More has emerged on Kazuchika Okada’s NJPW exit.
Earlier today, the wrestling world was stunned by the announcement that Kazuchika Okada would be leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling at the end of his current contract. It was Sports Illustrated who had first reported that The Rainmaker was set to become a free agent in 2024, but many fans were reluctant to imagine Okada away from an NJPW ring. Still, we now know that his future lies elsewhere.
The news came as a shock to many fans of Japanese wrestling, but, per a tweet from Dave Meltzer on X, it’s believed that New Japan Pro Wrestling themselves also had short notice with regards to Kazuchika’s decision, saying that the star gave his notice to the company as late as yesterday.
Yes, Okada gave notice on a Thursday night. Not renewing his contract.
— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) January 19, 2024
To add to this, Sean Ross Sapp has reported via Fightful Select that Okada and New Japan recently met, with the outcome seeming clear by the end of their talks.
“NJPW sources had heard very recently that Okada and New Japan officials had a meeting to discuss their future together, and by the end of the conversation it was clear that Okada was set to finish up.”
-Fightful Select
Attention then shifts to the future, and where The Rainmaker may end up. To discuss this, the Fightful post reveals that AEW had been relatively confident when it comes to landing Okada, to the point that ideas for him had been discussed, but it’s maintained that it’s still much too soon to know where he’ll go. On the WWE side of things, they too are believed to be in the conversation.
“Earlier this month, AEW had been very hopeful that they’d land Okada and ideas had been tossed around, but based on what we’ve heard, it’s far too early to determine where he’ll actually land. WWE sources that we spoke to had not yet heard of any talks involving the two sides, but expected that to at least be explored.”
-Fightful Select
Now, in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer has suggested that AEW have made the strongest opening offer to Kazuchika Okada, but it’s also said that WWE were at one point of the belief that they could land the star due to the financial incentives that come from wrestling in the USA.
“Of course the big question is where is Okada going. Both WWE and AEW made pitches for him. One person close to Okada “Nothing has started yet but seems both are gonna fight for him hard.” It was believed that AEW has made the stronger first offer but no contract has been signed at press time. As noted months ago, WWE was of the belief they had a strong shot at getting him, with the idea that they could convince him he had done all he could do in Japan and because of the economic differences in wrestling because sports rights fees just aren’t close to the same level in Japan, the American scene is far more lucrative.”
-Dave Meltzer
Meltzer went on to discuss the feeling in both companies regarding their chances of signing Okada, including internal confidence and whether any creative plans are being prepared.
“From talking with those in AEW, they ranged from being very confident to feeling it still could go ether way. In WWE only a few people have a read on it, but it’s not like Trinity Fatu or Jade Cargill where actual creative was being worked on”
-Dave Meltzer
As it stands, a frontrunner is yet to emerge regarding the future of Kazuchika Okada. Of course, the news of his decision to leave New Japan Pro Wrestling is still very fresh, so it’s likely that more details will come out in the coming weeks as we head towards his January 31 contract expiry date.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Kazuchika Okada and his wrestling future as soon as we hear more.
