Jay White Departs New Japan Pro-Wrestling

The Switchblade's time with NJPW has come to an end.

By Andrew Pollard / February 19, 2023

NJPW

Having lost a Loser Leaves Japan match last week, Jay White is now completely done with New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Last night's Battle in the Valley saw Switchblade come up short against Eddie Kingston in a Loser Leaves NJPW contest, meaning that White's time competing for the King of Sports is officially finished.

Following this latest defeat, the Catalyst cut a post-match promo that was interrupted by David Finlay. Finlay left White unconscious in the ring and cut his own promo, telling his long-time rival "f**k your era".

What is Finlay doing?!? #njBITV pic.twitter.com/eLFYpTliXQ

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— FITE (@FiteTV) February 19, 2023

What's next for Jay White remains to be seen, but there have been plentiful reports that the New Zealander's contract with New Japan was expiring imminently. Likewise, there has been countless speculation that White could sign for WWE or AEW, with both promotions said to be extremely keen on bringing the 30-year-old into the fold.

As alluded to, White lost a Loser Leaves Japan bout to Hikuleo at NJPW The New Beginning last weekend, and this defeat to Eddie Kingston should feasibly mean that the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion's time with NJPW is now completely finished.

Authored by Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

Posted On: 19th Feb 2023

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Jay White Battle in the Valley