It has now been a whole year since “Switchblade” Jay White signed with AEW, and in that time it is safe to say that he hasn’t quite been the sensation that many thought he would be. He may have had PPV main events and title wins, but this comes among some questionable booking and a lack of real progression. There is still time to switch things around for White in AEW, and he has plenty of talent to back himself up when the time comes for him to be elevated once again, but thus far his AEW run has been a big disappointment, and there are several arguments for that point.
Jay White Had A Slow Start In AEW
Jay White Didn’t Feel Like A Major AEW Star
- AEW’s presentation of Jay White wasn’t perfect
- Jay White has been just another guy in AEW
- Jay White should have gotten the Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada treatment
You would be forgiven if you’d forgotten all about how Jay White was first introduced as a new signing to AEW. On the April 5 episode of Dynamite last year, Jay White emerged from the back prior to a scheduled match between Ricky Starks and Juice Robinson. He and Robinson attacked Starks, officially forming “Bullet Club Gold”. This was not given the pomp and circumstance of signings like Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, and Mercedes Mone, which was perhaps, in hindsight, not a great sign for what was to come for White.
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From there, White had some basic matches with the likes of Komander and Ricky Starks, before competing at his very first AEW PPV. For someone with such a resume and hype, you’d have thought his first PPV would be a big occasion and he would’ve been granted a noteworthy opponent. Instead, he was dumped out unceremoniously in an International Championship battle royal – not even making it to the final portion of the bout. In his first few months, White really began to just feel like any other guy. Things did improve when he and Robinson challenged FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championships in a breathtaking match, but this was one positive out of quite a few negatives at the time.
Jay White’s AEW World Title Feud Was A Complete Failure
Jay White Vs. MJF Was One Of AEW’s Worst Received Rivalries Of 2023
- Jay White challenged MJF in the main event of Full Gear
- “The Devil” storyline hung over the Jay White and MJF feud
- The narrative of Jay White stealing the AEW World Championship was drawn out
Despite not really establishing himself yet, White set his sights on the AEW World Championship. Entering the world title scene and eventually main eventing a PPV should have been a good thing, but unfortunately, the result of White vs. MJF was a predictable one, and the long-term build did more to hurt their eventual match. White’s promos were not full of much substance, becoming repetitive and jarring. The feud with MJF was pretty much just about White stealing the AEW World Title, with the focus being more on the mysterious identity of “The Devil”, who was orchestrating attacks on AEW wrestlers and targeting MJF.
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The whole “Devil” angle was one which received a lot of negative reviews from fans, with it being too gimmicky, over-the-top, and taking focus away from what could have been a great story and rivalry between two world class stars. Bullet Club Gold (with the addition of The Gunns) were becoming quite entertaining, but much of that was due to Juice Robinson rather than White, so it felt like he was being overshadowed. The match between White and MJF also didn’t go down well, with MJF’s injured underdog babyface character being ridiculously excessive in the bout. MJF overcoming the odds stacked against him made White look weak for not getting the job done, nearly doing irreparable damage to his stock.
Jay White Is Lost In The AEW Trios Division
The AEW Trios Division Is A Complete Mess Right Now
- Bullet Club Gold’s feud with The Acclaimed has dragged on
- Winning the AEW World Trios Titles doesn’t mean much
- Jay White should be a singles star
White had a chance to bounce back in the Continental Classic, but he ultimately lost in that too. The next step was White and The Gunns winning the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championships. This was not a good runners-up prize for White, as the ROH belts do not feel important on AEW programming. A friendship and feud with The Acclaimed dominated White’s last few months in AEW, which has been among the least entertaining stories on TV. This isn’t reflective on White’s talent or anyone involved, but there is just a spark that is missing with the feud, and it is now dragging.
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Regardless of whether it was a DQ or not, White being dominated and having a loss on his record against a 60 year old Billy Gunn is a sign of how far White has fallen in AEW, and it is a shame to see. Even Bullet Club Gold beating the Acclaimed at AEW Dynasty didn’t do much for him, as the match aired on the Zero Hour pre-show. White does have a lot to offer, he is still fairly young, and he is a proven main eventer and world champion, so all hope isn’t lost, but his first year in the company must be considered as a disappointment. There has been a lot to love about AEW recently, with Sting’s retirement being fantastic, the TNT Title scene hot, the women’s division growing in prominence, and the emergence of new stars like Swerve Strickland, but White’s time in the company is not one of those positives, and that needs to change.
