“What This Country Means to You”

Jay White’s words to Hikuleo at New Year’s Dash painted the picture for his goals. Having lost his IWGP World Heavyweight Title at Wrestle Kingdom 17 to Kazuchika Okada, White drew a connection to his current state from Hikuleo’s act of betrayal during the Burning Spirit tour. White pummeled Hikuleo at NYD, leaving him in a heap before claiming that Hikuleo “took everything from him”, setting the course for Jay White to “take everything” in return and challenging Hikuleo to a match where the Loser Leaves Japan.

White’s goal was crystal-clear. In his mind, he would not have lost to Okada without the distraction that was Hikuleo’s betrayal. Statistically, White wasn’t wrong to think of this, holding a 4-1 record over Okada prior to WK17, including a win at WK13 in under 15 minutes. With this in his head, White knew what to target, citing Hikuleo’s joy at being accepted as part of the NJPW Hontai unit, his family living in Japan and learning the language, and even Hikuleo getting to team with Tanahashi. He knew “what this country meant to him”… but in reality, the country meant so much more to Jay White.

The Forging of a Switchblade

Having started his career in 2012, Jay White, as he has often stated, was alone, having moved out of New Zealand in pursuit of his wrestling dream. It was during this quest that he would rub elbows with the leader of the recently formed Bullet Club, Prince Devitt. Devitt would pass White his contact information for New Japan Pro Wrestling as well as get White in touch with his Underboss, Bad Luck Fale. What followed would not only be the catalyst to a history-making run in NJPW, but it would serve as an invaluable step in White’s personal journey.

His arrival in NJPW saw him training alongside David Finlay as a Young Lion in the NJPW Dojo. It was there that White made his next biggest connection, competing against Alex Shelley in his debut Singles match. When White was sent to America as part of the customary Excursion period for Young Lions to learn wrestling abroad, White found a place to stay with his debut opponent, moving to Detroit to live with Shelley during his Excursion period. Remaining close with Shelley during his RoH time would prove to be a benefit that cannot be overstated, allowing White to not only work alongside the Motor City Machine Guns, but the experience would allow White to develop into a cunning, crafty performer in RoH, even taking the former RoH Champion Jay Briscoe to a time-limit draw. His development proceeding nicely, it would be time to return to the ring he called “home”.

The Switchblade Becomes a Catalyst for Change

Jay White’s return from his Excursion period as the Switchblade is one that, arguably, very few could match. Kazuchika Okada (in)famously returned from his Excursion as the Rainmaker to confront Yoshi-Hashi at Wrestle Kingdom 6. Jay White’s return was marked by confronting The Ace of NJPW, Hiroshi Tanahashi for the Intercontinental Championship. Despite White’s defeat, it immediately positioned White in a place of power, making him the latest recruitment target for the Bullet Club. In a move that would later become much clearer, White refused their recruitment by laying out Kenny Omega and joining CHAOS. Similarly to his time in the US with Shelley, White’s time under CHAOS would have its benefits, placing him directly within one of NJPW’s most powerful units.

White’s affiliation with CHAOS not only gave him powerful allies against Bullet Club, but it allowed him a closer look at the IWGP Champion at the time, Kazuchika Okada. This would pay off when, in under a month, White would defeat Kenny Omega for the IWGP US Championship, establishing CHAOS as a true “power stable”. Months later, Okada’s legendary 720 Day Reign would come to an end by the very man he had beaten for the US Title, opening the door for White to officially jump ship to the Bullet Club, joining the stable that he truly considered his “family” and bringing his NJPW career full-circle. Given a foot in the door to NJPW by the founders of the Bullet Club, Jay White kicked it open the rest of the way once the Elite had been expelled to truly begin a legendary run and establish himself as The Catalyst.

A True Agent of Chaos

Jay White’s betrayal of CHAOS led to Okada and Tanahashi, two of NJPW’s greatest rivals, putting aside their differences and placing CHAOS and Hontai in a united front, even forcing Okada to find his old self again after the crumbling defeat that ended his championship run. The result would be White defeating Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 13 in under 15 minutes before going on to defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi only a month into his reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion, securing his first world title and a main-event spot at Madison Square Garden in a rematch against Kazuchika Okada.

From here up until 2021, Jay White’s story would play out in a near-obsession of robbing NJPW fans of their “moments”. Rather, this resulted in Jay White creating his own moments, becoming the first man to win the G1 Climax Contract from the tournament winner as well as becoming the first true NJPW Grand Slam Champion. In 2021, White began the expansion of the Bullet Club in a move that would ultimately prove to be his own undoing. Following the addition of House of Torture in 2020, this expansion into the US brought with it the likes of El Phantasmo, Impact Wrestling’s Chris Bey and Ace Austin, the return of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, and Hikuleo… along with the expulsion of the Guerillas of Destiny.

A G.o.D.-less Bullet Club

The dynamic of G.o.D. and Hikuleo with the Bullet Club is one that Jay White, in his pursuit of “moments” and proclaiming himself the “Catalyst” of Professional Wrestling, simply could not relate with. He was alone. He came to Japan on the word of the Bullet Club before being sent back to America where a chance encounter afforded him a connection and housing in the US… and then back to Japan where an alliance of convenience allowed him the best seat in the house. He could never understand or relate to the G.o.D. and Hikuleo’s brotherhood, and this lack of empathy set in motion his biggest downfall.

By challenging Hikuleo to a match where the Loser Leaves Japan, Jay White had fully tipped his hand. While Jay White had all of the accolades and championships anyone could dream of, White never had a true family within NJPW. His first unit was simply the strategist taking advantage of resources and biding his time. His second unit was because he was an outsider joining a group of outsiders because an outsider held the door open for him. He could never have what they had ever since he stepped into NJPW as the Switchblade, so he carved his own path through anyone who sought to prove him wrong before falling to a man who had everything he didn’t have.

NJPW had given Jay White every possible opportunity. Allowing Jay White to work in America and RoH. Pitting him against Hiroshi Tanahashi fresh from Excursion. Pitting him against Kenny Omega just 3 weeks later for the IWGP US Championship despite losing to Tanahashi. Placing Jay White against Tanahashi for the IWGP Title and allowing Jay White to main-event Madison Square Gardon. Setting Jay White to challenge Kazuchika Okada at Dominion in 2022, allowing him to main-event NJPW’s first crossover show with AEW. Without NJPW and what Japan meant for Jay White, there is no Catalyst. By taking the chance to come to the country on the suggestion of Prince Devitt and Bad Luck Fale, Jay White was able to forge a career of a lifetime… but he was truly always alone.

The Switchblade’s True Colors

Tama Tonga and Hikuleo’s brotherhood proved to be an unbreakable bond, something that White never had, and in his defeat to Okada to Wrestle Kingdom 17, the mask fell for the first time as White’s defiance faded into a brief embrace of his long-time rival. After the defeat against Hikuleo, reality set in for the Catalyst…and in one last, stunning gesture, he exchanged a fist-bump with Tanahashi, the man he sought to antagonize for everything he represented in NJPW. When challenging Hikuleo, White mentioned how much “this country means to him”, but deep down, White cast aside how much it meant to himself.

Hikuleo will always have his brothers, as has been proven time and again with G.o.D. in the past and even in the moments immediately leading to his betrayal of Jay White. Hikuleo’s original home was in the United States as part of NJPW Strong, but Japan afforded plenty of comfort and opportunities for his family. White left his home by himself to come to Japan, only to find himself roaming from home to home. Unit to Unit before finally coming to the one place he could consider “home”…and by the time he got there, it was a far different “home” than the one Devitt had founded, the “family” unit of the Bullet Club having already crumbled due to the Civil War with the Elite and only continuing to fracture with House of Torture and the expulsion of G.o.D. at White’s own doing. White could have every championship and even headline Wrestle Kingdom as the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, but in the end, he could never have what Hikuleo has in Japan: Family.

~Fin