During a recent interview with NJPW, Jay White commented on New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 14 pay-per-view event, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
Naito’s change in attitude before their match: “I was a little surprised when he showed a little bit of life. Myself, and the fans have come to expect somebody that’s a little bit too tranquilo. At the end of the day though, he can put all the life into this that he wants, but it’s about Wrestle Kingdom January 4. Against anybody else, maybe he can toy with their minds, but I’m on another level, especially mentally, and especially compared to Naito. Maybe he’s made things a bit more exciting, but it’ s not going to make a difference.”
On NJPW trying to take away his mental edge: “What do you think? I said it in the press conference and online. You can see, by this piece of gold right here that I’m the champion. Wouldn’t you think that as the champion, if there’s a championship match that my face would be on the graphic instead of the challenger alone? In fact, not alone! My belt was in the picture! On the mat! With Naito holding his eye open, looking at it! All that was there was my name. That’s NJPW, taking a mental edge on me, and taking the mental edge away from me. They can’t stand the thought of me being the first ever double IWGP Intercontinental and Heavyweight Champion, so they’re giving him the edge. That’s even more evidenced by the fact that he’s in the match in the first place. I beat him in the G1 and I beat him for [the title] in Kobe. That’s two wins for me, zero for him. And what did he do? Beat Taichi? And that puts him at the front of the line? No, no, but apparently New Japan thinks that’s OK. They do what they want anyway. Like earlier in the year, I should have had my IWGP Heavyweight title rematch against Okada, but instead Tanahashi comes out and says he wants to be number one contender. So we have a match that you would think would be a number one contender match. And I win, of course, because it was against that old, decrepit Tanahashi. You’d think that I’d be top contender but no. The company has a history of pulling the rug from under me. The evidence is all there, you just have to open your eyes and see it.”
On how he will rub it in everyone’s faces when he becomes double champion: “When I become champion, what I’m going to do is go on a worldwide tour, starting in Japan, rubbing this in everybody’s face. In the wrestlers’ face, the company’s face, President Meij’s face, Chairman Sugabayashi’s face. I’ll flip his table over while I’m doing it. Then I’m going to go over to America. I’m going to march into the LA Dojo, slap Katsuyori Shibata right in his face and rub the belts in his face too. I’ll show all his students what a real champion looks like. I’m going to go around New Beginning USA, and see all those American fans that think they know me so well, I’m going to spit in all their faces. They can boo me all they want, but they won’t be able to deny the fact that I’m better than every single one of them. Hell, I might even go into other companies and spit in all their faces too! I’ll go and prove to everyone that just like I always say, I am the best! I, and I alone.”
