At the beginning of 2024, it was revealed that Kazuchika Okada‘s contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling would be coming to an end. After a decade and a half competing in the company, they amicably went their separate ways, but not before Okada vowed to finish out any dates he was still scheduled for. Many rumors about what The Rainmaker was going to do soon followed, as it’s been no secret every major company has been interested in signing him for years. Ultimately, AEW beat them out and he’s been aligned with The Elite ever since, spreading his wings in a refreshing heel persona as the Continental Champion.
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Although Okada is no longer with the Japanese promotion, he still has some involvement as an AEW star. At AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door he teamed with the Young Bucks against newly appointed NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi and The Acclaimed where The Elite continued their reign of dominance over AEW. His official debut in AEW came at AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door 2022 in a fatal four-way for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, with a handful of appearances thereafter. He has been a champion in AEW since March when he defeated Eddie Kingston, so far holding the Continental Championship for over 100 days and counting.
Now New Japan Pro Wrestling is releasing a documentary on the legendary wrestler, The Rainmaker: Kazuchika Okada Untold Story. From the trailer it appears as though fans get a rare glimpse at Okada’s personal life with his family and the lead up to his big decision to leave Japan. The documentary is available for purchase now on New Japan World for $19.99 but it will only be available until July 31st. There are two versions available: the Japanese version and the English version which contains subtitles.
Outside of terrorizing the locker rooms on AEW programming every week, Okada can be seen next teaming with The Elite in the fourth annual Blood and Guts match which will take place on the July 24th episode of AEW Dynamite. The Elite as a group are competing in their second event, but the group has changed a ton over the last year. In 2023, The Golden Elite — Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, “Hangman” Adam Page and Kota Ibushi reunited to go up against The Blackpool Combat Club, Konosuke Takeshita and PAC. This time around, they’ve added Okada and new AEW Champion Jack Perry to the mix, Okada and Perry’s first time in this environment.
Stay tuned to Comicbook for updates on AEW and NJPW.
