CavemanLynn Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 (edited) Anyone expecting Jay White to rock up anywhere and turn out barnburners is going to be disappointed. That's not what Jay does, nor should it be. Over the past two years, White has developed into the perfect foil for absolutely any opponent, and arguably the best pure heel working today. There have been times when I think he could be considered the heel Okada, in that he can work anyone's match while still being 100% his own style. When he first turned up and got the hot shot, Gedo really gave him a mountain to climb. He was pushed as this machiavellian sociopath, while looking like a babyfat-faced emo kid. He worked barely beyond the young boy moveset, lacked the confidence and timing required of that top spot, and, in my opinion, was overshadowed by the betrayal of Okada by Gedo. But then the Chaos and Bullet Club angles clicked. Gedo got his match work up to scratch. The beard grew out, and the diet of rice and fish kicked in and did a Devitt on his physique. It took time but like someone said earlier, he really does feel like the right place at the right time. Context accounts for a lot too. As a kiwi gaijin in Japan, he's instantly got that distinctiveness about him. By working a much slower, methodical, character-based style, his matches had a different flavour and pace to the typical strong style. In fact his recent work often deliberately subverted the norms of Japanese wrestling over there, which played even more into his outsider status. "Cheer for him! You fucking can't!" Going anywhere West without a strong opening angle or hook will very quickly blur him into the pack, as another muscular mid-height white guy with long hair and a beard. I can almost hear his WWE music now, a clink of a knife into Bad Man with extra didgeridoo (because that's kiwi, right, Vince?). I also don't trust WWE to book anyone as being intelligent; that's reserved for McMahons and heels with 10 years service. No doubt there's fun to be had, having a deliberately contrary heel, but that runs the risk of turning him face, or someone takes him eliciting genuine dislike from fans as him not knowing how to work and he ends up playing move tennis like everyone else, except he wins with rope-assisted rollups instead of normal surprise rollups. If he goes to WWE, it feels like a purely financial benefit, which is no bad thing in the current situation. AEW could offer the best of both, but it would stall the momentum he's built up this year in Japan. I don't know what New Japan pay, but that definitely offers him the best chance of career recognition right now, but I wonder if the physical demands of the style (even at his steadier, lower risk pace) would be worth it. Edited January 9, 2021 by CavemanLynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vamp Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 Thing for Jay White is he must know that he was very lucky to get pushed as hard and as fast as he did. And Gedo didn't give up on him when others doubted him. That's probably not going to be true in the WWE. He's got to look at AEW and think "would they have believed enough in me to put the top belt in me?" The answer, so far, is no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JNLister Posted January 10, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted January 10, 2021 Why would anyone go to WWE "just for the money" after Gallows and Anderson? Unless you negotiate a no-cut contract, there's no guarantee you're getting that money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The King Of Swing Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Also can you imagine anyone not named Brock Lesnar making contract demands? Would love to be present for that meeting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyattSheepMask Posted January 13, 2021 Share Posted January 13, 2021 And that’s the end of that chapter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CavemanLynn Posted January 13, 2021 Share Posted January 13, 2021 I love that poster. Not just the old school WOS community centre show filter, but the pictures. Everyone being deadly serious, and Tana just happy to be there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TildeGuy~! Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Jay Whites profile was removed from the New Japan website this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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