As of late, the WWE has seemingly been on mission to purge every major wrestling organization of its top talent. One man who the WWE was rumored to be heavily interested in was Jay Lethal. Also a former TNA star, Lethal held the Ring of Honor World Championship from June of 2015 to August of 2016 and has been a cornerstone of the company since his return in 2011. With his ROH contract coming to an end, many assumed Lethal would be on the WWE's short list of targets for 2017. Last week, however, word leaked out that ROH had worked out a deal with Jay to remain with the company.

In an exclusive interview, Comicbook.com spoke with Jay Lethal about his rumored 2 year deal with Ring of Honor.

"Yes, that is true. You guys are the first people to ask me that straight out, therefore this is the first time I’m answering it straight out. Yes, I did just sign a 2 year deal with Ring of Honor. I’m here to stay."

While the WWE has made a lot of big signings from the independent wrestling world, Jay believes ROH is committed to maintaining their footing.

"There’s a huge influx of guys going to the WWE right now and Ring of Honor is realizing that if they want to get any bigger they have to make sure that their guys are going to stick around."

When asked if Jay had been contacted by the WWE before he came to terms with Ring of Honor, the former champion indicated that his decision was made before his contract expired.

"No, I really had no real contact with them. Especially since my contract with Ring of Honor never officially ended before I re-signed. So, we weren’t allowed to talk with each other until the contract runs out, so no, not really."

The signing is great news for Ring of Honor fans as well as wrestling superstars who wish to have options as to where to apply their talents. We'll have more from the Jay Lethal interview as the week goes on, including the full interview, which will be released exclusively on Comicbook.com's Over The Ropes podcast this Thursday.

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