Jay Lethal Discusses Why He Is Not in WWE

Current Ring of Honor star Jay Lethal was recently interviewed by The Post and Courier and discussed a number of topics. Most notably were why he was not in WWE, as well as his relationship with Ric Flair.

Lethal is widely known as one of the best professional wrestlers in the world to have never stepped foot in a WWE ring. Many have wondered if this will ever happen, or why it has not occurred already.

“It’s funny. When I got into the wrestling business, all I wanted to do was wrestle for WWE,” said Lethal, whose real name is Jamar Shipman. “That was a major goal for everyone from my generation. I’m not saying that’s something that I would not want to do, but along the way I sort of re-prioritized some things.”

“With that said, if I never got to work for WWE, I wouldn’t be too upset. I wouldn’t feel that my career wasn’t complete. I think that I’ve made it. And that’s something that a lot of wrestlers struggle with.”

One of Lethal’s greatest career moments was when he had the opportunity to impersonate Ric Flair in front of him during a promo, while they worked together in TNA. Lethal says that it was one of the highlights of his career.

“It definitely was a highlight of my career … especially at that point. Even today I remember being so nervous because at the time that company (TNA) had never given me the chance to cut a promo in the ring before. Now the first chance I get to do it I’ve got to go in there with Ric Flair. Are you kidding?”

“I hit him with one of his lines that he never really used that much. But he did use it way back when. Not many people even remember the line because it wasn’t a famous Ric Flair line. His line was ‘Jumping on is a lot easier than jumping off.’ When I said that, you should have seen his eyes light up. I could tell I caught him off guard for a second, and all he could say was ‘Wow!’”