There’s talk that WWE has a “renewed interest” in NJPW star Kazuchika Okada under the Triple H-led talent and creative regime.
Okada is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling and has been a fixture in the company on his current run since 2011 having previously worked for them from 2007 to 2010, with a brief stint in TNA in between.
He made his AEW debut in June 2022 and would compete in a four-way for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door in that year, and has had several more AEW matches since then.
Dave Meltzer addressed the levels of interest that WWE have in Okada in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, writing:
We’ve heard some talk of late regarding Kazuchika Okada. Obviously they’ve had interest in him for years. But he’s always been loyal to New Japan.
The pitch is that he’s now 36 and he’s close with Nakamura and Nakamura has worked years in WWE and it’s far easier on his body.
The idea is that WWE is the one thing Okada has never done and he’s done everything he can do in New Japan.
One person who buzzed us about the renewed interest in Okada said that one of the reasons Nakamura is getting a renewed push is to show Okada that this regime is not going to treat Japanese like the stereotypical children-like role (although Tozawa is still playing that role) because Vince does that with people who don’t speak fluent English, but this is a new regime.
Okada is a name always brought up but there’s no indication there’s anything new to this other than there’s been more talk of late.
Okada is a two-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, a five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and is the current NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii.
As recently reported, Bryan Danielson is set to face Okada at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 in January 2024.
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