Tag: Jay White

Jay White on post-NJPW plans: ‘Impact, AEW, WWE — we’ll see’

On his time in NJPW, White said “I don’t know if there is much more I could have done.”

Jay White might have lost his Loser Leaves Japan match with Hikuleo, but that doesn’t mean he’s done with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Maybe.

At the very least, the former IWGP Grand Slam Champion has a match coming up this weekend with Eddie Kingston at NJPW Battle in the Valley in San Jose. White has suggested that if he wins, he’ll simply carry on in NJPW Strong, but the match has added a Loser Leaves Town stipulation, lending extra heft to reports that he might soon be completely finished with NJPW.

If that’s the case, where to next? White didn’t tip his hand in an interview with Sports Illustrated ahead of Battle in the Valley, seeming like he’s open to working wherever makes the most sense.

“So much is possible,” White said. “Impact, AEW, WWE — we’ll see.”

White has experience with Impact Wrestling, first appearing at Slammiversary 2021 and confronting Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson. That led to a larger angle that featured White inviting Chris Bey to join Bullet Club, and White teamed with Bey and others several times through the summer of 2022.

AEW fans have seen White several times as well, beginning on the Feb. 9, 2022 episode of Dynamite. Still holding the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at the time, he had a match a week later on Rampage against Trent Beretta and even got to spoil Tony Khan’s Forbidden Door announcement. White starred in the main event of the AEW/NJPW co-branded show last June, successfully defending his title against Adam Cole, Hangman Adam Page and Kazuchika Okada.

If this weekend marks the end of White’s time in NJPW, he leaves with few regrets, as he told SI.

“I don’t know if there is much more I could have done,” White said. “I don’t feel like I left a bunch of boxes unchecked. I’ve been living it, so it can be hard to appreciate it in the moment, but as I move on, I’ve started to look back at the weight some of it holds. As time goes on, I hope people appreciate it even more.”

Jay White talks Forbidden Door press conference, where he complained about not having a holder for his title belt

If you don’t have Jay White’s title displayed properly, he’s not going to let it go.

Before AEW had that press conference after All Out, there was a contentious moment or two during the media scrum after Forbidden Door. It’s just that instead of CM Punk going off on his co-workers, the drama in Chicago was part of the show, with Jay White complaining loudly and often to Tony Khan about how there was no holder to display his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, then berating the poor member of the AEW PR team who set one up, only to have White’s belt slip off and clatter loudly as it fell.

Even knowing that White carries his persona into situations like that, it was a little unsettling to see in person. But as White explained to NBC Sports Boston, it’s pretty common in his NJPW work and shows the freedom that company (and AEW, as evidenced by the Punk drama) gives performers compared to what U.S. wrestling fans may be accustomed to seeing (h/t to Fightful for the transcription).

“Some of it is by design and a lot of it is maybe without me realizing it,” White said. “For example, after Forbidden Door, we had the post-show press conference and for some reason, people were taken aback by how I was, or surprised, where if you had seen a second of me talking after matches, you would know what to expect.

“It’s different to a lot of people, especially over in the states, that are maybe used to the wrestling they see on TV, which can be a lot more performed where this platform that I have through New Japan, I have a bit more freedom with stuff to say and do whatever I want. People can buy into that and enjoy it a bit more.”

Always an outstanding in-ring performer, White has taken things to the next level in terms of his awareness of how to connect with audiences in all situations. That includes on social media, and, yes, press conferences.

With that in mind, if AEW ever invites the Catalyst back for another big event, it might want to make sure everything is set up perfectly for him after the show. It won’t eliminate the chances of a public tongue-lashing, but it should at least reduce them a bit.

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Two title matches confirmed for Wrestle Kingdom 17

Participants from the first two of many title matches for Wrestle Kingdom 17 had their say.

With Wrestle Kingdom 17 once again looming as the biggest show of the NJPW calendar year on Jan. 4, there are guaranteed to be a number of title matches. Thanks to a press conference held late Monday night, U.S. time, we officially know what two of them will be.

In what figures to be the show’s main event, IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White will defend his title against Kazuchika Okada. It will be the latest in an interesting series of singles matches between the two that has seen White take four victories in five meetings, even when Okada was the unquestioned top star in the promotion.

They’ve met twice before for the world championship, with Okada beating White at ROH/NJPW G1 SuperCard in 2019 and White returning the favor at NJPW Dominion 6.12 In Osaka-Jo Hall earlier this year. White then successfully held off Okada, Adam Cole and Hangman Adam Page in a four-way match to retain the title at Forbidden Door, the crossover event with AEW in Chicago.

Okada secured his spot for Wrestle Kingdom in August, pinning Will Ospreay in the G1 Climax final. Yet he didn’t know who he’d face until this week, when White turned back Tama Tonga in an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match. At the press conference, White seemed annoyed that Okada didn’t have the same stakes in his match with JONAH.

“I’m still confused as to why his match against the monster JONAH, why that wasn’t for the right to challenge me at Wrestle Kingdom,” White said. “It doesn’t make sense to me, but then I’m not surprised, or shocked because of course this man is going to get that treatment.”

The other Wrestle Kingdom 17 match made official was a four-way bout for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship that will see champion Taiji Ishimori try to retain against Hiromu Takahashi, El Desperado and Master Wato.

The junior heavyweights’ portion of the press conference was a bit wilder, with Hiromu passing out a flier he made for a proposed “Miyakojima tour” for the four combatants, as well as confusion over the actual rules of the four-way.

“When we’ve done tag team three ways and four ways there’s always been tags and two guys in,” El Desperado said.

“This is singles, so it’s got nothing to do with it,” Hiromu replied. “Five years ago when I had a four-way, everyone was all over the place.”

They also bickered a bit over a Nov. 5 show in Osaka where the four of them will be in a tag team match with the sides decided by random draw. No one seemed eager to tag up with anyone else, and Wato ended up posing for photos intended for the whole group by himself.

Wrestle Kingdom 17 is set for the Tokyo Dome on Jan. 4, returning to a single-night event for the first time since 2019. Other matches already expected to be confirmed will be the final bout in a tournament to determine the inaugural NJPW World Television Championship, as well as an IWGP Women’s Championship match after that title is first awarded at the Historic X-Over show on Nov. 20.

Jay White def. Adam Cole, Hangman Adam Page, Kazuchika Okada to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Forbidden Door: Best photos

Check out the best photos of Jay White defeating Adam Cole, Hangman Adam Page and Kazuchika Okada at Forbidden Door.

Jay White backed up his assertion that he is the Catalyst of professional wrestling by successfully defending his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against three of the best in the game ⁠— Adam Cole, Hangman Adam Page and Kazuchika Okada ⁠— at Forbidden Door. Check out some of the best photos from this unforgettable four-way title bout below. (Photos courtesy of All Elite Wrestling)

Who’s who in New Japan: A beginner’s guide to the NJPW stars on the Forbidden Door card

Never watch NJPW and need a quick briefing on who’s who? Read our beginner’s guide to the top New Japan stars before Forbidden Door.

It goes without saying that Forbidden Door is a big deal. A collaboration between the second-largest pro wrestling promotion in the U.S., All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), the biggest wrestling company in Japan, it’s not the first event of its kind, but it is being done on a scale that isn’t often seen.

Not only is the card loaded with bouts that feature talent from both brands, there are multiple matches in which an AEW wrestler could win a NJPW championship — or vice versa. That means what takes place at the United Center on June 26 could have ripple effects for months down the road, and AEW boss Tony Khan has already stated that he’s thought about how Forbidden Door could become an annual event.

If that happens, it’s possible the top NJPW talents could become household names among the masses in the U.S. But it’s possible, maybe even likely, that Forbidden Door will be the first time (or one of the first times, since some New Japan wrestlers have been on AEW TV leading up to the event) that many American fans are seeing them.

Perhaps even you.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a beginner’s guide to the top NJPW wrestlers who are appearing on the Forbidden Door card. There are many resources out there to learn more about these stars, and tons of videos to watch them in action. But if all you need is a brief overview to get ready for Sunday night, just keep scrolling down, as we’ve got you covered.

AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door — Everything you need to know

Get ready for AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door with our preview, including predictions for each match, start time, how to watch and more.

Considering AEW is only three years old, the company still enjoys a fair amount of firsts. Not many, however, are as significant as AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, a pay-per-view being held in conjunction with Japan’s top pro wrestling promotion. Once only a dream in the minds of most wrestling fans, it’s about to become a reality in Chicago’s United Center.

That’s not to say the road to get here has been easy. The logistical hurdles in building a show between companies half a world apart have been apparent at times, with a good chunk of the card coming together only in the final week. Injuries haven’t been kind; in a perfect world, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega would all be on this show.

Despite that, there are some tantalizing matchups of the kind many probably never dared imagine prior to this year. They begin with the interim AEW World Championship being contested between Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi. With Punk out, one of them will carry the banner for AEW for the next few months, and even the possibility that it will be NJPW’s Ace is enough to be intriguing.

NJPW’s top title will be up for grabs as well. Jay White, who only recently secured the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Kazuchika Okada, now needs to defend it against not only the Rainmaker, but his friend Adam Cole and former AEW world champ Hangman Adam Page. Four-way matches are definitely not every fan’s cup of tea, but four performers of this caliber figure to make it compelling.

As the match count has made it to double digits, including a pre-show bout, the card figures to be close to final now. Keep reading for everything you need to know about AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door.

AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door

  • When: Sunday, June 26
  • Where: United Center, Chicago
  • Start time: 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT
  • How to watch: On PPV through Bleacher Report, or InDemand through cable or satellite providers, as well as in select movie theaters in the U.S. On Sky Deutschland in Germany, and on FITE TV internationally. In Japan, Forbidden Door will be available exclusively via NJPW World, with Japanese commentary.
  • Matches announced: 10 (including one on pre-show)

Who will Jay White face at Forbidden Door? Tonight’s Dynamite will have the answer

Tony Khan confirmed that the June 22 episode of AEW Dynamite would reveal who Jay White will face at Forbidden Door, plus more matches.

Not having IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White on the Forbidden Door card would be pretty strange, but just four days out from the joint AEW/NJPW event, that was the case. Fortunately, the June 22 episode of AEW Dynamite looks set to rectify that situation.

Two of AEW’s press releases this week have promoted the idea that White would defend his title against a “TBD” opponent. Tony Khan confirmed that this week’s Dynamite would hold the answer during his appearance today on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio (h/t to Fightful for the transcription).

It’s going to start the IWGP Champion Jay White coming in tonight and we’re going to find out who he is going to wrestle. We’re going to announce more matches tonight on Dynamite for this big event. … Some of the top stars in new Japan have not been here yet. Tonight on Dynamite, you will see more wrestlers and more involvement from New Japan than we’ve seen so far.

White has been part of the build toward Forbidden Door from the start, crashing the official announcement of the event on the April 20 episode of Dynamite. More recently, he addressed challenges to a match from both Hangman Adam Page and Adam Cole after defeating Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Dominion, but appeared to turn both of them down. A popular theory is that White may face both of the AEW Adams in a three-way dance, or a four-way with another NJPW challenger in the mix as well.

Having White and NJPW’s top title on the show is even more important given that AEW’s top champion, CM Punk, is missing the event due to injury. Instead, Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi will square off for the Interim AEW World Championship, with the victor expected to face Punk somewhere down the road.

As for other matches, a showdown between Bryan Danielson and Zack Sabre Jr. to determine who is the better technical wrestler has been heavily hinted at, but may have been waiting until Danielson’s health status was cleared up as he’s also been battling injuries. A few more bouts would also be welcome since the card as of June 21 had just six matches.

However many matches it ends up with, Forbidden Door is set for the United Center in Chicago this Sunday, live on PPV.