Okada Becomes an AEW Champion Just Two Weeks After Debut

Kazuchika Okada is now AEW Continental Champion.

By Charlie Ridgely

It didn't take long for the newest member of the Elite to win gold in All Elite Wrestling. Kazuchika Okada, one of the most decorated professional wrestlers in the entire world, officially joined the AEW roster two weeks ago, aligning himself with EVPs Matthew and Nicholas Jackson and becoming the newest member of the Elite. One week later, Okada pinned AEW Continental Champion Eddie Kingston as part of a trios match, setting up a bout for Kingston's title on this week's new episode of AEW Dynamite.

Kingston won the Continental Championship by outlasting the 12-man field of the Continental Classic tournament in 2023, but he lost that title on Wednesday night. Okada and Kingston delivered an incredible fight on Wednesday night, living up to fans' expectations, but it was the Rainmaker that ended the match as champion.

That means Okada is now AEW's Continental Champion, giving the villainous Elite their only title at the moment. With the Tag Team Championships currently empty, having been vacated by Sting and Darby Allin after the Icon's retirement, the Young Bucks will likely be making a push to win those titles and put something around the waist of every member of the Elite.

Kingston's time with an AEW title comes to an end, at least for now, and Okada looks to already have another opponent waiting in the wings. PAC, who just returned from injury last week and has a history with Okada, walked out of the tunnel after Wednesday's match to stare down the new Continental Champion.

Okada Not Planning to Return to NJPW

Okada came to AEW after becoming one of the biggest free agents in professional wrestling. He and Mercedes Mone debuting with the company in the span of just a week signaled the start of a brand new chapter of AEW's history, one that fans hope lasts a lot longer than CM Punk's troubled tenure.

The deal that Okada signed with AEW covers multiple years and comes with a substantial payday, which is to be expected given his star power. It also appears that Okada has no intention of heading back to New Japan Pro Wrestling any time in the future, despite becoming a household name while wrestling for the promotion.

"I'm already looking ahead to what's next, and I'm going out with the intention of never coming back to New Japan," Okada told Tokyo Sports. "I'm sorry about that, but I don't think so. Of course, I want to treasure the feeling and the words I received."

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