Perhaps the greatest Japanese wrestler in history could find himself stateside in 2024. Kazuchika Okada is reportedly “seriously entertaining,” leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and signing with another promotion.
Sports Illustrated broke the news that Okada’s contract expires at the end of January 2024. WWE or AEW are the two likely landing spots for the 36-year-old star. SI’s Justin Barrasso believes AEW would allow Okada to continue living in Japan with occasional matches in NJPW, while WWE is the biggest stage and can offer more opportunities.
For the uninitiated, Okada is the leading man in New Japan, the exact role Roman Reigns occupies in WWE. “The Rainmaker” is a five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. His fourth reign as champion is the longest in NJPW history at 720 days.
Okada also holds the record for most heavyweight title defenses with 12 and is currently one-third of the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii.
Character-wise, an apt comparison for Okada would be Randy Orton. WWE often echoes the sentiments of Hall of Famer JBL, citing, “If one were to build a sports entertainer from the ground up, you’d get Randy Orton.”
Orton was born to be a wrestler. He’s silky smooth in the ring, has an uncanny ability to tell a good story while making it look easy, and carries himself like a star. Okada is the Japanese equivalent, but a bit flashier and more diverse mechanically.
The significance of Kazuchika Okada leaving New Japan can’t be overstated. He’s the guy they’ve positioned to be the next legend, the next Antonio Inoki. Okada’s departure would be as earth-shattering in Japan as Hulk Hogan going to WCW in 1994 was here in America.
AEW and WWE are the most apparent landing spots. AEW is a better fit for Okada as a wrestler because the promotion focuses mainly on the in-ring aspect of the genre. Simply put, wrestling matters more than storytelling in AEW.
Okada would make millions of dollars, wouldn’t have to relocate to America, and have some fresh opponents to work with under Tony Khan’s employ. He would also work fewer days in AEW than he would in WWE.
In WWE, Okada would also make millions of dollars. The Japanese star would have to relocate to the United States. WWE’s “less is more” in-ring style is not as taxing on the body, but he’d work more days than in AEW.
However, WWE’s new parent company, TKO (still feels weird saying that), recently hinted at fewer house shows. That would lessen the amount of matches Okada would have to work.
Plus, WWE has one thing AEW can’t offer. The opportunity to be a bonafide superstar.
WWE is a worldwide television and merchandising juggernaut. The bigger the attraction someone becomes in WWE, the more opportunities, such as movie and television roles, are presented.
Despite Okada’s otherworldly talent, a full-time transition to the U.S. still has its challenges. The language barrier is an obvious one. Shinsuke Nakamura is more charismatic than Okada, and he hasn’t reached the level of superstardom many believed he’d achieve.
Nakamura’s subtitled promos are a menacing new element to his act. They augment his character quite nicely. However, if everyone starts doing them, it’s no longer special.
Regarding wrestling’s tough guy aesthetic, Okada is lacking in that department. It’s a similar criticism Shawn Michaels received throughout his career. Great athlete, but doesn’t look tough. Japan is more forgiving since their wrestlers are typically smaller; however, the American audience desires a larger-than-life look for their wrestlers.
In a weird turn of events, Okada is making a pitstop in Las Vegas on January 14 for Impact Wrestling, which will soon revert to its original name, TNA (Total Non-Stop Action). Twelve years ago, TNA brass made Okada work a racially insensitive parody of the pulp superhero Green Hornet’s trusty sidekick, Kato.
Okada clarified that he has no love for TNA, but did he change his mind now because the prior regime is a distant memory? Maybe, just maybe, he’s meeting with two major wrestling promotions during his time in the U.S. and decided to get some freelance work along the way.
A growing number of fans feel Okada on top in New Japan is making the product stale. He’s done everything there is to do multiple times over, and he’s still in his prime. Okada is wrestling Bryan Danielson in a rematch from their Forbidden Door bout at Wrestle Kingdom 18 on January 4.
Odds are Kazuchika Okada is staying put in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Many top-level wrestlers from the promotion have danced with the free agency over the years but ultimately remained in Japan. Shinsuke Nakamura bucked that trend when he left New Japan in 2016 to sign with WWE.
If Okada wants to wrestle the same way he’s always wrestled, he will stay in New Japan or sign with AEW to give himself a change of scenery. WWE is the place to go if he wants a crack at worldwide fame. In the end, it all boils down to what Okada wants most.
Ringside Logic 