10 Dream Matches For Kazuchika Okada In WWE & AEW
Rumors have been afloat that Kazuchika Okada's contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling is coming to an end and that the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion is looking to test the free agency pool. With such a legendary resume behind him, every major promotion is, of course, throwing their best offers toward him, hoping for the chance to have him as a member of their roster.
Why Kazuchika Okada Should Join AEW (& Why He Should Join WWE)
Both WWE and AEW offer positives that could draw Kazuchika Okada to them when the time comes.If Okada is looking to come to the United States, his best options are that of All Elite Wrestling and the WWE. So let's take a look at all the members of both promotions' rosters and see which talents stand out and could have a "dream match" of sorts with the Rainmaker himself, Kazuchika Okada.
10 WWE: The Ring General, Gunther
The Amount Of Chops In This Match Would Be Insane
Tale Of The Tape | Age | Signature | Top Accolade |
|---|---|---|---|
Kazuchika Okada | 36 | Rainmaker | Longest Reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion |
Gunther | 36 | Powerbomb | Longest Reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion |
Gunther has been able to help give pretty much everyone he has faced in the WWE their best match. While doing something like that would be incredibly hard for Kazuchika Okada as he has had some amazing matches against names like Kenny Omega and Hiroshi Tanahashi, Gunther would be a logical wrestler to reach those same heights.
Plus, fans of both of these men would be treated to some of the hardest-hitting moves that both wrestlers could pull out. Okada and Gunther are similar in the sense that they can go for a relatively long match while making every move seem like the end.
9 AEW: Swiss Superman, Claudio Castagnoli
Fans Have Had A Small Glimpse Into This Match
Tale Of The Tape | Age | Signature | Top Accolade |
|---|---|---|---|
Kazuchika Okada | 36 | Rainmaker | Longest Reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion |
Claudio Castagnoli | 42 | Neutralizer | Two-Time ROH World Champion |
Very similar to Gunther, a match between Kazuchika Okada and Claudio Castagnoli might just be one of the hardest-hitting encounters a wrestling fan could imagine. On the flip side, both men can be very technical wrestlers as well, and could see something more along the lines of Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Bryan Danielson at WrestleDream.
Fans have had a small teaser of this match-up as Claudio teamed with Jon Moxley and Shota Umino to face Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hiroshi Tanahashi, plus another match with Claudio and Bryan Danielson against Orange Cassidy and Okada.
8 WWE: The Brawling Canadian, Kevin Owens
With A Great Story, Fans Would Be Invested In Them
Tale Of The Tape | Age | Signature | Top Accolade |
|---|---|---|---|
Kazuchika Okada | 36 | Rainmaker | Longest Reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion |
Kevin Owens | 39 | Stunner | Two-Time WrestleMania Main Eventer |
This is a match that was sadly missed during the time that Kevin Owens was working in Ring of Honor. Many of Okada's contemporaries went to the promotion, such as Shinsuke Nakamura and Hiroshi Tanahashi, who wrestled names like Roderick Strong or The Briscoes. Okada did make his fair share of appearances in ROH, but a match with Kevin never materialized.
One benefit that these two have in a match together is that both men are amazing at playing the face or heel, so whatever role the WWE placed them in, the match would excel.
7 AEW: Don Callis Family Member, Konosuke Takeshita
Perfect Foil For A Heel Takeshita
Tale Of The Tape | Age | Signature | Top Accolade |
|---|---|---|---|
Kazuchika Okada | 36 | Rainmaker | Longest Reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion |
Konosuke Takeshita | 28 | Zahi | Five-Time KO-D Openweight Champion |
Konosuke Takeshita has started to really improve as a heel in AEW while facing names such as Kenny Omega and The Elite. With Don Callis behind him as his voice, the seeds have already been planted for a match between Okada and Konosuke, as Callis once mentioned that Konosuke was better than Okada.
Kazuchika Okada "Seriously Entertaining" Moves To WWE And AEW
Okada's New Japan deal expires at the end of January, at which point he will become a free agent.Playing off that promo could easily make for a great match between the two Japanese stars and would be fresh for fans as they never got to wrestle prior to coming to the States.
6 WWE: The Viper, Randy Orton
Rainmaker Into An RKO Could Happen
Tale Of The Tape | Age | Signature | Top Accolade |
|---|---|---|---|
Kazuchika Okada | 36 | Rainmaker | Longest Reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion |
Randy Orton | 43 | RKO | Ten-Time WWE Champion |
For more casual fans, the comparison between New Japan stars and WWE stars has been made with Hiroshi Tanahashi and John Cena occupying the same role, while Okada and Randy Orton did the same. That definitely has changed over the years, but it was something fans heard in the early 2010s and around that time.
Even without the comparison, a match between Orton and Okada would be entertaining. Also, similar to Kevin Owens, both Orton and Okada are great at being the face or the heel, so it wouldn't make much of a difference what they were.
5 AEW: The Realest, Swerve Strickland
Swerve Has Been One Of The Best AEW Talents
Tale Of The Tape | Age | Signature | Top Accolade |
|---|---|---|---|
Kazuchika Okada | 36 | Rainmaker | Longest Reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion |
Swerve Strickland | 33 | JML Driver | AEW World Tag Team Champion |
Recent AEW shows have showcased that Swerve Strickland is easily one of the best talents the company has. His feud with Adam Page easily stole the show at Full Gear and got fans excited about whatever Swerve is going to do next.
A match happening between Okada and Swerve would be the exact thing that could propel Swerve to a World Championship. An alternate scenario could see Swerve already as a champion defending his title against someone like Okada.
4 WWE: The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns
A Battle Between Company Poster Boys
Tale Of The Tape | Age | Signature | Top Accolade |
|---|---|---|---|
Kazuchika Okada | 36 | Rainmaker | Longest Reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion |
Roman Reigns | 38 | Spear | Longest Reigning Universal Champion |
An obvious match between the former face of New Japan and the face of the WWE would be the type of match that sells tickets. Both Okada and Reigns have broken records in their respective companies and seeing the two collide in a feud would be amazing television.
This feud could also work even if Roman doesn't hold any gold, as just the previous statement of two company poster boys could be enough of a reason to see these two fight each other.
3 AEW: Your Salt Of The Earth, MJF
Both Men Are Similar Enough
Tale Of The Tape | Age | Signature | Top Accolade |
|---|---|---|---|
Kazuchika Okada | 36 | Rainmaker | Longest Reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion |
MJF | 27 | Salt Of The Earth | Longest Reigning AEW World Champion |
Of course, this match doesn't need much more than MJF being the World Champion and Okada challenging for the belt, but the fact that Okada used to play a somewhat similar character to that of MJF during his early days in New Japan could add some intrigue.
13 Free Agent Wrestlers That Need To Be Signed By A Major Company In 2023
There are plenty of talented free agents on the market that wrestling promotions should add to their rosters in 2023!Both Okada and MJF have shed their heel personas and become the top face of their promotion, but at one point, Okada was the young brash heel attempting to beat veterans like Hiroshi Tanahashi. From a story standpoint, this match would be amazing and MJF has proven he can really go in the ring, so fans won't have to worry there either.
2 WWE: The Visionary, Seth Rollins
Not Many Wrestlers Could Keep Up With Okada As Rollins Could
Tale Of The Tape | Age | Signature | Top Accolade |
|---|---|---|---|
Kazuchika Okada | 36 | Rainmaker | Longest Reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion |
Seth Rollins | 37 | Curb Stomp | Inaugural World Heavyweight Champion |
There has been some talk that Seth Rollins' reign with the World Heavyweight Championship hasn't been the most intriguing. The thing Rollins needs to push this reign higher is a top-level feud. His work with Balor, Priest, Nakamura, and McIntyre has all been great, but they were lacking something.
A dream feud with Rollins and Okada over the title would be the best thing for the belt as the aura Okada brings in would instantly help solidify the title as a top prize.
1 AEW's Ace, Jon Moxley
Another Poster Boy Match
Tale Of The Tape | Age | Signature | Top Accolade |
|---|---|---|---|
Kazuchika Okada | 36 | Rainmaker | Longest Reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion |
Jon Moxley | 38 | Death Rider | Three-Time AEW World Champion |
Rounding out the trilogy of former Shield members, Jon Moxley is a no-brainer for an instant classic match with Okada. No matter who is champion and where Moxley is on the card that month, he has always been seen as the face/ace of All Elite Wrestling, and putting their best up against Okada is a sure idea.
Plus, this would make the most sense from the current AEW landscape as Bryan Danielson is about to face Okada at Wrestle Kingdom, which could lead to a match against Danielson's Blackpool Combat Club partner.
