AEW Dynamite, coinciding with what would have been Jay's 39th birthday, where Briscoe demonstrated resilience amid personal grief. Briscoe's singles momentum peaked on April 5, 2024, at , when he defeated via pinfall to capture the for the first time in his career, a victory laden with symbolism as it occurred exactly 11 years after Jay's inaugural win of the same title on April 5, 2013. Briscoe described the triumph as profoundly emotional, attributing it to a sense of destiny intertwined with his brother's memory, though he emphasized his in-ring performance as the decisive factor. During his 201-day reign, Briscoe defended the title successfully on multiple occasions, including a hard-fought retention against at on July 26, 2024, and victories over Johnny TV on August 15, 2024, and Beast Mortos on August 22, 2024, showcasing his adaptability in grueling matches. The championship run ended on October 23, 2024, when defeated him in a Ladder War match on , aided by interference from Big Bill. Briscoe competed in the 2024 Continental Classic tournament's Blue League, facing high-profile opponents including Shelton Benjamin (loss on November 27, 2024), Kyle Fletcher, Beast Mortos, and Kazuchika Okada, which tested his standing among AEW's top singles competitors despite not advancing to the finals. Into 2025, Briscoe maintained singles momentum through key AEW Dynamite victories and challenges, such as a grudge match against MJF on August 6, 2025, and a bid for the AEW TNT Championship against Kyle Fletcher at WrestleDream, where he fell short but earned praise for his tenacity. Briscoe has affirmed loyalty to ROH and AEW, recounting past WWE offers to the Briscoe Brothers that were declined in favor of remaining with the promotion where they built their legacy. His post-title singles record reflects improved consistency, with Briscoe noting personal growth in adapting to solo competition following profound loss.

Involvement with The Conglomeration (2024–present)

The Conglomeration stable formed in June 2024, initially comprising Mark Briscoe, , and , who debuted as a unit by defeating the (, Bronson, and Jacked Jameson) with help from on the July 6 episode of . Briscoe, as the reigning ROH World Champion at the time, proposed the group's name spontaneously during a backstage promo, reflecting his improvisational style and leadership in assembling the eclectic mix of wrestlers known for their hard-hitting, no-nonsense approach. The faction expanded shortly thereafter to include Ishii as a core member, with joining later to add mixed-gender dynamics, while eventually departed and served briefly as an associate. Briscoe contributed to the group's tag and trios matches, blending his singles prowess with collective efforts, such as teaming with , Cassidy, and in an all-star squash on June 19, 2024, and later alignments involving Hologram for high-stakes Continental Classic qualifiers in late 2024. By October 2025, the stable adopted a sitcom-inspired theme and intro video highlighting its members' personalities, underscoring Briscoe's role in elevating the group's value amid AEW's crowded midcard landscape. While some observers noted potential booking oversaturation due to frequent multi-man bouts, the Conglomeration's consistent wins in undercard feuds—against teams like on November 22, 2024—demonstrated Briscoe's sustained relevance beyond traditional tag specialization. In 2025, Briscoe leveraged the stable's platform for prominent singles exposure, winning a fatal four-way match against Bandido, , and on June 25 to secure the #1 entrant spot in the Men's Casino Gauntlet at All In on July 12, where he started strong but was eliminated after Maxwell Jacob Friedman's interference enabled MJF's victory and #1 contender status for the . This led to Briscoe publicly calling out MJF on episode 300 on July 2, demanding a "talky-talk" that escalated into personal barbs, with MJF referencing the death of Briscoe's brother , prompting intervention from allies like the Hurt Syndicate. The feud progressed to a on the August 6 episode of , highlighting Briscoe's evolution into a vocal singles while maintaining group ties, as seen in subsequent trios clashes against the Death Riders in October 2025.

Brief appearances in other major promotions (2016–2022)

In 2016, Mark Briscoe, alongside his brother Jay as the Briscoe Brothers, made their New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) debut through Ring of Honor's partnership, participating in a tour that included Wrestle Kingdom 10 on January 4. Teaming with Toru Yano, they defeated Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, and Yujiro Takahashi to win the inaugural NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship, holding the titles until a loss on February 11 at The New Beginning in Osaka. The duo later captured the IWGP Tag Team Championship on June 19 at Dominion 6.19 by defeating Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa), marking their first world tag titles outside ROH, before dropping them on October 10 at King of Pro-Wrestling in a rematch. These appearances tested their hard-hitting style against NJPW's stiff competition, resulting in a 1-2 title record over roughly 10 months, with no extension beyond the collaborative events. The ' final major external stint occurred in Impact Wrestling in 2022 amid ROH acquisition discussions, debuting on April 1 at in a losing effort to ( and ). On May 3 at , they defeated Violent By Design (Eric Young and Deaner) to win the Impact World , their sole reign lasting 43 days until a title loss to on June 19 at . Across eight matches, the run emphasized prowess without singles focus for Mark, concluding without long-term commitment as loyalties remained with ROH heritage. No further major promotion crossovers materialized in this period, underscoring selective opportunities aligned with core identity over expansion.

Personal life

Marriage and family

Mark Briscoe is married to Brittany Pugh, with whom he has maintained a stable partnership supporting his professional wrestling commitments. The couple resides in rural Sussex County, Delaware, near Laurel and Sandy Fork, where Briscoe grew up on a family chicken farm, enabling a grounded lifestyle amid frequent travel for matches. Briscoe and Pugh have nine children, reflecting a deliberate emphasis on expansion despite the physical demands of his . Their eighth child, Matthew Jamin Pugh, was born in April 2024. In April 2025, Briscoe announced the couple's expectation of a ninth . This , a named Mack, was born in August 2025 and publicly introduced by Briscoe during an appearance. No public records indicate familial or marital strain from the household size, which contrasts with prevailing low fertility trends in developed nations, positioning it as a marker of personal resilience. Family elements occasionally feature in Briscoe's AEW programming, such as his "Word of the Day" segments, which highlight values like procreation and integrate domestic life into character work without apparent disruption to home stability. These appearances underscore the family's role as a supportive anchor, correlating with Briscoe's sustained performance in high-risk athletic endeavors.

Bond with brother Jay Briscoe and family legacy

Mark Briscoe and his older brother Jay, born Jamin Pugh on January 25, 1984, shared a profound sibling bond rooted in a mutual passion for professional wrestling that began in their youth in Laurel, Delaware. The brothers debuted as a tag team in 2000, with Jay at age 16 and Mark at 15, wrestling in local promotions and forging a partnership that defined their careers for over two decades. This fraternal dynamic, characterized by instinctive teamwork and shared upbringing, was instrumental to their success as one of independent wrestling's most dominant tandems, as recounted by Mark in reflections on their early dreams and relentless pursuit of the sport. Jay Briscoe's death on January 17, 2023, in a car crash near their hometown profoundly affected Mark, marking what he described as the darkest period of his life amid the sudden loss of his lifelong partner and closest confidant. The accident, which also involved Jay's two young daughters—one of whom sustained serious injuries—left Mark with while committing to honor his brother's memory through continued performance. Rather than halting his momentum, this loss channeled Mark's resolve, evident in his post-2023 achievements and public expressions of missing Jay while carrying forward their shared ethos of resilience. The Briscoe family legacy persists through their combined offspring, with Mark fathering eight children and expecting a ninth as of April 2025, while Jay left behind three. Mark has expressed optimism that these children—potentially totaling 12—could extend the family's wrestling heritage, viewing their involvement as a natural continuation of the brotherly foundation that propelled the duo. Tributes in All Elite Wrestling, including family segments on the January 17, 2024, episode of Dynamite commemorating the crash's anniversary and Mark's incorporation of Jay's image into his entrance video, underscore this ongoing homage, transforming personal tragedy into a motivating force for intergenerational endurance.

Controversies and public perceptions

Confederate flag gear and historical symbolism debates

The , including Mark Briscoe, incorporated Confederate flag motifs into their ring gear and custom title belts during their dominant runs in (ROH) from the mid-2000s through the early 2010s. This element complemented their "" persona, which emphasized rural American toughness and self-reliance, drawing from their upbringing on a in . The brothers positioned the imagery as an expression of Southern pride and personal heritage, framing it within a broader wrestling character that celebrated unpolished, agrarian roots rather than explicit ideological endorsement. Critics, including media outlets and network executives, have labeled the gear divisive, arguing that the Confederate flag inherently evokes the Confederacy's defense of and subsequent associations with and , rendering it offensive regardless of intent. For instance, cited the attire as a factor in restricting Briscoe appearances on AEW programming, reflecting broader corporate sensitivities to symbols tied to historical grievances. Detractors contend that such usage perpetuates harm in diverse audiences, prioritizing symbolic purity over contextual nuance. Defenders, including segments of the ROH fanbase and wrestling commentators, counter that the flag's incorporation was a performative choice in an entertainment medium known for provocative gimmicks, protected by principles of free expression and . They emphasize empirical outcomes: the Briscoes' 13 reigns and 2022 Hall of Fame induction occurred amid this gear, indicating acceptance within their core audience of independent wrestling enthusiasts who valued authenticity over mainstream decorum. The brothers discontinued the motif by the mid-2010s, with no further use on ROH television after Jay Briscoe's custom belt, aligning with evolving industry norms without apparent impact on their in-ring legacy. This debate underscores tensions between individual heritage claims and collective historical interpretations, where career metrics reveal resilience in niche markets despite external pressures.

Social media incidents and barriers to mainstream exposure

In May 2013, Jay Briscoe posted tweets threatening violence against supporters of legislation in , stating he would "f*cking shoot" anyone attempting to marry his hypothetical son if the bill passed. issued a statement distancing itself from the remarks and requiring a public apology, which Jay delivered, though he reiterated multiple apologies in subsequent years, including in 2022, claiming evolved personal views and a commitment to loving "everybody." These incidents, rooted in Jay's expressed opposition to , created lasting associations that impacted opportunities for both brothers, despite Jay's remorse and lack of similar statements from Mark. The fallout extended to Mark Briscoe through familial linkage, culminating in enforcing a ban on Briscoe appearances on AEW television networks TNT and TBS from approximately 2021 to early 2023. This policy, attributed to Jay's decade-old tweets rather than new conduct, prevented promotional crossovers despite the Briscoes' long-term ROH contracts under AEW ownership, highlighting corporate risk aversion to historical controversies over in-ring merits. Following Jay's death on January 17, 2023, AEW executive advocated to lift the restriction, allowing Mark's debut on AEW programming in February 2023 and enabling tributes, though initial plans for extensive on-air honors were curtailed by the broadcaster. Such barriers underscore how entrenched sensitivity protocols in conglomerates can limit exposure for wrestlers tied to past familial statements, even amid demonstrated professional reliability and audience draw in niche promotions like ROH. Mark Briscoe himself engaged in social media response in December 2023, criticizing a WWE on Fox account post captioned "Dem Boyz"—a phrase emblematic of the Briscoe Brothers' tag team identity—as "hilarious" and disrespectful appropriation shortly after the one-year mark of Jay's passing. In later explanations, Mark attributed the reaction to raw grief, emphasizing he could not "keep silent" on perceived slights to his brother's legacy while affirming there remained only one authentic "Dem Boyz" duo. This incident reflected personal boundaries amid mourning rather than initiating new controversies, yet it illustrated ongoing tensions with larger promotions. These dynamics influenced career trajectories, as Mark revealed in July 2025 that had extended offers to the Briscoes around 2015—following an initial 2013 proposal rescinded due to Jay's tweets—but ROH countered with superior terms, prioritizing loyalty to the promotion that had built their foundational success over mainstream allure. Despite such hurdles, Mark's sustained achievements in ROH and AEW, including the 2023 win, demonstrate that talent and consistent performance can sustain viability in aligned ecosystems, circumventing optics-driven exclusions from broader platforms.

Championships and accomplishments

Major championship reigns

Mark Briscoe captured the on April 5, 2024, defeating via pinfall in the main event of Supercard of Honor at the in , . This triumph represented Briscoe's inaugural singles world title victory after 22 years in the industry, predominantly as a specialist. Briscoe's reign endured for 201 days, featuring defenses against opponents in high-stakes bouts that highlighted his resilience in no-disqualification and stipulation matches, consistent with his background. The title changed hands on October 23, 2024, when Briscoe dropped it to in a Ladder War on an episode of in . Alongside his late brother , Mark secured the on 13 occasions, establishing the duo as the division's most decorated team with cumulative reigns exceeding 1,000 days. Key victories included their ninth reign on March 9, 2018, against The Hung Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson with Hangman Page) at a TV taping in Sunrise Manor, , which they held into 2019 amid defenses in brutal, no-holds-barred contests. Earlier reigns, such as those spanning 2002–2004, solidified their early dominance in ROH's tag division through repeated triumphs over teams like The Backseat Boyz and The Ring of Glory. The , joined by Bully Ray, also claimed the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship, leveraging their combined power and aggression in multi-man warfare to defend the belts in environments permissive of weapons and high-risk maneuvers. These reigns underscored Briscoe's versatility beyond duos, contributing to his overall tally of over 20 major titles across promotions, nearly all shared with except the 2024 ROH World crown.

Other notable achievements and awards

In 2022, Mark Briscoe and his brother were named the inaugural inductees into the Hall of Fame, recognizing their pioneering role in elevating sibling with a distinctive hardcore style that emphasized high-risk maneuvers and familial synergy over two decades in the promotion. This honor underscored their contributions to ROH's foundational era, beginning with Jay's debut match in 2002 alongside the underage Mark in his corner, and extending through multiple year-end accolades, including ROH Tag Team of the Year in 2019 and 2021, as well as Tag Team of the Decade for the 2010s. Briscoe received further industry recognition with his 2024 induction into the Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame, honoring his independent circuit roots and influence on grassroots promotions like , where the Briscoes debuted in 2002. In 2023, awarded him Inspirational Wrestler of the Year, citing his resilience following personal tragedy and transition to singles competition while maintaining a hard-hitting persona. Additional nods include the 2012 Extreme Rising Match of the Year for the Briscoes' ultraviolent three-way cage bout against The Blk Out and Los Dramáticos, highlighting their affinity for no-holds-barred stipulation matches that integrated weapons and environmental hazards. Briscoe's participation in the 2024 AEW Continental Classic tournament marked a personal milestone, as he competed in the Blue League across multiple high-profile bouts, including defeats to opponents like , , and [Kyle Fletcher](/page/Kyle Fletcher), demonstrating his adaptability in round-robin formats amid a field of international talent. His sustained performance in is evidenced by a ranked match record of 52 wins and 38 losses as of late 2025, yielding a 58% win rate that reflects consistent booking in multi-man and singles scenarios, contributing to the promotion's emphasis on athletic, narrative-driven encounters without reliance on championship pursuits.

References

  1. https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/wrestlers/mark-briscoe
  2. https://www.sportskeeda.com/player/mark-briscoe
  3. https://www.theplayerstribune.com/mark-briscoe-aew-wrestling
  4. https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/title-history/roh/roh-world-tag-team-championship
  5. https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/35469838/ring-honor-star-jay-briscoe-dead-age-38
  6. https://www.cagesideseats.com/2024/4/6/24122636/mark-briscoe-wins-roh-world-championship-supercard-of-honor-2024-results-eddie-kingston-jay-tribute
  7. https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/title-history/roh/roh-world-championship
  8. https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/television/2024/03/28/mark-briscoe-eddie-kingston-ring-of-honor-aew-roh-briscoe-brothers/73130143007/
  9. https://m.farms.com/ag-industry-news/7-wrestling-connections-to-agriculture/3
  10. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/mark-briscoe-briscoe-farm-becoming-phenomenon-wrestling-it-s-quite-honor/
  11. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/mark-briscoe-wants-singles-match-bryan-danielson-recalls-sharing-ring-him-first-time/
  12. https://theringreport.com/indy-wrestling/the-briscoe-brothers-talk-about-wrestling-in-their-backyard-during-the-early-years-of-their-careers-a15628
  13. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/mark-briscoe-calls-roh-final-battle-match-therapy-after-year-he-s-had/
  14. http://www.profightdb.com/wrestlers/mark-briscoe-792.html?year=2001
  15. https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=32105
  16. https://www.cagematch.net/?id=111&nr=101274
  17. https://www.cagematch.net/?id=111&nr=109378
  18. https://www.japw.net/history/results/japw-march-madness-night-2-32401-philadelphia-pa/
  19. https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/jay-briscoe/
  20. https://www.facebook.com/PWrestlingNet/posts/the-briscoe-brothers-debuted-as-a-tag-team-25-years-ago-when-mark-was-just-15-an/1128045132696448/
  21. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/orange-cassidy-says-mark-briscoe-came-up-with-the-conglomeration-stable-name-off-the-top-of-his-head-during-aew-promo
  22. https://blogofhonor.wordpress.com/roh-roster/active-roster/mark-briscoe/
  23. https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Mark_Briscoe
  24. https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/mark-briscoe/
  25. https://www.cagematch.net/?id=28&nr=18&page=4
  26. https://www.postwrestling.com/2024/04/05/mark-briscoe-wins-roh-world-championship-at-supercard-of-honor-2024/
  27. https://sports.yahoo.com/wrestling/article/aew-wrestledream-2025-mark-briscoe-singles-star-aews-ultimate-old-head-is-finally-ready-to-win-the-big-one-202148170.html
  28. https://www.cagesideseats.com/aew/2025/6/22/24453701/aew-conglomeration-new-member-hologram-mark-briscoe-willow-nightingale-collision
  29. https://wrestling-jat.fandom.com/wiki/The_Briscoe_Brothers
  30. https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/briscoe-brothers/
  31. https://www.theringer.com/2023/01/21/mma/slug-jay-briscoe-the-briscoes-ring-of-honor-five-lesser-known-pro-wrestling-matches
  32. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvTSHZLwi1Q
  33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSBPnE9vWaA
  34. https://lastwordonsports.com/prowrestling/2018/09/23/1000-days-later-the-briscoes-celebrate-historic-milestone-as-roh-tag-team-champions/
  35. https://www.profightdb.com/wrestlers/mark-briscoe-792.html
  36. https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/tournaments/roh-honor-rumble
  37. https://www.profightdb.com/winlossrecord/mark-briscoe-792.html
  38. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quAhMZOD6fM
  39. https://onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/jay-briscoe/
  40. https://www.f4wonline.com/news/ring-of-honor/briscoes-challenge-villain-enterprises-roh-tag-team-title-rematch-279876/
  41. http://www.profightdb.com/wrestler-star-ratings/mark-briscoe-792.html
  42. https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/roster/?promotion=tna&date=2022
  43. https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/mark-briscoe-aew-singles-matches-feeling-better-all-the-time/
  44. http://www.profightdb.com/wrestlers/mark-briscoe-792.html
  45. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/mark-briscoe-wins-roh-world-title-eddie-kimgston-roh-supercard-honor
  46. https://www.postwrestling.com/2024/04/06/roh-supercard-of-honor-2024-results-mark-briscoe-earns-world-title-athena-retains/
  47. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/mark-briscoe-winning-roh-world-championship-it-was-too-much-coincidence-be-coincidence/
  48. https://www.wrestlinginc.com/1697953/aews-mark-briscoe-reflects-special-win-roh-world-title/
  49. https://www.cagesideseats.com/2024/7/27/24207393/roh-death-before-dishonor-2024-ppv-results-mark-briscoe-retains-world-championship-roderick-strong
  50. https://www.cagesideseats.com/2024/8/25/24227562/roh-ep-77-78-recap-ring-of-honor-mark-briscoe-two-world-title-defenses-dustin-rhodes-tears
  51. https://www.cagesideseats.com/aew/2024/10/23/24278174/chris-jericho-wins-roh-world-title-ladder-war-mark-briscoe-aew-dynamite-big-bill-el-nueve
  52. https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=9190&page=2
  53. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvk2VxEMyII
  54. https://www.allelitewrestling.com/post/aew-dynamite-results-august-6-2025
  55. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25258775-kyle-fletcher-beats-mark-briscoe-retain-aew-tnt-title-wrestledream-2025
  56. https://cultaholic.com/posts/mark-briscoe-reveals-wwe-offered-the-briscoes-a-deal-but-they-chose-roh-instead
  57. https://aewresults.com/wrestler/mark-briscoe/
  58. https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/the-conglomeration/
  59. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/orange-cassidy-says-mark-briscoe-came-up-with-the-conglomeration-stable-name-off-the-top-of-his-head-during-aew-promo/
  60. https://www.cagesideseats.com/aew/2024/7/27/24207833/mark-briscoe-adds-new-member-the-conglomeration-baby-jay-late-brother-aew-collision-ishii-oreilly
  61. https://www.facebook.com/AEW/videos/the-conglomeration-has-a-new-member-orange-cassidy-kyle-oreilly-roh-world-champi/1589505891894781/
  62. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/the-conglomeration-get-sitcom-inspired-theme-and-intro-video/
  63. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqg66wXMnyQ
  64. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgRlBcfIzv8
  65. https://www.si.com/fannation/wrestling/aew/mjf-wins-aew-all-in-texas-men-s-casino-gauntlet-to-become-no-1-contender-for-aew-world-championship
  66. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h_q9ONAC_s
  67. https://puroresuspirit.wordpress.com/2016/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-10-results-for-january-4-2016/
  68. http://www.profightdb.com/wrestlers/mark-briscoe-792.html?res=10&title=657
  69. https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/njpw-king-of-pro-wrestling-2016
  70. https://www.cagesideseats.com/2016/10/10/13225650/njpw-new-japan-king-of-pro-wrestling-2016-results-recommendations-okada-marufuji-omega-goto
  71. https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=159905&page=9
  72. https://staging.impactwrestling.com/2022/04/09/have-you-watched-multiverse-of-matches-2022/
  73. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AWNeia8mhI
  74. https://www.cagematch.net/index.php?id=2&nr=110&page=20
  75. http://www.profightdb.com/wrestlers/mark-briscoe-792.html?prom_id=224&year=2022&res=10
  76. https://www.sportskeeda.com/aew/mark-briscoe-wife
  77. https://www.the-sun.com/sport/7161752/who-mark-briscoe/
  78. https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/jay-briscoe-dead-at-38-5-things-to-know-about-the-wrestler/
  79. https://www.facebook.com/four3four/posts/congratulations-to-mark-briscoe-and-his-wife-on-the-birth-of-their-8th-child-mat/829201485903300/
  80. https://www.ringsidenews.com/mark-briscoe-announces-9th-child-way/
  81. https://www.sescoops.com/news/aew/mark-briscoe-announces-9th-child-is-on-the-way/
  82. https://www.wrestlinginc.com/1952478/mark-briscoe-debuts-ninth-child-aew-dynamite/
  83. https://www.instagram.com/m.briscoesr/?hl=en
  84. https://www.wrestlezone.com/news/1570884-mark-briscoe-word-of-the-day-is-procreation
  85. https://sports.yahoo.com/article/reason-why-top-aew-star-143939420.html
  86. https://www.facebook.com/todayprowrestlinghistory/posts/25-years-ago-today-jay-mark-briscoe-made-their-pro-wrestling-debut-jay-was-just-/1607190560215120/
  87. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/18/sport/jay-briscoe-wrestler-death-scli-intl
  88. https://metro.co.uk/2025/07/10/wrestling-icons-children-want-carry-family-legacy-uncles-death-aged-38-23627091/
  89. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dezY7gSxosA
  90. https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/briscoes-kept-off-aew-tv-due-to-tweets-confederate-flag-ring-gear/
  91. https://www.ringsidenews.com/warner-bros-discovery-also-banned-briscoes-due-their-use-rebel-flags/
  92. https://maxwellmediawatch.com/2023/01/29/reach-for-the-sky-boy/
  93. https://www.ringsidenews.com/why-warnermedia-issues-mark-briscoe-appearing-aew-television/
  94. https://411mania.com/wrestling/more-on-why-the-briscoes-were-banned-from-aew-tv-by-warner-bros-discovery/
  95. https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/3awleh/roh_the_briscoes_and_the_confederate_flag/
  96. https://www.cagesideseats.com/2022/1/31/22910832/ring-of-honor-hall-of-fame-briscoes-first-inductees
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  98. https://www.cagesideseats.com/2013/5/9/4316810/ring-of-honor-roh-does-the-right-thing-regarding-jay-briscoes-homophobic-tweets
  99. https://www.cagesideseats.com/2022/3/16/22981057/jay-briscoe-apologizes-homophobic-tweet-gay-marriage-changed-religious-beliefs-love-everybody
  100. https://cultaholic.com/posts/report-mark-briscoe-still-banned-from-aew-tv-by-warner-bros-discovery
  101. https://www.cagesideseats.com/aew/2023/1/25/23571338/tony-khan-fought-warner-bros-discovery-briscoes-tribute-dynamite-tbs-roh-special-details
  102. https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/18f9vo7/mark_briscoe_for_real_this_shit_is_hilarious/
  103. https://www.sescoops.com/news/wwe/mark-briscoe-wwes-dem-boyz-cant-keep-silent-thats-disrespectful/
  104. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/mark-briscoe-says-wwe-made-an-offer-to-the-briscoe-brothers-but-2015-but-roh-made-a-better-offer/
  105. https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/ROH_World_Championship/Champion_history
  106. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/wwe/top-stories/chris-jericho-captures-roh-world-championship-on-aew-dynamite/articleshow/114532577.cms
  107. https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/roh/roh-t.html
  108. https://www.postwrestling.com/2022/01/31/ring-of-honor-names-the-briscoes-as-first-inductees-into-hall-of-fame/
  109. https://wrestlingnews.co/roh-news/the-briscoes-announced-as-the-first-inductees-into-roh-hall-of-fame/
  110. https://aewresults.com/tournament/continental-classic-2024/
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