Jay White is All Elite, but he was almost WWE bound instead.
The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion has been the talk of the wrestling world in 2023 after departing New Japan Pro-Wrestling and becoming a free agent. Many reports stated that White was headed to WWE, but Switchblade shocked the world by appearing on the April 5 episode of AEW Dynamite and signing with the competition instead. So how did WWE let this happen?
According to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp (via Fightful Select), Jay White signed a multi-year deal with All Elite Wrestling ahead of WrestleMania 39. It was said at this point WWE was aware of the fact that Switchblade wasn’t coming in.
While there was a lot of interest in White from WWE and confidence that they could sign him, Sapp reports that WWE “failed to communicate properly along the process,” which could have led him to sign with All Elite Wrestling instead.
WWE sources believe that not landing White could be due to the return of Vince McMahon and the lack of hires that have taken place in 2023, but that has yet to be confirmed.
The company was so confident in landing White at one point that Triple H had the creative team devise tentative plans for his debut.
By joining All Elite Wrestling, it seems White will be able to continue as a member of The Bullet Club due to the company’s relationship with New Japan. White lost a loser leaves New Japan match against Eddie Kingston at Battle in the Valley back in February when many thought he was headed to WWE.
READ MORE: Jay White Signs With AEW, Attacks Ricky Starks On 4/5 AEW Dynamite
What do you make of this report? Are you happy to see Jay White in All Elite Wrestling? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
