Another Sign That Jay White is Done With New Japan
Jay White recently lost his "Loser Leaves Japan" match against Hikuleo, effectively ending his tenure in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. However, his departure from the promotion wasn't a complete separation as the door was still open for him to wrestle in the New Japan's US-based division, NJPW Strong. But now it looks like that door might be closing as well. White was already booked for this Saturday's Battle in the Valley event against AEW's Eddie Kingston and the two decided to up the ante by adding stipulations to the match.
If White loses, he can't wrestle in NJPW Strong. But if Kingston loses, he's not allowed to face NJPW talent inside on an NJPW ring and would need to get special permission from White in order to do so. Since reports of White leaving New Japan for either WWE or a full-time deal with AEW have been popping up for over a month, all signs point to the Grand Slam Champion losing here.
NJPW Battle in the Valley 2023 Card
- IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
- IWGP Women's World Championship: Kairi vs. Mercedes Monè
- NJPW World Television Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Clark Conners
- Strong Openweight Championship: Fred Rosser vs. Kenta
-
Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships: The Motor City Machine Guns vs. West Coast Wrecking Crew
- Jay White vs. Eddie Kingston
- Tom Lawlor vs. Homicide (Filthy Rules Fight)
- Josh Alexander, Mascara Dorada, Adrian Quest & Rocky Romero vs. Kushida, Volador Jr., Kevin Knight & The DKC
- (Kickoff) David Finlay vs. Bobby Fish
- (Kickoff) Alex Coughlin vs. J.R. Kratos
Where Will Jay White Sign?
White spoke with Sports Illustrated this week and teased the idea of joining multiple US-based promotions. He has already worked in Impact, AEW and Ring of Honor on top of his run in New Japan.
"So much is possible. Impact, AEW, WWE—we'll see. I'm at peace with it," White told Sports Illustrated. "I don't know if there is much more I could have done. 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. Now I'm looking at what's next. I can't go back to Japan, but there is nothing that says I can't compete at the shows in the United States."
