Sport: Wrestling
Born: April 29, 1985
Town: Elizabeth, New Jersey
Jamar Shipman was born April 29, 1985 in Elizabeth, NJ. A pro wrestling enthusiast from the time he was a young boy, Jamar became a huge fan of Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW), a hardcore extreme offshoot that became very popular in the late-1990s. In 2001, he won free “lifetime” training at the JAPW’s wrestling school. At 5’10” and 200-plus pounds, Jamar showed great promise but, unfortunately, the school went belly-up after only a few months. Undaunted, he continued his training and, by the end of 2002, 17-year-old Jamar had become Jay Lethal, the circuit’s Television Champion—a title he held for 11 months, an eternity in the wresting world.
By 2005, Jay Lethal was JAPW’s biggest draw and helped the organization expand up and down the East Coast. That year, Jay was crowned Heavyweight champion after winning a four-man match with a diving head-butt. At this point, even Jay’s father, Ron Shipman, was getting in on the action. In one match, rival wrestlers Steve Corino and Ricky Landell handcuffed Jay to the ropes and “beat up” his dad. Revenge was swift and sweet: Jay and his father defeated the two heels along with their manager, but not without the help of Jay’s mother, Shirley, who brought in reinforcements when things looked their worst.
Jay’s popularity was such that he was also in demand on the Ring of Honor (ROH) circuit, which operated out of Florida. Originally, he entered the ROH ring as Hydro, but went back to Jay Lethal after a couple of years. During and after his ROH years, Jay also participated in Total Nonstop Action (TNA) out of Tennessee. In 2008, he appeared as himself in the Mickey Rourke film The Wrestler. In 2009, he began an entertaining series of battles against aging legends—many of whom he idolized as a kid. Jay also trained other wrestlers. His prize pupil was WWE diva AJ Lee.
Jay returned to Ring of Honor in 2011. His parents still made occasional appearances at matches as characters. He won the ROH Television Championship and held it for a record amount of time, and also won the ROH World Championship, becoming the first person to hold those titles concurrently. Jay also won the Tag Team crown during this streak.
Jay was still going strong in his 30s. He was named ROH Wrestler of the Year in 2018 and won Tag Team of the Year in 2020 with Jonathan Gresham.