5 things you didn't know about AEW's new debutant Jay White

#4. Before wrestling in AEW and New Japan, Jay White grew up in New Zealand

Jay White is currently the only New Zealander to wrestle in AEW. He grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. The NJPW star participated in many of the sports native to the country growing up, such as cricket and rugby.

An athlete from a young age, White was eventually going to channel his physical gifts in a more violent direction. There are not many local wrestling schools at his homeland, so White traveled to the UK to receive his training.

While there are not a lot of Kiwis wrestling in major promotions, White's career serves as an inspiration for other fellow citizens to follow in his footsteps.

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#3. Winning free tickets to catch WrestleMania 27 live ignited Jay White's passion for wrestling

New Japan Pro Wrestling star Jay White recently appeared on Chris Van Vliet’s “INSIGHT” podcast recently and told the story of winning free tickets to WrestleMania 27 which lead to him wanting to become a wrestler:

“I think it was just being young and having that belief in myself. I actually won a competition on the radio for tickets and flights that were all paid for to go to WrestleMania. It was WrestleMania 27 in Atlanta and that got me back into wrestling. I thought if I was fortunate to win this, why not become a wrestler? From there, it kind of felt like it was meant to be, so I did everything I felt I needed to, but there was never a blueprint, it wasn’t a guarantee." said White.

The future IWGP Champion heard on the radio that there was a competition and the winner would go to WrestleMania, all paid for. He would go on to win the contest and experience the pageantry of a Mania' weekend in Atlanta, Georgia.