Jay White talks Bullet Club, ROH, and working in the United States.
"Switchblade" Jay White is one of the time names in Japanese wrestling, but the New Zealand native has been spending some time in the United States in recent months with appearances in New Japan STRONG and IMPACT Wrestling.
One promotion Jay White hasn't appeared in for some time is ROH. Recently, ROH announced that they're going on hiatus in the first quarter of 2022. During an exclusive interview with Sean Ross Sapp, Switchblade spoke about the hiatus, noting he doesn't think ROH is folding permanently.
"Yeah. ROH will always hold a special place in my heart, but I don’t think ROH is done by any means. I’m sure at first everybody’s initial reaction when you first hear the news is that, ‘Oh, they’re done.’ I’m sure it’ll play out a lot differently. I hope. So I think everyone needs some patience with it. But also on the flip side, for those guys that have just been released, there’s opportunities for them. Once I’m done with Ishii, like I said, maybe I’m gonna have some sort of open challenge for this. It’s an open door at New Japan STRONG. Those guys, maybe they want to step up and try to take that opportunity. So typical saying, as when one door closes another opens."
One thing that was accomplished during Jay White’s brief time on television in IMPACT was the addition of Chris Bey to Bullet Club. Speaking about the addition of “The Ultimate Finesser” White said Bey has fit in quite nicely and remarked that Bey, Hikuleo, and El Phantasmo look like they are having fun representing Bullet Club in IMPACT Wrestling.
"Chris Bey has fit in. It’s almost like I was right about bringing him into Bullet Club. It’s almost like I was right about his potential, about what he could do for Bullet Club, what he could do for himself in IMPACT. Look how that’s working out. Just like a lot of things I always say and do. I always tend to be right in the end, don’t I? It’s no different with Chris Bey. He’s really making the most of it there, him, ELP and Hikuleo look like they’re having a lot of fun."
In regards to more work for him in the states, White is focused on New Japan STRONG. In New Japan STRONG, White sees confident competitors showcasing their hunger and passion, something he relates to.
"The world in the last couple of years is not easy for anybody. But like I said before, when one door closes, another opens. I think with New Japan STRONG and the stuff they have in the States, we have something here. Even I can see it. I don’t personally approve of a lot of the guys there, but what I can see is their hunger to get to the next stage, their hunger to make STRONG into something. I see that. That is something I can, at least, admire in those guys. The fans that are coming to the shows, they can feel that as well. Philadelphia recently was absolutely electric. I’m sure San Jose will be no different. We’ve got up something special there and with guys like myself at the forefront of it, we’re gonna make that as big as we possibly can."
Jay White will be competing at NJPW Battle in the Valley in San Jose, California. He will defend the NEVER Openweight Championship against Tomohiro Ishii. Per the stipulation, if Ishii loses, he can never challenge for the NEVER Openweight Championship again.
Battle in the Valley will stream live on FITE on Saturday, November 13. You can pre-order the event here.
