Since the proverbial opening of the “Forbidden Door,” numerous stars from New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Impact Wrestling have appeared in All Elite Wrestling, with the latest being Bullet Club leader “Switchblade” Jay White. Since making his on-screen debut on the 2/16/2022 episode of Dynamite, White has put away Trent Beretta in a standout match.

RELATED: 10 Must-See Jay White Matches Before His AEW In-Ring Debut

While die-hard fans were excited to see fans, it’s possible that others might not be totally aware of Jay White, as most of his career has been spent in NJPW. So let’s cover the pro wrestling exploits of the Switchblade, which involve as much betrayal as one would expect from a member of Bullet Club.

10 Got Into NJPW Via Finn Balor

Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, Jay White officially debuted in 2013, wrestling throughout the UK. A year later, however, his career trajectory changed dramatically upon wrestling a tag match alongside Finn Balor, who at the time was performing for NJPW as Bullet Club founder Prince Devitt. Devitt was impressed by the young White, and urged New Japan to sign white and train him in the NJPW Dojo. Needless to say, Jay White accepted NJPW’s offer.

9 NJPW Young Lion

The year 2015 saw White officially go to Japan and train in the Dojo, debuting in late January as a “Young Lion,” NJPW’s official term for its dojo students who wrestle opening matches on shows. His first match would be a losing effort against veteran Alex Shelley, after which White would perform the typical Young Lion onscreen duties: wrestling other Young Lions, losing to veterans, and eating pins in tag team matches featuring veteran talent.

8 ROH Excursion

Like many other Young Lions, Jay White embarked on an international excursion, spending time in other promotions — often NJPW partners — and honing his skills, the pro wrestling equivalent of studying abroad. White’s excursion occurred in 2016 as he traveled to the United States, wrestling for Ring of Honor and rooming with Alex Shelley.

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During his ROH run, White captured no titles, but did earn a shot at the World Title and formed a stable called Search and Destroy. He also teamed with several of his NJPW co-workers during this time, including Alex Shelley, Kushida, and Hiromu Takahashi, who also wrestled under a mask as Kamaitachi.

7 Took On Tanahashi In His Debut

Jay White’s excursion would last until late 2017. Following a series of mysterious vignettes, White made his official return to NJPW as a fully-formed character, a knife obsessed villain. His first order of business was attacking NJPW ace and Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, setting up a big title match at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in January 2018. While he lost the bout, Jay White having his debut match be for a major title was an impressive start for the newly minted “Switchblade.”

6 Member Of CHAOS

Pretty much every member of the NJPW roster is part of a stable, even if that stable is the babyface main unit (a.k.a. “Hontai”). As a villainous gaijin, White seemed like a shoo-in for the company’s resident foreigner heel stable, Bullet Club. Following his re-debut at Wrestle Kingdom, Jay White made gestures at joining Bullet Club, but immediately turned on them, targeting leader Kenny Omega in particular. Instead of BC, White dedicated his loyalty to CHAOS, the pseudo-babyface stable featuring Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hirooki Goto, which is often a direct rival of Bullet Club.

5 Betrayed CHAOS For Bullet Club

To fans, Jay White seemed like such an obvious heel that his inclusion in CHAOS felt like a ticking time bomb to an inevitable betrayal. That betrayal finally happened in September 2018, when White launched an attack on stablemate Okada. To add to the surprise, Okada’s manager Gedo and Gedo’s tag team partner Jado participated in the attack. As a result, White, Gedo, and Jado all jumped ship from CHAOS to Bullet Club. Finally, with the departure of Kenny Omega from NJPW, Jay White assumed leadership of Bullet Club.

4 First To Win G1 Briefcase

Winners of the G1 Climax tournament earn a World Title shot at the following Wrestle Kingdom, as represented by a briefcase, but said winner must also defend the briefcase and therefore their right to challenge. At 2020’s Power Struggle, Jay White became the first wrestler to actually beat a G1 Winner for the briefcase when he defeated Kota Ibushi.

RELATED: 5 Reasons Kota Ibushi Was The Best Choice To Win The G1 Climax (& 5 Better Options)

Ibushi ended up winning the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Double Championship from Tetsuya Naito on Night 1 of Wrestle Kingdom 15, so White’s big main event bout on Night 2 would become a rematch between him and Ibushi. Unfortunately, White was not able to dethrone the new champion.

3 Descent Into Madness

Following his high-profile loss at Wrestle Kingdom 15, Jay White stunned fans with an incredible promo that saw White breathing heavily as he expressed shrieking frustration, upset to the point of seeming unhinged. It was so convincing that fans believed White was either embarking on a face turn or quitting New Japan. But White did not quit NJPW, continuing to wrestle for the company on its main shows as well as its America-based New Japan Strong.

2 NJPW Grand Slam Champion

Following his surprise defeat of Hiroshi Tanahashi in the 2021 New Japan Cup, Jay White earned a shot at Tanahashi’s NEVER Openweight Championship, dethroning the champion in a near-40-minute effort. That title win would be White’s fourth singles title in NJPW, alongside the IWGP US Title, the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. As a result, White earned the distinction of becoming New Japan’s first-ever Grand Slam Champion, having captured all major singles belts.

1 Appearances For Impact

In 2021, Impact Wrestling rekindled their previously moribund relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling, resulting in numerous NJPW talents appearing on Impact television, and vice versa. Jay White’s debut came in July of 2021 in a promo segment with Kenny Omega, after which White established Bullet Club as a mainstay stable in the Impact Zone. During this run, White would recruit former X Division Champion Chris Bey as a member of BC, as well as kick G.O.D. (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) out of the group.