Ring of Honor superstar Jay Lethal spoke to Sporting News prior to his encounter against Cody Rhodes at the Final Battle pay-per-view last night, where he lost to the debutant. The various topics he discussed during the interview included ROH and WWE coming together, his feud with Ric Flair a few years ago and wanting to be the champion again.
During his days in the TNA, Lethal once carried out a gimmick named ‘Black Machismo’ which was similar to Ric Flair’s in-ring persona. When the ‘Nature Boy’ appeared to confront him, it sparked off a feud between the two which went on for quite some time.
Speaking about it, the former ROH World Champion admitted that he was scared of making a fool out of himself while trying to imitate the WWE Hall of Famer. However, he also claimed that portraying the ‘Black Machismo’ character helped him come out of his shell and there was no looking back after that.
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“I remember, I was so afraid to cut promos because I didn't want to sound stupid. I was so afraid to do certain things in the ring because I didn't want to look silly. It actually held me back and kept me in this little shell. But once I broke out of that shell, which I do credit the Black Machismo character, then the sky was the limit after that,” said Lethal.
Jay Lethal also revealed how he was feeling when he came face-to-face with Flair in the ring for the first time and rated it as one of the greatest moments of his life, let alone his wrestling career.
Lethal explained “I remember at the end of that promo when we were face to face, nose to nose, I remember I was so nervous that my hands actually went numb,” he said. “I remember clear as day being face to face with him, (thinking) 'This is so cool,' and I was thinking my brothers and sisters are at home watching on TV.”
“I'm face to face with Ric Flair and I remember thinking, 'Why are my hands so numb? What is going on?' It was nerve-wracking but an honor. It was literally in the top two moments of my wrestling career. Not only in my wrestling career, probably in the top two greatest moments of my life,” he added.
On the lines of the partnership between Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Jay Lethal was questioned about a possible association of ROH with the WWE. Lethal opined that there was a possibility of that taking place in the years to come.
“If I had to predict the future, I would think that at some point in time that, in my opinion, could be very possible. Look at the guys there who have come from Ring of Honor. Look at all the guys they've used and plucked from Ring of Honor,” Jay Lethal told Sporting News.
He continued “At some point, in my opinion, I would think they'd go, everybody we get from there really excels here so maybe should ... I don't know. That's just my opinion. I think there definitely could be something in the future, some kind of working relationship.”
