NJPW: Why ‘Switchblade’ Jay White Is The Breakout Star Of G1 Climax 28

The NJPW G1 Climax is where stars are made. Whether it’s Kazuchika Okada’s meteoric rise to the top following his G1 Climax win in 2012, or Tomohiro Ishii, whose five-star performance against Katsuyori Shibata at the 2013 G1 Climax saw him propelled towards the NEVER Openweight Championship, the G1 has historically been a proving ground for NJPW’s newest and brightest. This year, ‘Switchblade’ Jay White has asserted himself as the one to watch.

Former Young Lion Jay White burst back onto the scene in explosive style in late 2017. The self-styled ‘Switchblade’ attacked fan favourite Hiroshi Tanahashi, demanding a match at Wrestle Kingdom 12 before leaving him laid out in the ring. It was quite the debut for White; to secure a high-profile title match at Wrestle Kingdom so quickly seemed a sure sign that NJPW’s top brass considered New Zealand-born White a future star.

His subsequent run, though, has been a slow-burner. Losing to Tanahashi in what many considered an underwhelming match put something of a dampener on White’s early momentum. And although White went on to secure an important victory over Kenny Omega – claiming the IWGP United States Championship just three months after returning from excursion – it felt as though the Switchblade wasn’t entirely comfortable with his new edgy heel persona just yet.

All of that changed in San Francisco. White dropped the belt to Juice Robinson in a grueling, chaotic bout, and despite the loss looked confident and in control for the first time since he returned at Power Struggle. White’s heel work rightfully earned him the white-hot ire of the crowd, and he has carried this momentum with him into the G1 proper.

Thus far, his debut has seen him secure huge upsets over Okada (utilising some good old-fashioned dirty heel tactics) and Tanahashi (a rematch with infinitely more fire than their Wrestle Kingdom showdown). But while White’s G1 record is undeniably impressive – he’s currently on 10 points, placing him at joint second along with Okada – it’s the story he’s telling which makes him such fascinating viewing night after night.

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White cut a brilliantly arrogant promo after putting Okada down, informing the crowd that this was his G1, and his Chaos. To that end, he’s been sowing discord within the Chaos camp from the moment he set foot in the tournament. And it’s a testament to White’s newfound certainty in his character that even his undercard matches are a must-see.

Take his tag matches alongside Roppongi 3k’s YOH. Each outing advances the story a little further, with White cementing himself as increasingly awful: inciting YOH to cheat and deliberately abandoning him when he refuses. White has laid the blame for YOH’s recalcitrance at the door of Chaos teammates Okada and Rocky Romero, appointing himself responsible for YOH’s re-education.

Watching White repeatedly punish YOH’s perceived insubordination ‘for his own good’ has been horribly compelling stuff, not least with Rocky – yet another moving part in the Switchblade story – watching helplessly from the announce table. His motivations are unclear, but it certainly looks as though his sudden interest in YOH as a protégé is steeped in a desire to further divide loyalties – and perhaps recruit to his own cause.

The discord White has sown since the moment he joined Chaos is starting to bear fruit. It’s a fascinating parallel to Bullet Club, whose own inter-faction dissention has stolen the G1 spotlight more than once, albeit in a far less subtle and interesting fashion.

With the friction within Chaos gradually building to fever pitch, there are innumerate ways in which this story might evolve: perhaps White will succeed in recruiting YOH – or perhaps SHO, who I believe is the more likely candidate to turn to the ‘dark side’.

Perhaps the increasingly erratic and unnerving Okada, currently neck-and-neck with White in the A-block rankings, will be the first to crack. Or perhaps White will heed the call of his fellow Kiwi Fale, who has hinted that he’d be welcome among the Bullet Club OG’s. One thing is guaranteed: however it all breaks down, Jay White will be at the epicentre.

At just 25 years old, White has ample time to hone his craft in the ring, though his A-block matches have already demonstrated considerable improvement. What he lacks in polish, he makes up for in fire and aggression – and, lest we question Jay’s legitimacy as a contender, a clean win over YOSHI-HASHI has lent him a credibility he was beginning to lack.

He is almost the full package, and whether or not he ends up at the top of the A-block table (a very real possibility) his G1 performance has put paid to any lingering doubts as to whether White is ready for the big time.