Ring of Honor Veterans Give Keys to Longevity in Pro Wrestling

Jay Lethal is set to defend his Ring of Honor World Championship at Death Before Dishonor on Friday night in Las Vegas.

Earlier in the night Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian will challenge Jay and Mark Briscoe for the ROH World Tag Team Championships, titles they've previously held twice.

Together the three have more than 60 years of experience in professional wrestling, and they've each managed to stay relevant throughout the past decade regardless of whichever promotion they appear in.

In recent interviews with Comicbook.com, the three each gave what they believe are the keys to longevity in such a grueling business.

For Lethal, it's all about protecting one's body, whether that be by avoiding drug abuse (a problem many wrestlers have faced in the past) or by taking calculated risks in matches.

"You just want to steer clear of any of that (drugs), and that would be the number one way to have a longer career," Lethal said. "Unfortunately, you hear so many horror stories about this wrestler leaving soon or this wrestler passing away. It's very sad, I can't tell you how sad, especially since I knew and know some of those people."

"...There's a difference between, in my opinion, being foolish and doing something that's way too reckless, and trying to go above and beyond to please the fans," he continued. "I think you can go above and beyond to please the fans without putting yourself in any more harm than needs to be. We're already putting ourselves in harm by throwing our bodies to the ground, that's already dangerous enough, but some people may take it a little too far, I think."

For Daniels and Kazarian, who have experienced a massive jump in popularity recently as part of the SoCal Uncensored trio, the key is to be willing to change and adapt as time goes on.

"I think it's the courage to sort of get away from what worked for you in the past and try different things because at a certain point, especially if you're in a major promotion for a certain period of time, the fan base is going to be pretty familiar with the things that you do and the things that you're all about," Daniels said. "...You('ve) definitely got to be willing to sort of take the risk to change things up so that people see a different side of you."

"Twenty years in the game and I'm up and down the road with two of my best friends and I'm burying every town I'm in, and that has really gathered a following," Kazarian said. "I wouldn't in a million years have told you that was going to give us that extra push or another new life on the team or the group, you just never know."

ROH Death Before Dishonor airs LIVE from the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Friday, September 28, 2018 at 9 p.m. EDT on traditional cable and satellite Pay-Per-View providers, and streaming free for HonorClub VIP, 50% off for HonorClub Standard members, and through FITE TV.