Jay White Announces NJPW Exit After New Year Dash

Jay White has announced that he intends to quit NJPW after their post-Wrestle Kingdom event New Year Dash, citing a lack of appreciation within the company.

White revealed his intentions shortly after unsuccessfully challenging for the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships against freshly crowned champion Kota Ibushi. During a frankly deranged tirade where he berated the promotion, Japanese media and fans for not appreciating him, the Bullet Club leader stated that after New Year Dash – the event that traditionally takes place the day after Wrestle Kingdom events – he will be leaving New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

White – who currently serves as Bullet Club’s fifth leader after usurping Kenny Omega in 2018 – guaranteed his spot in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 15 night 2 after defeating Kota Ibushi for his G1 Right To Challenge Contract at Power Struggle last November. Despite the New Zealand native taking Ibushi’s chance to challenge for NJPW’s top titles, the ‘Golden Star’ still managed to capture the gold first by defeating Tetsuya Naito for both belts in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 15’s first night.

In the closing moments of his maniacal rant, White stated that he isn’t “gonna do this anymore” and that after New Year Dash “that’s it”:

“So maybe my time would be spent better someplace else. I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m not gonna do this anymore. If this is all it’s for, I’m not gonna do it. Tomorrow, contractually, if they want me to wrestle again after all I’ve been through and I don’t mean just tonight, I mean the last… In eight days, it’ll be eight years to the date since I first stepped in a wrestling ring and started training.

I’m not gonna do this anymore so if they want me to show up tomorrow, fine. I’m sure they will because you all – New Japan, the media, fans – you love nothing more than to see me distressed, to see me like this, huh? Fine. I’ll show up tomorrow if you want me to. But after that, that’s it.”

The comments are quite obviously made in kayfabe – as NJPW announced the news themselves on both their English website and YouTube channel – but this does make for a great hook to get people watching New Year Dash. At the time of writing, no matches or segments have been announced for the show.

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