“Switchblade” Jay White remains focused on taking New Japan STRONG to new heights.
The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion was prominently featured on NJPW’s primary company for several years, but he has recently been starring on NJPW STRONG. This trend will continue on January 15 when, at “New Beginning USA 2022“, White hosts the US of Jay Open Challenge.
In an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated ahead of the show, White emphasized his goal to elevate STRONG and stated that 2022 will be the year the brand realizes its potential.
“I’m putting my all into New Japan STRONG and making it what I believe it can be,” said White. “STRONG keeps growing and growing with each show that we do, and we have a lot of potential here. 2022 is going to be the year we tap into that.”
Later in the interview, when asked about his goals for this year, White repeated his aim to build up the STRONG brand, and he argued that putting him front and center would be the best way to do so.
At the moment, White doesn’t hold a title, but he’s not worried about the lack of a championship around his waist. When asked about whether he views winning the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship as his path back to the top, he pointed out that titles don’t necessarily make the man. Plus, he brought up the prominence of other titles, like the NEVER Openweight Championship he lost in November, as a sign that the world championship isn’t the “best title” in wrestling.
“I don’t need that belt to prove I am the best,” said White. “Is that still the best belt? That question is out there. When I held the IWGP heavyweight title, or when I held the NEVER belt, an argument could always be made that it was the best title in all of wrestling. That is no longer the case, especially with the NEVER belt.”
No matter what his future holds beyond this weekend, White will look to kick off 2022 with a win at “New Beginning USA 2022” in Seattle. More information is available here.
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