Jay White Won’t Be Out Long Despite Injury and Surgery

AEW fans were stunned when “Switchblade” Jay White was suddenly yanked from the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, with the company claiming an attack by the Death Riders was to blame. But now, the real reason behind his absence has surfaced—and it’s not just storyline.

According to Wrestling Observer Radio, the former Bullet Club Gold leader is dealing with a legitimate injury that will require surgery. Dave Meltzer dropped the key detail during the show: “So, what did you hear? I heard Jay White broken hand and surgery.”

Bryan Alvarez added that while the injury is real, it might not sideline White for too long. “I heard the Jay White was injured, but I guess surgery. I just heard it was not expected he was going to be out a really long time, whatever that means, but he’s out. It’s a legitimate injury.”

The injury explains why AEW opted to create a storyline attack from the Death Riders on the April 2, 2025 episode of Dynamite, using it to write White out of the tournament without revealing the actual medical issue on air.

Jay White was considered one of the frontrunners in this year’s tournament, sharing top billing with stars like Will Ospreay and Hangman Adam Page. His absence is already causing major shifts behind the scenes, with AEW needing to rework creative plans to account for the sudden vacancy.

As fans hope for a speedy recovery, it’s clear the loss of Switchblade is a blow to AEW’s tournament build—and possibly bigger storylines down the line.