'Switchblade' Jay White's Next Move In Wrestling Revealed?

White was defeated in a "Loser Leaves Japan" match, but where next for the former IWGP Champion.

Jay White
NJPW

Jay White "is looking to make a move back over to the States" according to newest reports following his "Loser Leaves Japan" defeat on last weekend's NJPW The New Beginning In Osaka 2023.

This is according to Fightful Select, who reported that:

"Word is that Switchblade Jay White is looking to make a move back over to the states, but nothing is set in stone yet...Fightful Select reported in January that White's contract was set to be up soon, and numerous companies had interest in the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion. WWE felt confident that they could land him, but we're told that hardly guaranteed at this point."

'Switchblade' was defeated by Hikuleo in the bout amidst rumours of an impending move to WWE or AEW. Though he's scheduled to wrestle at NJPW Battle In The Valley on February 18th, that card will take place on American soil, ensuring that he adheres to the "Japan" aspect of the stipulation and that all speculation will be ramped up before and after the show.

Advertisement

Added to the WWE interest and NJPW's satisfaction with his work over the years, White appears to have set himself up with a number of appealing options after cameos for Impact and AEW went down well. The report added;

"WWE sources have repeatedly confirmed that they have long had interest in Jay White, but that everything related to the possibility of him coming into the the company is being kept very quiet. When we asked around NJPW, we were told "obviously we'd love to keep him," and were told that he'd made positive relationships in IMPACT and AEW as well."

White wrestled for Impact and AEW multiple times in 2021 and 2022, pitching himself as "The Catalyst" as multiple wrestlers crossed the divide between the two sides.

Advertisement
In this post: 
Jay White AEW
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett