Add as a preferred source on Google Jay White is officially back on AEW programming. “Switchblade” returned Sunday during AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, held at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
The return came during the AEW World Tag Team Championship match, where Christian Cage and Adam Copeland defended the titles against The Dogs, the team of David Finlay and Clark Connors.
Late in the match, Finlay tried to use his shillelagh on Copeland, but the lights went out before he could strike. When the lights came back on, the Bang Bang Gang appeared on the stage, creating a major distraction.
At that point, White appeared in the ring, took the weapon out of Finlay’s hands, and opened the door for Copeland to hit a Spear, followed by the pinfall for the win.
With that, Cage and Cope retained the AEW World Tag Team Championship, the titles they won at Double or Nothing by defeating FTR in an “I Quit” New York Street Fight.
The appearance ended White’s absence of more than a year from AEW. He had been out since April 2025 after suffering a hand injury and also dealing with a shoulder issue. In August of last year, Tony Khan had already indicated that White would be out for a long time.
After the match, White left the ring to celebrate with the Bang Bang Gang on the entrance ramp, while Cage and Copeland celebrated their title defense inside the ring.