Bullet Club leader Jay White is scheduled to face off against Los Ingobernables de Japon leader Tetsuya Naito this Saturday during Night One of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 14 event. The two will clash over White’s IWGP Intercontinental Championship. The winner of Jay White vs. Naito will challenge the winner of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship bout between Kazuchika Okada and Kota Ibushi in a Double Gold Dash match. The final victor claims both belts.
Talking with njpw1972.com, White addressed his opponent and why he wants to become a double champion in NJPW. He also discussed how he feels he has been mistreated as a champion by the promotion.
Jay White vs Tetsuya Naito
With their match only days away, Naito has become more and more vocal about his intentions for Wrestle Kingdom 14.
White confessed he was “a little surprised when he showed a little bit of life. Myself, and the fans have come to expect somebody that’s a little bit too tranquilo. At the end of the day though, he can put all the life into this that he wants, but it’s about Wrestle Kingdom January 4. Against anybody else, maybe he can toy with their minds, but I’m on another level, especially mentally, and especially compared to Naito. Maybe he’s made things a bit more exciting, but it’ s not going to make a difference.”
Mental Edge
White then addressed how, despite being IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Jay White has not been featured in the promotional material for Wrestle Kingdom. To him, NJPW is mistreating him as they attempt to take “the mental edge away.”
“You can see, by this piece of gold right here that I’m the champion. Wouldn’t you think that as the champion, if there’s a championship match that my face would be on the graphic instead of the challenger alone? In fact, not alone! My belt was in the picture! On the mat! With Naito holding his eye open, looking at it! All that was there was my name. That’s NJPW, taking a mental edge on me, and taking the mental edge away from me. They can’t stand the thought of me being the first ever double IWGP Intercontinental and Heavyweight Champion, so they’re giving him the edge.”
Double Gold Dash
The Bullet Club leader then confessed his driving motivation in becoming a double champion. If victorious, he believes that NJPW won’t be able to “deny” him anymore. White blamed the fans for Naito being given this opportunity despite, in his opinion, not being deserving of it.
“So why do I want to be double champion? It’s so the fans, the office, the other wrestlers, nobody will be able to deny that I am what I say I am. The best wrestler in the world.”
Wrestle Kingdom 14 takes place this weekend on 1/4 and 1/5 from the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.
