Former champion set to return to AEW soon - Reports
AEW has gotten several of its major stars back from injury this year, but in exchange, a few more have been put on the shelf. Alongside the likes of Adam Copeland and Kenny Omega, former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Jay White has been out of action with a foot injury.
'Switchblade' Jay White last competed on July 6, losing his Owen Hart Foundation Tournament match against 'Hangman' Adam Page. The 31-year-old injured his foot at that time, which forced The Bang Bang Gang to vacate the AEW World Trios Championship, despite the group trying to invoke the Freebird Rule.
Previous reports had indicated that White's injury was legitimate and that he was not expected to be out of action for long. That seems to be the case, as Fightful Select has reported that the New Zealand native was set to return to TV soon.
According to Fightful, Jay White is currently healthy, and plans are in place to get him back in the mix shortly. Whether he makes an appearance at All In on August 25 remains to be seen.
Rene Dupree claims it's not too late for AEW's Jay White to become a WWE Superstar
Jay White is a former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and Bullet Club leader, so many fans expected a massive singles run for the 31-year-old when he joined AEW. Despite heading up his own stable and winning the World Trios Championship, his run has left some disappointed.
Wrestling veteran, Rene Dupree thinks it's not too late for White to head to WWE. Speaking on the Cafe de Rene podcast, he brought up the unfortunate nature of The Switchblade's NJPW run, in which he was pushed into the main event scene after Kenny Omega's departure:
"It's never too late [to go to WWE]. [...] I'm sorry, Jay. I don't mean to offend you but they [NJPW] were trying to quick fix because of Kenny Omega leaving. So they put the title on [Jay White]," Dupree said.
Jay White received a shot at the AEW World Championship at last year's Full Gear pay-per-view but he came up short. Whether the 31-year-old will find success in the singles division after returning from his injury remains to be seen.