Jay White needs a win and big push after AEW Full Gear 2024

AEW Full Gear 2024 is set for Saturday, November 23. One of the featured matches of the evening will pit Jay White against “Hangman” Adam Page. Page, being one of the most important people in AEW, is well-protected at all times. Yet, there’s a feeling that he’s going to drop the match to the surging White, who is returning from injury. There’s an interesting debate about White’s star power in All Elite Wrestling, which is a conversation that isn’t as cut and dry as it would seem.

In April 2023, White joined All Elite Wrestling after a successful stint in New Japan Pro Wrestling where he was a multiple-time champion. This came after several rumors that WWE is interested in securing White’s talents, but what has been described as a “hiring freeze” put a stop to that. AEW was getting someone who many fans considered one of the best in the world. Someone who would fit into the title picture. Unfortunately, that hasn’t played out, leaving many to fall on separate sides of the debate. In the eyes of some, White isn’t the star many claimed him to be. To others, he’s another example of Tony Khan failing to consistently book top names.

Coming into AEW, White was a two-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, NEVER Openweight Champion, IWGP Intercontinental Champion, and IWGP United States Champion. He picked up big wins over the likes of Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Adam Page, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and several others along the way. New Japan booked him like one of the top names in the promotion, after several other foreign names left for other companies. White was an attraction and his in-ring work matched the interest of those NJPW and hardcore fans.

But that momentum hasn’t translated in AEW. Since joining the company, he’s held the Ring of Honor and AEW Trios Championship, titles that haven’t amounted to much for any team who held them. Now that he’s back from injury, it’s hard to see where he fits in the stacked main card picture. All Elite Wrestling has names like Jon Moxley, MJF, Swerve Strickland, and even Adam Cole who would be booked over White at this time. Does this mean that Khan’s booking has hindered Jay White as a name for AEW? Perhaps. We’ve seen issues with long-term booking for several fan favorites like Miro, Ricky Starks, Ethan Page, Malakai Black, and even the entire tag team division recently. It’s a viable complaint to make as White remains in the middle of the pack.

Jay White versus Adam Page will be a fun match at AEW Full Gear. They are two excellent wrestlers who will put on a great match. If White picks up the victory, he should be on the move toward a title shot in the future. But will he be the major champion that some fans see him as? The answer to that question is much more difficult to answer at this time, but one that has the potential to have a positive outcome for “Switchblade.”