At New Japan’s “New Beginning” show last weekend in Osaka, Jay White was defeated by Hikuleo in a “Loser Leaves Japan” match. On February 18, White was scheduled to face Eddie Kingston.
A few days prior to “Battle in the Valley”, Kingston issued a challenge to his opponent: if Kingston won, White couldn’t compete in any NJPW ring. “The Switchblade” accepted this stipulation and added one of his own. If he defeated Kingston, Kingston could never compete in New Japan or against any New Japan talent again.
After a hard-hitting affair, Kingston hit White with a Northern Lights Driver and pinned him. “The Mad King” left the ring and motioned for his music to be cut (it wasn’t) and tried to get the fans to start a “Thank you Jay” chant. As he was about to address the crowd, White was laid out by David Finlay. Finlay said “Fuck your era!” and said he was coming for everything White had.
What’s Next for Jay White
White started in the NJPW dojo in 2015. After Gedo turned on Kazuchika Okda four years ago, they pushed White to the moon. He is a Grand Slam champion, holding the IWGP United States Championship, IWGP Intercontinental Championship, IWGP Heavyweight Championship, NEVER Openweight Championship, and the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Of course, he also single-handedly sold out both Madison Square Garden and the United Center.
Where does a wrestler of this caliber go? WWE has interest in “The Last Rock and Roller”. While they are confident that they could land him, “that is hardly guaranteed at this point in time” according to Fightful.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, White stated “So much is possible. Impact, AEW, WWE—we’ll see.”
Should the leader of the Bullet Club head to AEW, he could continue his feud with Kingston. In IMPACT, he could reunite with Bullet Club brethren, Ace Austin and Chris Bey. KENTA is also in the IMPACT Zone from time to time.
