Origins Of Jay Briscoe's 'Reach For The Sky, Boy' Slogan Revealed

The funeral services for Jamin Pugh, better known to wrestling fans as Jay Briscoe, took place today in Laurel, Delaware. In front of what his brother Mark described as "one hell of a house," a packed gymnasium full of Jay's friends and family gathered to say goodbye to the wrestling legend. The service was streamed on the Laurel School District YouTube channel, meaning that fans of Jay were able to celebrate his life.

During the proceedings, following speeches from Caprice Coleman, Mark Briscoe, and Jay's father, Mike, the pastor spoke about the Pugh family's strong relationship with God before delivering an interesting anecdote about the origin of the Briscoes' beloved catchphrase, "Reach for the sky, boy." 

When talking about the possible religious implication of the catchphrase, the pastor said he called Mark to see what the phrase meant and where it originally came from. "[Mark] said, 'Really, Jamin was a little bit of a softy,'" the pastor recalled of his conversation with the younger Briscoe. "He was actually watching [Toy Story] for the umpteenth time with his kids, and the truth is, he cried every time he watched it." 

For those unfamiliar with "Toy Story," the main character, Woody, just so happens to say his catchphrase, "Reach for the sky," whenever someone pulls the string on his back. "And something happened, it lit this fire inside Jamin that it could be so much bigger than just somebody pulling a string... 'Reach for the sky, boy' meant give your very best in everything you do. That's what Jamin did."

The funeral service comes after two weeks of celebrating the life and career of Jay Briscoe, including a memorial match between Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal on the most recent episode of "AEW Dynamite."