10 LIVE Observations From The NJPW/ROH G1 Supercard

4. How To Upend A Narrative

Kazuchika Okada
NJPW/ROH

When can we draw a definitive line under the 'Jay White isn't ready' narrative?

On the basis of the crowd reaction last night, about 12*hours ago.

Because Jay White is ready. Jay White just wrestled a classic New Japan main event in a mature, character-driven Lazarus performance. That spoiled crowd was exhausted deep into the fifth hour of a show both wild and incredible, and in the last 15 minutes, with Kazuchika Okada in Best In The World form, he raised them from the dead. Jay White is exponentially better than he was last year.

His confidence is stratospheric and his physique is cut to ribbons. Using this new-found dynamism to inform his counter genius gimmick, mostly, he used his wunderkind character to build his aura in parallel. The motherf*cker straight up did a nope spot to the godd*mn Rainmaker. That was a superb spot of character work in itself, and it summoned the dormant God within the new IWGP Champion. Informing the awesome drama of the finish, in which White dodged a deluge of Rainmakers, this was a gorgeously refined performance from the Switchblade - Tanahashi-esque in its mastery of the space between moves.

A worthy headliner of a preposterously star-studded show, Jay White isn't merely ready. At just 26, the man is a seasoned main event talent.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!