Jay White

[Grimmas]

Mantaur Rodeo Clown said:

Inexplicably does not have a nomination yet despite being a fairly prominent wrestler over the past 10 years or so. Jay White exemplifies a minimalism that clashes strongly with current North American wrestling's obsession with maximalist. More spots, more near falls, more finishes, more crowd chants, more stipulations, more everything. Jay White has a less-is-more attitude that makes him stand apart from his peers, but ultimately makes him mismatched from his current booking and overlooked.

A tremendous look, a good promo, a solid base for different styles of wrestling and an endless gas tank that makes him versatile as wrestler. He may simply just be too young still (32 at time of posting) to rank in the top 100, but he is certainly putting together a very good resume.

Matches

Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood vs Jay White & Juice Robinson - AEW Collision, 07.15.2023

To my mind, the best tag team match of the decade so far. Everything is picture perfect, every wrestler working in concert and combining beyond the sum of their parts. As Salieri says, move one note and there would be diminishment. Jay White is stellar in this match, phenomenally selling the fatigue of the match and getting the stipulation over. The visual of Juice dragging Jay back to a corner after a fall, and Jay selling like death in his lap is absolute gold.

Jay White vs Adam Page - AEW Wrestledream, 10.12.2024

Any of their matches together are very good, and veer away from the trend of AEW matches in this period. They don't go for diminishing returns with endless kickouts. They don't trade momentum back and forth endlessly until any throughline is lost. Good, solid legwork leading up to a spectacular finish. Jay's smoothness in the ring is clear in the match, as is his ability to read a crowd and adjust.

Jay White vs Kota Ibushi - NJPW G1 Climax 2019 - 08.12.2019

Just a wonderful, bombastic performance in the NJPW style, at the tale end of the era for this sort of match. Wonderful heel work throughout by Jay, probably the career performance up to that point for him.

Jay White vs Juice Robinson - NJPW G1 Special in San Francisco, 07.07.2018.

The match is great, but for me, this is all about the one spot where Jay White suplexes Juice into the barricade, knocking Jim Ross over. Apparently, JR had voiced his concerns earlier in the day about it. Before you know it, Josh Barnett is acting like a mega-mark, storming the ring to protect the honor of his commentary partner. Is it a work? Is it a shoot? I don't know. Either way, Jay White's reaction (planned or improvised) is pure heel genius.

[Ma Stump Puller]

idk about White being a "minimalist" his best stint was in a company that infamously dragged the fuck out of every semi/main event by at least 10 minutes (something he happily got himself involved with) not to also mention that horrendous engorged tumour that was the WK15 Ibushi match. Jerry Lawler was a minimalist, Jay White's just more of a throwback-type to control heavy heels that don't heavily rely on flash.

Jay White for GWE is a tricky one, sometimes he clicks and seems like the biggest bastard in the world (especially when it comes to the micro elements like fatigue-selling, emoting, fluidity etc) but he's someone who's whole style hinges greatly on his opponent complimenting what he brings to the table; he needs a strong babyface OR at least someone who's willing to respect his slower pace to truly get something great out of him. He's very defensive, more of someone who relies on a great hook (a super-athlete like late 2010's Ibushi or a face with a big legacy like Tanahashi) than making one himself. One could argue that's been exposed heavily in AEW where he doesn't have the benefit of perhaps having that structure always in front of him, especially with the varied opponents he gets. 

For him to be on a GWE2026 list you'd need to be heavily leaning it on NJPW work, for me personally I just don't click with that enough to consider him there.

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

On 5/19/2025 at 3:29 AM, Ma Stump Puller said:

idk about White being a "minimalist" his best stint was in a company that infamously dragged the fuck out of every semi/main event by at least 10 minutes (something he happily got himself involved with) not to also mention that horrendous engorged tumour that was the WK15 Ibushi match. Jerry Lawler was a minimalist, Jay White's just more of a throwback-type to control heavy heels that don't heavily rely on flash.

I mean of course, minimalist with respect to his current role in AEW. He is merely Jerry Lawler in comparison to guys like Ospreay, Fletcher, Takeshita et al. Obviously nobody actually wrestles like Jerry Lawler these days, because then they wouldn't get booked.

On 5/19/2025 at 3:29 AM, Ma Stump Puller said:

He's very defensive, more of someone who relies on a great hook (a super-athlete like late 2010's Ibushi or a face with a big legacy like Tanahashi) than making one himself.

I think there's something to be said for being a flexible, versatile base when you're a heel. Instead of just overpowering every match and making it a Flair match or an MJF match or an Ospreay match, a heel who can adapt and showcase the face more is actually a talent. Whether that means he can't raise a mediocre wrestler up is another thing