Kazuchika Okada, former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and widely regarded as one of the most famous pro wrestlers in Japan, will be leaving his home promotion of New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).
NJPW announced the development on Jan. 19 via a statement on its website.
"Kazuchika Okada will be leaving New Japan Pro-Wrestling after the conclusion of his contract on January 31 2024.
We apologise to fans for the abrupt nature of this announcement, but join them in wishing Okada the very best in his future."
At the age of 36, Okada has arguably already accomplished everything he could in Japanese professional wrestling.
Making his professional debut in 2004, he joined NJPW in 2007 and quickly gained popularity. He then made an excursion to the U.S. in 2010, wrestling for Total Nonstop Action (TNA). However, his booking was regarded as so terrible that it impacted the working relationship between NJPW and TNA.
Okada's stint in the U.S. did help him to come up with a new character, a flashy, showboating performer dubbed "The Rainmaker". During entrances, dollar bills with Okada's face on them would rain down on the audience from the ceiling.
Okada would go on to battle legendary wrestlers like Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles, a TNA wrestler who had made the move to Japan.
He won the world championship for the first time in 2012, defeating Tanahashi at the tender age of 25, in a match that NJPW called the "upset of the century".
Okada caught the attention of American fans and journalists too, and was regarded as one of the best pro wrestlers in the world.
His match against Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 11 (New Japan's biggest show, equivalent to the WWE's WrestleMania) was hailed by longtime journalist Dave Meltzer as the best match he's ever seen. Meltzer, who usually rates matches on a scale of 1 to 5, gave this bout a 6.
Okada beats Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in a banger
The jumping tombstone ❤ pic.twitter.com/rJcXOKYqbZ
— Christina Aguilera's Publicist (@AguileraSZN) March 19, 2022
Okada would also catch the eye of mainstream audiences in Japan with his marriage to anime voice actress Suzuko Mimori in 2019. In 2022, the couple announced they were expecting their first child.
"The Rainmaker" made appearances for another American wrestling promotion, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2022 and 2023, with his Wrestle Kingdom match against AEW star Bryan Danielson a highlight.
However, Okada may choose to follow in the footsteps of his former NJPW colleague Nakamura, and join the WWE, with creative head Triple H a noted fan.
Triple H has reportedly been trying to sign Okada since 2020, making it a "personal mission" of his. Meanwhile, Okada had this to say:
"I have nothing but gratitude for having been a part of New Japan Pro-Wrestling since 2007, and for NJPW bringing me from a 19 year old kid off the plane in Mexico to the Rainmaker I am today.
Thank you to the best of companies in NJPW, to the best of opponents that I’ve been able to face here, and to the best of fans that have cheered and booed over the years. I promise to make it rain in every match I have left, so keep watching."
Wherever he ends up next, the Rainmaker will be cashing in.
Photo by Sulaiman Daud.
Top image from Kazuchika Okada's Facebook page and Sulaiman Daud.