Will Kazuchika Okada Appear at WWE Royal Rumble?
The Rainmaker is leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling later this month.
Kazuchika Okada is leaving the Far East. In a press release, New Japan Pro Wrestling announced that Okada will be departing his longtime employer at the end of his current contract, which is set to expire at the end of January, as the former IWGP World Champion intends to explore free agency. This marks the first time since 2010 that Okada will no longer call NJPW his home, as he has been New Japan's centerpiece for well over a decade. He has headlined multiple NJPW Wrestle Kingdoms, reigned with the company's top prize on seven occasions, and has won four G1 Climax tournaments.
Will Kazuchika Okada Appear at WWE Royal Rumble?
There is a very specific world where Tropicana Field hears a coin flip.
Kazuchika Okada's NJPW contract expires on January 31st, four days after the WWE Royal Rumble premium live event. At this current moment, that means Okada is unable to perform for another company before that date unless New Japan grants him an exception. There is recent precedence for that, as NJPW gave Will Ospreay permission to sign with AEW in November, multiple months before he was going to hit free agency. Ospreay signed his AEW contract at AEW Full Gear in November and announced that he would be wrapping up his NJPW commitments before officially joining AEW full-time.
If NJPW shows Okada the same leniency that it showed Ospreay at the end of 2023, The Rainmaker would be hypothetically free for WWE Royal Rumble on January 27th.
The AEW Variable
It's worth noting that NJPW gave Ospreay its blessing to sign with AEW specifically. It's unclear if the company would have granted the same request if the Aerial Assassin was putting pen to WWE paper. NJPW has had a working relationship with AEW since 2021, sharing dozens of talent with one another on a regular basis and co-producing AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door for the past two years.
Beyond that, AEW is expected to make a strong play for Okada. AEW President Tony Khan pursued Ospreay so strongly that he wanted him on contract before he even had the opportunity to negotiate with WWE. Considering the admiration Khan has shown for Okada's work in the past, it's likely that AEW will go after The Rainmaker hard. AEW has reportedly already "tossed ideas around" for Okada in the company.
Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates on Okada's wrestling future.