BANKIE'S HOT TAKE #5 - Lethal vs Vegas: 7 Years Later

I quickly wanted to write about a match I saw being promoted this coming weekend.

For those that have read any of my pieces, I used to be a die-hard American Championship Entertainment fan. I even attempted to “Make ACE Great Again”...silly concept, I know. But as a fan, ACE was and will forever be my first real independent wrestling “home”.

But when I saw ACE running this Saturday at Teaneck, NJ with “Lethal Injection”, the homecoming of Jay Lethal, I knew I was intrigued.

Jay Lethal had quite the history in ACE over the years. He helped begin the New Breed of Champions in Union City, defended the TNA X-Division championship at Rise 2 Power against Alex Shelley in 2007, won the ACE Tag Team Titles in 2008 with Mo Sexton, teamed with his student William Wyeth against Stockade and his trainer Mikey Whipwreck at Crossroads IX in Wallington in 2013, and so on and so forth.

Jay Lethal truly injected his blood, sweat, and tears into ACE’s DNA.

That is what makes this match this Saturday that important.

7 years ago - February 7, 2015, to be exact - at A Hero’s Celebration at the Jose Marti Freshman Academy in Union City, NJ, Lethal wrestled Rob Vegas, one of his closest friends and rivals. In memory of Mike Morgan, Jr, the two men wrestled an absolute clinic. As someone who was there and can relive the emotion as he types this, this match was incredible.

In the end, Vegas outwrestled Lethal and tapped him out with the Checkmate Cloverleaf.

For many, it was a great wrestling match in memory of the great Mikey.

But after watching the entirety of “the Greatest First Generation Wrestler”’s career, I can tell you that Lethal never forgot. He hates to lose. He has been one-upped by “the Chessmaster”.

At “Lethal Injection” this Saturday night, Jay Lethal looks to get his win back. He’s a very, very different man than he was 7 years ago. A man who was ROH World champion twice. A man who main-evented Madison Square Garden. A man who wrestled in Ric Flair’s last match.

Between me and you, I’m calling it now. Rob Vegas has his number. An ACE Triple Crown winner, Vegas has never gotten the love he deserved in the indies. He’s that damn good. And in my opinion, Vegas will once again make Lethal his pawn.

Opinions aside, Lethal vs Vegas: 7 Years Later will be absolutely awesome. Get there and see the show.

ACE Lethal Injection - 11/26/22

The Knights of Columbus in Teaneck

829 Windsor Rd

Teaneck, NJ 07666

Bell Time - 5 PM

Hot Take? #BANKONIT.

• bankie