Why Kazuchika Okada Must Leave New Japan For WWE In 2024

Kazuchika Okada has been one of the best professional wrestlers on the planet for roughly the last decade. Yet he”s been proving this, not in a major American promotion, but in a Japanese company. One that, while it has been around for decades, was nowhere near as successful as it is today. Okada has been the man on top during this rise, and the company put everything behind him. New Japan Pro Wrestling has been changing a lot over the last few years, but the one thing that remained the same was that Okada was the “ace” for the company. However, this might not be the case in 2024.

Okada”s NJPW contract expires at the end of January 2024, meaning by February he could sign with any other professional wrestling company that he”d like. WWE”s CCO, Triple H, has been a massive fan of Okada for years. “The Game” wants to sign him so badly that it is rumored he might offer him the highest salary of any new signing in WWE history. This might seem like a lot for one guy, but Okada has a proven track record.

Not only can this man have a great match with pretty much anyone, but pretty much every single match he has is of 4 to 5-star level. The best thing about him beyond this is his gimmick as well as his size. Most Japanese pro wrestlers have usually been relatively small. Often they are under 6 feet, usually within the cruiserweight weight class, and do not seem like a major threat against the often larger European & American wrestlers.

The Success Of Kazuchika Okada

Okada breaks the normal Japanese wrestler mold big time. He stands at 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs in at roughly 230 lbs. He”s a cardio beast in the ring, capable of working one-hour matches like it”s nothing. He”s also capable of working very stiff, physical matches. This might be why he”s known as one of the toughest wrestlers on the planet.

Okada once took and gave headbutts to an opponent so much in a match that his opponent suffered a legitimate subdermal hematoma. That opponent (Katsuyori Shibata) is doing fine today though. Okada has been at the center of most of New Japan”s rise over the past decade. Due to his impressive work, the company has rewarded him with numerous titles and tournament wins.

Kazuchika Okada is a 7-time World Champion for New Japan. He has won 5 IWGP Heavyweight Champion and a 2-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. He actually holds several records for the IWGP Heavyweight Title, including:

• Longest Single Title Reign: 720 days
• Most Title Defenses For A Single Reign: 12
• Longest Total Time As Champion: 1,790
• Most Total Title Defenses As Champion: 30

On top of this, Okada has won the New Japan Cup twice, and the infamous G1 Climax Tournament 4 times. In New Japan, their version of WrestleMania is the big Wrestle Kingdom event that takes place in early January each year. Okada has been in the main event of this show 8 times (Wrestle Kingdom 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, & 17).

Clearly, Okada has accomplished a lot in New Japan Pro Wrestling. However, before “The Rainmaker” was a massive success, he was once a young boy who had quite the journey.

Uphill Young Boy Battle

New trainees in Japan are referred to as “young boys.” This is usually because most of them will be relatively young, some barely out of high school if they are at all. In Japan, the top place to train is of course the New Japan Dojo. They will basically beat the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks out of these kids and help them learn the infamous “Japanese Strong Style.” This is a type of pro-wrestling style that incorporates a lot of strikes and submissions, known for being incredibly physical and grueling on the body.

The idea is that if one is trained in the style young enough, they can develop a level of toughness within the style and likely be capable of taking immense punishment without a lot of injuries. Usually, New Japan would send a young boy to Mexico to train…often with the CMLL promotion. This is the oldest promotion in the world and properly trains wrestlers in the traditional Lucha Libre style.

Known for the high-flying aspect, Lucha Libre is similar to the Japanese Strong Style. It also incorporates a lot of strikes and submissions, and it”s very physical. The difference is that they also incorporate flamboyance and character development along with, of course, high-flying aerial movement. The two styles also involve many wrestlers wearing masks. This is likely connected to the relationship NJPW has had with CMLL, at least in some form.

However, Okada was not sent to Mexico to get his North American training. Rather, they sent him to the United States due to their need for him to learn our American style. Known for being very big on promos, character development, and storyline building. Something New Japan would later learn to incorporate in a big way.

The TNA Movement:

In the mid-2000s and 2010s, TNA Wrestling was trying to expand more and create new talent exchange opportunities. Meanwhile, NJPW wanted to get into the American market desperately. Working together gave both what they needed. Therefore, they had some TNA wrestlers show up for NJPW events and even capture some of their titles to show off in TNA on their television show. Another thing NJPW decided to do was send some of their “young boys” to TNA to help them learn more.

Okada would be one of the few sent to TNA. This was likely because he had already worked a little in North America right after his initial training before joining the New Japan Dojo. He worked a bit with Chikara along with the NWA. He”d then join the NJD in 2007 and stay there until 2010, while obviously wrestling some on NJPW tours. New Japan put him up against main eventers for the company such as Shinsuke Nakamura and Hirooki Goto, which was quite different from what others would do as part of the NJD.

In 2010, he”d be sent to TNA. This became one of the worst points in his career as the company messed up with him. Despite having a talented Okada on the roster who managed to become a fan favorite, they barely used him. He also rarely saw television time and mostly worked live events for them. TNA”s handling of Okada was so bad that they took him away from them in 2011. They also stopped working with the company for over a decade. Okada went to CMLL for a short learning spell before returning to NJPW in 2012.

Kazuchika Okada”s experience with TNA soured him on all American promotions. However, time has a funny way of changing things.

New Japan Knows Okada May Want More

If it were up to New Japan, Kazuchika Okada would stay on their roster until the day he retires. However, it isn”t and Okada has decided to listen to other offers outside of NJPW & Japan for the first time in a decade. The company knew he wanted to do this, so they have already allowed him to start taking meetings and calls. For those unaware, NJPW contracts have a special clause. It says one is not allowed to speak with other promoters about working with them while under contract.

This was likely included due to the crazy Japanese system where there are multiple successful companies such as Pro Wrestling Noah, AJPW, and Dragon Gate. Not to mention a sea of minor promotions, similar to what one might see in Mexico, Europe, or the United States. That said, to get permission to speak to outside companies is relatively rare. However, NJPW has been letting many of their top workers do this as a form of respect for their hard work.

People like Will Ospreay (who will be signing with AEW), will likely still be allowed to work some NJPW tours. Ospreay, while very successful in his work with New Japan, is not Japanese though. Therefore, to lose an essentially homegrown talent like Okada (who is also one of their biggest stars) would be a huge blow. Despite this, they understand he might feel like there is more to do.

The company has already been building up other Japanese and non-Japanese stars. Including the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Sanada. They also still have notable veterans like Tetsuya Naito & Hiroshi Tanahashi to fall back on too. Therefore, they are prepared to lose Okada should he choose to jump to another promotion in early 2024.

The American Jump

Kazuchika Okada has reportedly enjoyed his opportunities to wrestle in America over the past several years. NJPW has opened up more partnerships with American promotions again, including with AEW. Okada has seemingly put his hatred of American promotions behind him. This has been proven true even more recently, as it was announced that Okada will be competing at TNA Snake Eyes on January 14, 2024. This will take place roughly a week after Wrestle Kingdom.

However, more importantly, this is going to be Okada”s first TNA match in 12 years. “The Rainmaker” is putting his past hatred of TNA behind him enough to return to work at an event for the company. As we know, Anthem Sports & Entertainment owns TNA today, and they have an almost entirely new team behind the scenes. They are not the same company they once were, which is big. However, to return at all proves how much Okada has put his issues aside with them and other American companies.

The question is, will he sign with one of them?

Two companies are interested in his services: AEW & WWE.

While TNA would love to get him, they know they could likely never outbid either AEW or WWE for his services. Plus, TNA is on good terms with both and could likely still get the chance to use Okada from time to time.

Depending on the type of fan you are, it is possible you feel he works best for one company over another. However, we wanted to break down the absolute known facts we have about each possible choice he could make. If Okada has to pick between only these two, it is worth considering what both bring to the table.

AEW”s Case For The Services Of Kazuchika Okada

AEW operates similarly to most independent companies where wrestlers have a major say in what they will end up doing. The owner, Tony Khan, is a massive pro-wrestling fan and a mark for most of the wrestlers. They also have a style of doing things at their core similar to what one might see in New Japan. From tournaments to how they structure matches and even their championships.

This might also be due to the influence of their EVPs Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks. The three were major stars in NJPW. However, there is not a ton of structure beyond this, such as a huge writing and creative team. There is something special about that for many but some dislike it.

There are also many great wrestlers Kazuchika Okada could work with, some of whom he has already had the pleasure of working with. The looseness is great for many backstage. However, for a person who does not speak a lot of English, Okada might struggle to communicate with his peers. Yet there are people like Omega who are fluent in Japanese that he can speak with.

The roster is somewhat crowded, but a talent like Okada will likely get television time. Plus, hardcore fans make up most of the AEW audience, so they”d know his work. Therefore, he”d have a built-in fan base from the very start of his AEW career. AEW also allows wrestlers to work for other promotions while working with them.

Therefore, he could do more work with TNA, head down to AAA or CMLL for a small spell, or even work further NJPW events. That kind of use can be freeing, as his schedule would be pretty wide open considering AEW does not currently have any non-televised live events.

WWE”s Case For The Services Of Kazuchika Okada

While AEW might seem like a dream scenario for Kazuchika Okada, it might be more nightmare fuel. Their lack of major structure and lack of a proven system has caused a lot of backstage issues. Some of these were blamed on CM Punk, but many have taken place both before he was signed and after he was fired. Therefore, we know the locker room has issues and it hasn”t been properly addressed.

Okada is used to a solid, very respectful locker room. Moreover, he is used to a proper system of command and will often do as asked by his superiors. WWE offers the structure he is used to and has thrived in. However, it is unlikely that they”d let him work matches for other companies. They may allow him to work some NJPW events here and there though. That is possible due to wanting to push more into the Asian market and work out a deal of some kind with NJPW.

The locker room and chain of command are well structured in WWE but he also has several Japanese workers to speak with regularly. That includes people like Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka, Iyo Sky, Kairi Sane, & Akira Tozawa. There are others who are relatively fluent in Japanese that he can speak with as well, such as Finn Balor, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, & William Regal. This would make working in WWE a lot easier for Okada and he”d have many who could help him with his English.

WWE also has an endless sea of people who could manage him so that “The Rainmaker” does not have to speak very much on WWE programming.

The roster is deep with a ton of great young workers along with numerous notable stars, both full-time and part-time.

Leaving NJPW Is A Must

If we”re Okada, we”ve managed to realize by now that there is not much left to do in New Japan. After all, he has every major record worth having involving the previous most notable title lineage in NJPW history. He has been a multi-time World Champion, main-evented their biggest shows countless times, and has won their most prestigious tournaments numerous times. There is really not much left for him to do other than seek out mid-card titles, such as the IWGP United States Championship for instance.

NJPW is already wanting to put other younger workers in the main event scene over him. This is going to happen whether he stays or goes. Sticking around in NJPW would not make any sense at this point. Not only could they never match what either AEW or WWE could offer, but at least they can give him something worthy of seeking out.

Kazuchika Okada is still in his prime at the age of 36. He also just turned 36 since his birthday was in November. It is unlikely he could be healthy enough to deal with a WWE schedule by the time he”s 40. Not after all the current wear-and-tear now plus what he”ll have dealt with by then. Even AEW might be unwilling to offer him as much money as they”ll offer today.

New Japan is already moving on from Okada despite him being in his prime. It should be pretty clear that Okada can still wrestle 5-star classics with anyone, and his work would go to waste if he stayed in Japan.

The only real question worthy of asking is….where should he go? AEW or WWE??