On April 5, 2023, Jay White made his official debut in All Elite Wrestling and aligned with Juice Robinson.
Jay’s debut in AEW was a surprise as most reports had been stating he was going to World Wrestling Entertainment. He was expected to come in around WrestleMania or on the Raw after WrestleMania. When the April 3rd Raw episode went by people were surprised they hadn’t heard any update on Jay making his entrance into the WWE. Then came his entrance at the start of AEW Dynamite on April 5th.
New Japan Recap
Jay comes in with a lot of prestige from his career in New Japan Pro Wrestling. In 2017 he made his return to NJPW from excursion as “Switchblade” Jay White, immediately challenging Hiroshi Tanahashi. While he lost that match at Wrestle Kingdom 12, it was clear he challenged Tanahashi to mirror the debut of Kazuchika Okada in NJPW. Jay would soon after defeat Kenny Omega for the IWGP United States Championship in a shocking win. He capped a strong G1 by defeating Okada as well as Tanahashi.
In 2019, Jay White’s meteoric rise continued. He defeated Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 13, having become the new leader of Bullet Club. He would defeat Tanahashi for his first IWGP Heavyweight Championship at The New Beginning in Osaka. He would drop it soon after at Madison Square Garden to Okada, but he had already cemented himself as a top guy in the company in just a year. Fans of Jay White were already trained to expect a lot fast.
Jay White would win multiple titles in New Japan Pro Wrestling, rarely going much time without having gold around his waist. IWGP Intercontinental, NEVER Openweight, IWGP World Heavyweight, Jay White was able to win championships and major matches. In 2021, he began to create controversy for himself after major losses at Wrestle Kingdom. At Wrestle Kingdom 15 he cut the best promo of his career delirious and exhausted from the loss to Kota Ibushi. The pro wrestling world’s eyes were on what Jay White would do next. He returned to NJPW. Jay wouldn’t appear in NJPW between November of 2021 and May of 2022. People thought maybe he was on his way out. He returned.
At Wrestle Kingdom 17 he lost to Okada in the main event. This time he blamed it on Hikuleo, who ended up beating him in a Loser Leaves Japan match. This time the exit felt for real. Eddie Kingston would later beat him in a Loser Leaves NJPW match. Now it was for real he was gone from the company.
All Elite Jay
I give this recap to remind people that from late 2017 to early 2023, Jay White’s time in New Japan Pro Wrestling is one of the most successful runs of any pro wrestler. Especially one who was only in his mid 20s when he started it coming out of excursion. It truly was comparable to the run of Kazuchika Okada, albeit with a little less stardom. Jay White is the first New Japan Pro Wrestling Grand Slam champion, having won the United States Championship, Intercontinental Championship, NEVER Openweight Championship, and both versions of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (Heavyweight and World Heavyweight.) It should also be important to point out that these were all solo championships. Despite Jay White always being aligned in a faction (first CHAOS and then leading Bullet Club) he never won tag or trios championships.
Jay White started his career in AEW by feuding with Ricky Starks and aligning with Juice Robinson. Jay did get wins on Ricky but Ricky also eliminated him in the International Battle Royale at Double or Nothing. Jay and Juice started making their names as a tag team by having one of the best matches of 2023 against FTR on Collision in a best two out of three falls match. It felt like maybe that would be his direction to start the company. He also had several multi-man matches across the ring from CM Punk with real chemistry between the two. Would Jay White maybe face CM Punk at All In?
Jay White would work at All In, but instead it was being tossed in the Callis Family feud against the Elite. Jay White, Juice Robinson, and Konosuke Takeshita actually beat the Elite at All In. It would lead to the Bullet Club Gold, now with The Gunn’s, beating the strange combination of FTR and Young Bucks at All Out.
It didn’t make sense for Juice and Jay to pursue the tag championship when they already had a tag team in Bullet Club Gold in the Gunn’s. It made more sense for him to finally go after a singles title. Jay White put up huge wins against Andrade El Idolo, Hangman Adam Page, and Penta El Zero Miedo. This led to a feud with Maxwell Jacob Friedman for the AEW World Championship for Full Gear. Going after the World Championship did feel right, and going up against MJF felt like a dream match that could only happen in AEW.
The problem was it ended up mixed in the “Who is the Devil?” storyline, where a bunch of mystery men attacked Jay White and a man dressed in MJF’s devil mask looked to be the ring leader. Why did they attack Jay White? Do they hate Jay White or do they hate MJF? Instead of being about Jay White versus MJF it was about who was the Devil and if we’d find out at Full Gear.
MJF was also still ROH World Tag Champion and defended the title during the pre-show of Full Gear with Samoa Joe as his partner against The Gunns. It made perfect sense to have the Gunns win the ROH Tag Championship here and hurt MJF on his way into the match with Jay White. Instead they lost and, uh, MJF still acted hurt? And had a hurt Adam Cole take over his match? And then MJF took the match anyway and worked almost 30 minutes to defend the AEW World Championship against Jay White?
Oh yeah. We also still didn’t know who was The Devil. And the attention was already on Samoa Joe getting his shot the next month. Jay White lost to an injured man, and was overlooked by the program between MJF and the Devil.
Despite the loss, Jay White was able to get back in the win column by entering the Continental Classic, where he would beat everyone he faced except Swerve Strickland. This created a three way tie in the Gold Division between Jay, Swerve, and the winner Jon Moxley. The competitors in the Continental Classic without a match would be entered in a eight man tag at World’s End, where Jay White’s team would be on the losing end. He would watch as Samoa Joe beat MJF for the AEW World Championship instead of him.
What’s The Plan?
In 2024, we now knew who The Devil was who orchestrated an attack on Jay White. It was Adam Cole, forming the faction Undisputed Kingdom with the ROH Tag Champions The Kingdom, Wardlow, and Roderick Strong. Jay White would win the ROH Six Man Tag Team Championships with the Gunn’s against The Mogul Embassy, which felt like a way to give them something to entice the Undisputed Kingdom to face them at Revolution. They also started a back and forth with Acclaimed, since both Bullet Club Gold and The Acclaimed were maligned by Undisputed Kingdom. Acclaimed suggested the two sides should align to take Undisputed Kingdom out. Jay White and Bullet Club Gold would agree and we now had Bang Bang Scissor Gang formed, combining the AEW Trios Champions with the ROH Six Man Tag Team Champions.
Surely this will lead to a match at Revolution against Undisputed Kingdom, right? Well, the pay per view is tomorrow and the feud between the sides hasn’t even started. Instead, week to week, it has been about the Bang Bang Scissor Gang gelling as a group. It made people think that maybe it wasn’t about them eventually facing Undisputed Kingdom but facing each other.
Maybe the match gets set up at Revolution on Collision. I do know (spoiler?) that Colten Gunn, Max Caster, and Anthony Bowens face Dark Order in the main event of Collision as the go home to Collision. But I don’t know if anything gets booked. Does the Trios Championship get defended? Does the ROH Six Man Tag Championship get defended? Does Acclaimed and Bullet Club Gold have a unification trios match? That would at least make sense to why Jay isn’t going after singles titles and being a champion in Ring of Honor. Nothing has been announced.
It feels like AEW wants to give this story more time between the Bang Bang Scissor Gang, and isn’t realizing that it makes Jay White look like he’s wasting his time. Maybe there was a plan for Jay and Juice before Juice went down to injury, but there has to be more for Jay White to do than this.
Wasted vs. Misused
I’ve heard criticism on both sides. I’ve heard the people used to Jay White’s accelerated career in New Japan Pro Wrestling feel like he’s being wasted. I’ve also heard people used to AEW taking at least a year before they really get behind someone saying it’s fine and Jay is building something with Bang Bang Scissor Gang and there’s really no room for him at the top. I don’t really agree or disagree with either.
I don’t think Jay should be on the same accelerated career that he was in New Japan because he isn’t the same Jay White and it’s not NJPW. New Japan needed a gaijin star with Kenny Omega soon departing. He never would have won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 2019 had Kenny Omega stayed in New Japan. Omega was supposed to retain the title at Wrestle Kingdom then face Okada at MSG.
But I also disagree with AEW fans who can’t accept any level of criticism on AEW booking. Jay White has been poorly booked since November regardless of championship shots or wins. Regardless of opponents. He’s had some big wins in AEW and that’s valuable but the final step on those wins has let down the value of those wins. MJF and Jay White could have had a classic without the MJF injury teases and Devil storyline which wasn’t even completed at their match when it all started about Jay White! He lost the Continental Classic which is fine since he was made to look strong, but it ended in a three way match that felt more about Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland than him. And now he’s the ROH Six Man Tag Champion for some reason, and tolerating the Acclaimed for some reason, and barely defending the Six Man Tag Championship for some reason.
Jay White could be on the Revolution card in a Trios vs. Six Man Tag match. Jay could be getting revenge for what Undisputed Kingdom did to him. Jay could be working a singles feud with someone else on the card who is high up without anything to do, like Big Bill, like Ricky Starks, like Rush, like House of Black, like Penta, like Adam Copeland, like Sammy Guevara, like… sigh. I’m just naming people at this point. You get the picture.
Year One of Jay White
I don’t think Jay White is being wasted, but I also don’t think Jay White is being properly used. And there is a difference.
He’s one of the best wrestlers on the roster and proved quickly that he could work on television after all his time in NJPW. He can cut good promos, he has good presence, and he can wrestle practically anyone and have a good match. In 2024, AEW is going to have Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada (not officially but it seems like it) entering on a regular basis and that crowds the top of the card even more. But Jay White has been there! All of these guys are coming from New Japan where he worked with them and stayed on top or in title pictures with them around.
When MJF, Adam Cole, and Kenny Omega return you have an uppercard featuring Bryan Danielson until he retires from full time competition, Jon Moxley, Swerve Strickland, Samoa Joe, Hangman Page, Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, Christian Cage, and Adam Copeland as guys who can fit up there. You got Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy right there as well. Konosuke Takeshita chomping at the bit. Wardlow likely winning the All-Star scramble. How does Jay White fit?
The same way anyone can fit. You give them a story that matters that leads to matches people want to see. Jay White was doing that in 2023. He did it with Juice Robinson against FTR on Collision. He did it in multi man matches against CM Punk. He did it during the Continental Classic. You have to give him stories that the fans care about that lead to matches that elevate his stock. That’s not happening right now in 2024, but it isn’t because the card is too crowded. It’s because his booking leaves much to be desired.
Jay White has unfinished business with Undisputed Kingdom that isn’t being resolved. Jay White has an ROH Six Man Tag Championship he isn’t defending. Jay White is now in the Bang Bang Scissor Gang for… some reason. AEW needs to explain why these are happening and where they are going.
I understand that people see that as a waste, but a waste is when you can’t get on television and you can’t wrestle. Jay is getting on TV, he just isn’t being used to the best of his abilities. That isn’t a waste, that’s just misuse. If you want a waste, ask yourself what AEW did with Brody King after all of the goodwill he built up from being on the Blue League of the Continental Classic. There’s a waste. He has to be completely rebuilt if they ever want to use him as a singles guy again, all because of the albatross called House of Black around his thick ankle.
Jay White will be in AEW for a year in April. Once he’s been in AEW for a year, Tony Khan has to ask himself why he can’t finish a storyline properly with Jay White, and fix that for 2024. Jay can win any championship and be put in any situation. When you have a guy like that, you don’t stuff him in a foam finger faction and spread the spotlight. You use him every week in a focused program to make your show better. It ain’t on Jay. He’s done everything asked. It’s on the booker. Jay doesn’t have to be the Jay White of New Japan Pro Wrestling. He should be the Jay White of All Elite Wrestling.
