“Switchblade” Jay White is reportedly leaving NJPW.
After much speculation, a new report from Fightful Select notes that White’s NJPW contract is expiring relatively soon, and he is expected to leave the company.
It’s believed that WWE and AEW are interested in signing White, and word is that WWE sources seem confident that they will end up signing him. However, this is far from official as sources from within multiple companies have noted that they can’t officially reach out to White until his NJPW contract expires, and until that happens, there’s no guarantee he’ll leave NJPW.
As noted, it was announced today that White will face Hikuleo in a “Loser Leaves Japan” match at NJPW’s The Beginning In Osaka event on Saturday, February 11. WWE has also expressed interest in Hikuleo, which puts the result of the match in doubt.
There’s a belief among NJPW talents that White wants to be in the United States for the time being.
WWE officials reportedly heavily recruited White at one point, which he has confirmed in interviews, and word is that the recruiting had only accelerated. White has worked for AEW and Impact Wrestling while under contract to NJPW. He noted that prior to 2021 he was never approached by AEW, but he has since enjoyed his experiences there.
It was previously reported that White was under contract to NJPW until 2025, and that AEW had interest in him. White has noted in interviews since then that “them approaching me and some contract I was on, both things 100% false.”
White dropped the IWGP World Heavyweight Title to Kazuchika Okada at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 last Wednesday, ending his first reign with the strap. He is also a one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, a one-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion, a one-time IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion, and a one-time NEVER Openweight Champion. White was NJPW’s fifth Triple Crown Champion, and their first Grand Slam Champion.
White spoke with NBC Sports Boston in November and was asked about possibly leaving NJPW. He said, “I mean, every option’s always on the table anywhere, though. You can never say never with anything. I could say I’ll never leave I could say, ‘Oh, definitely will.’ I don’t even know tomorrow. But I also don’t try to think too far ahead with that stuff, because you have no control over it anyway. So I just try to control what I can in my immediate future. So will I leave? Maybe. Will I stay? Who knows? Maybe, you can never know, I don’t even know.”
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