SRS on Twitter: We’ve been able to confirm @JustinBarrasso ‘s SI report that Kazuchika Okada is a free agent in 2024. He would be a huge get for WWE or AEW, and a monumental loss for NJPW

24 comments

1. Genuinely would be insane to see Okada anywhere else besides a New Japan ring.

2. Bro if Okada leaves New Japan is cooked

3. I’m sure TK would give him 7 figures snd he can stay in Japan

4. Fuck that sub.

5. Yes, a “huge get” for WWE for a guy who speaks no English or just another toy in Tiny’s playchest when he already has an embarrassment of riches.

   SRS is such a fucking clown. Don’t forget that just a few weeks ago, he lied about Megan Bayne being “on excursion” from AEW to Stardom then immediately started backpedaling after being called out by a Stardom employee.

6. Best case scenario: he resigns with njpw, still be able to wrestle for other promotions and don’t need to move his family out of Japan.

   Worst case scenario: he signs with wwe. Can’t wrestle for other promotions & needs to move to the States with his wife and child.

   The scenario this subreddit hates: he signs with aew, can wrestle for other promotions and be able to live in Japan with his wife & child.

7. He isn’t going anywhere.

8. SRS can SMD.

9. Y’know what? Fuck it, I hope dude accepts a spot in WWE. Dudes already doing well financially with a legacy already set in stone. If Okada can get a cushy schedule without having to wreck his body more or face the same 5 folks in singles matches every year then sure. Hell, I hope it’s as a comedy character just so he can rest up his body for his kid even more.

10. As a huge AEW fan, there is no way Okada leaves NJPW. I would love it if he came to AEW, but honestly, he’s such a staple in NJPW.

    Edit: I’m downvoted for a take that says Okada will stay in NJPW. Ok.

    Edit 2: How about this, I’m an AEW fan that really enjoys NJPW! Chew on that! Totally got you. Burn on you.

11. Yeah, he’s not leaving.

12. I’d like to think dude is going to do the rounds so he can get some offers just to get a bigger pay raise in NJPW.

13. Okada isn’t going anywhere. He’s a lifer. Nice bait though.

14. Nearly all new Japan contracts come up in January so this isn’t breaking news.

15. As an Angels fan I cannot handle this again…

16. Everyone’s contract is up at the end of January. I’m not fussed and don’t think he’ll go, but this might be his last opportunity in his physical peak to go elsewhere. Tana was about his age when he began the transition process of making Okada the Ace.

17. Man the monopoly in wrestling is not good at all.

18. I have a better chance at a threesome with Hiroshi Tanahashi and El Desperado than WWE or AEW have taking Okada away from New Japan.

    It’d be like New Japan poaching John Cena. Nice fucking laugh, buddy old pal.

19. I’d be very surprised to see Okada go anywhere. He’s probably just negotiating a contract with NJPW that lets him freelance more in the States, rather than a contract with AEW that lets him freelance in NJPW. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw him beat Danielson at WK, go to AEW though May/June (doing a Tuesday-to-next-Thursday schedule that lets him hit two different sets of TV tapings, but then gets the next taping week off, rinse and repeat) , and come back for the G1, but all as a NJPW wrestler. He’d work three PPV programs with AEW and come back after Double or Nothing.

20. He’s not leaving, guys

21. What’s with the FA? It’s just the usual contract renewal time.

22. He’s not leaving Japan. NJPW would beg Tony Khan to sign him at this point just so if he did leave he can still return and WWE wouldn’t get him. The money AEW has thrown around has gotten people going nuts. IT tells me that their new media rights deal is very game changing. WWE is a public company and won’t spend huge on wrestlers they don’t know. Guys like Seth, Roman, women like Becky Lynch will get paid huge to not leave, but going after someone who they don’t know how well they will do in WWE’s environment is a risk.

    If I’m Tony Khan, I’m helping NJPW by covering costs NJPW can’t afford. Rumor is that he makes $2 million a year. Let’s say he wants $4 million a year and NJPW can only go to $2.5 million, AEW can cover the $1.5 million. It would be a dual contract, and allow AEW to use him for big shows here and there. He stays in NJPW.

23. I’m not drawing any conclusions on all this until I see how Tokyo Sports talks about it. But Sports Illustrated breaking it makes me think they’re getting worked by Okada/NJPW.

    Also I dunno why SRS says he’s confirming an SI report that Okada *will* be a free agent in 2024, because the SI report didn’t say that. It said he’s considering AEW and WWE, or a period of free agency, as options instead of signing a new NJPW contract.

24. I hope if it isn’t NJ it’s WWE.