Jay White debuted on AEW Dynamite in April this year, marking a full-time move from NJPW.
The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champions was a huge coup for AEW – he seemed certain to join AEW that year, but the merger with UFC put an end to the move.
He struggled to make an impact in the first few months in AEW. He wrestled in a battle royal at Double or Nothing, and missed Forbidden Door completely, as well as not featuring in any high-profile matches on Dynamite.
Despite the huge hype, Jay White simply wasn’t given the chance to make an impact on Dynamite. Luckily for him, AEW Collision would soon start and give him the platform to succeed.
Jay White on AEW Collision
With CM Punk’s return to AEW after the “Brawl Out” controversy, a soft brand split was made with the creation of a new TV show.
CM Punk led the charge on AEW Collision, trying to foster a more positive backstage atmosphere with a number of underused talents.
Meanwhile, AEW Dynamite stuck with Kenny Omega and The Elite, a group who CM Punk had targeting in his infamous press conference after All Out.
One man who was promoted as a star on AEW Collision was Jay White. He was joined by Juice Robinson, and pushed as the leader of “Bullet Club Gold”.
The pair rose up the ranks in the tag team division, even beating FTR in a non-title match. This lead to an incredible 58-minute bout on Collision, where Switchblade couldn’t stop his side losing the match 2-1, which was rated as a 5-star match by Dave Meltzer.
He also had some fantastic bouts both in singles action (against Dalton Castle and Metalik) as well as in tag team matches (including the main event of the first AEW Collision, against FTR and CM Punk).
Jay White has been a constant presence in the Collision main event, truly proving how Collision is the Bullet Club Gold’s show.
As well as in the ring, Jay White and “The Bang Bang Gang” have put on some of the best promos in AEW. White’s incredible promos have mixed with Juice Robinson’s manic ramblings to make some entertaining and compelling speeches.
Adding The Gunns to their team, and a cardboard cut out of White called “Cardblade” (a pun on his nickname, Switchblade) has quickly made the group some of the best characters in AEW, and truly ready to main event and win titles in AEW.