The Conundrum of Kazuchika Okada

[HMARK Center]

So, we keep hearing that Okada is a "divisive figure" to some fans of NJPW, and I think it'd be interesting to try and understand why that is.

Getting this out of the way first, though: how good has the booking of Okada's current title reign been? I think there are quibbles that can be raised on a few fronts, like just how badly it looked like Suzuki murdered him at New Beginning before Okada still managed to survive the match, but if the job at WK 10 was to solidify Okada as the new standalone ace, this title reign has cemented things. His lineup of opponents has been a murderer's row of varied and interesting opponents, and he's usually had to wrestle them in different ways in order to survive: Marufuji was the ace of a rival promotion, whose smarts and rapid fire strikes put Okada off his game and cost him a G1 match last year; Omega was the emerging crossover star that Okada took lightly for the first 10 or so minutes of their match, before finding himself in the longest war in Tokyo Dome history; Suzuki is the killer, the sadist, and veteran who leaves scars even in defeat; Shibata as the "could've-been-ace" figure that brought the fire and heavy strikes of the previous generation; Bad Luke Fale as the giant, the brute that Okada has never fully had an answer to; even Tiger Mask W presented a different type of opponent and challenge that Okada barely survived. Each match he's gotten a bit more tired, a bit more desperate, and has even had to do multiple Rainmakers to keep people down.

I think you even see it with his hair; dude's gold/bleached look has been giving way to his natural color more and more, which almost makes it seem like he's losing Super Saiyan status as the defenses grind him down. Now, in an act of hubris, he's called out Kenny for a rematch, perhaps annoyed that people still look at their WK 11 match as Omega's masterpiece and not as much his.

Which ties into my larger point for this thread: why do some people dislike the guy as much as they do? I don't ask that in an accusatory way, I think it's a genuinely interesting question given the unique role he holds in the promotion.

For American/Western fans, is it that we've become conditioned to reject "chosen one" champions, ala Cena or Reigns, or that we're used to feeling like our favorites are getting "buried" if that chosen one beats them, so many of us who are fans of guys like Naito, Shibata, Ishii, Goto, Suzuki or whomever end up feeling a bit more annoyed? Combine that with so many days as champion before he's even 30, is it that same gag reaction?

Is it that Okada is such a great all-around talent that we don't immediately gravitate toward him the way we do toward somebody like Omega, or AJ Styles, or Nakamura, or again Shibata/Ishii/etc.? He puts on these 4-5 star matches, but he's not the one doing the most brutal strikes, or the most insane aerial moves, or the sickest submissions or reversals, so he doesn't become the immediate fan favorite compared to those other guys, perhaps.

Clearly it's not the same sort of annoyance WWE fans have with a guy like Reigns, so it's not a perfect comparison, but I think it's worth thinking about and discussing, especially as Okada will remain top dog as NJPW transitions to its global expansion plans.

[cabbageboy]

I am a relative newcomer to watching NJPW but I've watched the stuff on AXS when it's on. Okada is a great wrestler, no one is doubting that. I do think his whole "Rainmaker" gimmick of showing the money and all that feels quite heelish though, which might account for his reactions. The guy doesn't really seem all that at home as a babyface, but then I'm baffled by NJPW's entire face/heel dynamic to begin with. Naito's Los Ingobernables group are a bunch of total heel weirdos doing a fun and colorful act, so I can see them getting a kind of bad boy pop from the crowd. The Bullet Club are the NWO style bad boys of locals and a lot of American wrestlers, so again I can see the bad boy reaction they get. The Chaos group seems frankly lame and uninteresting compared to these factions, and when I see stuff like Gedo wrestling and hitting his opponent with the hammer for the bell I don't know what to think.

Is anyone in New Japan an actual babyface? Kushida seems like a face I guess, but the whole Marty McFly act is ultra lame. I guess Tanahashi is the closest thing they have to a serious top tier babyface, but he's now over 40.

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

I don't know about all that but in my humble opinion, that boy Okada is too nice and he could probably steal my girl any day of the week. Big fan of The Rainmaker, people need to put some respek on his name.

[Vanilla Gorilla]

Watching Okada reminds me of Orton. He always feels like he is only going half speed and effort. Maybe so it's his opponents can keep up, but his matches (even against Omega) leave me wanting a bit more.

[Raskovnik]

First of all, just wanted to say I'm in full agreement with how f***ing fantastic this title run has been. It's my favorite since Suzuki's GHC title run, and I even like it more than that reign. It's about as good as it gets for me. Classic after classic while continuing a great storyline. Every match feels like it means something, and the title feels like the most important thing in the world. That's all I want out of wrestling.

Anyways, shitting on Okada is kind of the current hot take amongst people who want to look very in the know. Sometimes they preface their arguments with "I admit he's a great wrestler" but they still proceed to give him almost no credit for the string of incredible matches he has put on. I don't like dismissing people's arguments as them merely being contrarian but it tends to smack of it. There's very little of substance to their arguments. If they plain dislike the guy, that's fine, but when they start trying to warp reality around their dislike is what bugs me, like trying to act like he's not over and not a draw, or that anyone could be the Ace like he is.

Another prominent factor is WWE fans in particular tend to, as you've said, immediately reject anyone who is clearly the chosen one, and as more WWE fans start to try out New Japan because they've heard good things or are disillusioned with the WWE product they bring over their WWE mindset, which I think also attributes to this attitude. See also: constantly trying to make 1:1 comparisons between the two and their rosters.

Okada is leading NJPW into a new era of prestige, prominence, and financial success. If he keeps this up for even just a few more years he'll almost certainly be the GOAT to me. There's just nothing I can hate on about the guy, and while it's scary how good he already is he's only going to get better. He shows demonstrable improvement from match to match. We're lucky that we get to watch this legend in the making, and sometimes I think people don't appreciate that. He's been so good for so long that it's taken for granted. There are even other dudes in the company I like more, like Suzuki, Goto, Shibata, Evil, and of course Naito, but Okada is THE guy I want spearheading this expansion they've got going on, and he's most certainly the rightful Ace. If he wasn't on top, I guarantee people would be clamoring for it.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Okada is just really frigging good. He's probably my favorite wrestler in the world as of now.

In terms of being a total package- i.e, looking like a superstar, marketability, putting on exciting matches while still using key routine spots, and pumping up crowds with his promos, I think he's the best main eventer since mid-to-late period John Cena.

Not everyone is going to get behind a top guy. In a major company like New Japan that's stacked with talent, people are going to have all sorts of favorites. Everyone wasn't a Hulkamaniac in the 80's. Hell, half of the Tokyo Dome this year was firmly behind Naito when he went against superface Tanahashi.

I dunno, it doesn't seem like a unique thing in the context of wrestling history. I don't even think the Reigns situation is that outrageous, mostly because he's got a long time to hopefully develop as a talent more. Neither his nor Okada's stories are anywhere near done.

[Big Poppa Pumpkin]

Dude is the total package IMO. I won't speak for why people dislike the guy but I suspect you are on the money with your theory that Western wrestling fans tend to habitually gravitate away from "the ace"/"the guy" figure and get behind someone they perceive as being held back in comparison (be it Naito or Shibata or whoever). Nothing makes me roll my eyes more than people derisively referring to Okada as "Gedo's boy" or whatever. No shit he's his boy, if he was making you a shit-tonne of money he'd be your boy too.

[carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army)]

Regarding this title run, I think you've answered your own question.

He's holding up his end and having a story going on, yeah. But... his opponents are all more interesting than him. People are always more into the murderer's row than they are into the guy who survives it.

[cabbageboy]

His whole "Rainmaker" character is sort of cocky and dickish though. That was my main argument from what I've seen. The whole "making it rain" bit feels like someone such as Floyd Mayweather and he too is a divisive guy.

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

Okada is that dude. He's proved that he is the true Ace and this title reign has been fire.

The only person he's truly holding up is Naito but since they have put him in the Nakamura spot for the time being and he is killing it in that role.

[pegasuswarrior]

Great opening post.

I don't know what to say other than Okada is awesome and never disappoints in a match. I wanted Omega to win at Wrestle Kingdom. And from a booking standpoint, they sure launched Omega to the moon only to have pulled the rug out. But I was surprised in the ending and in a not-bad way. The sport of New Japan keeps me intrigued, and if Okada is the guy, well then, he's the guy. He's not unbelievable as, say, Bad Luck Fale would be in the same role. He's certainly more believable in that role than some other fan favorites would be, like Naito in my opinion. I buy Okada going over the guys he's going over way more than I would with Naito.

As far as anyone not liking or downplaying the Wrestle Kingdom match, I don't know what to say other than I think those people are just blind. Or potentially just trolls or haters. And a fair chance a majority are just contrarians. But for those who genuinely didn't "get it," I just can't roll with that. Their opinion on what's good would be met with the same cold reception by me, most likely. Just a difference in what we view good wrestling to be, that's all.

[BRAINFADE]

I can't really add any more to this thread than what has already been said. I'm an avid Okada supporter, I think he is the very best in the world right now. From his look, to his youth, to his charisma, to his in ring work, to his drawing ability, Okada is ticking every single box for what you want in a main event superstar.

The man has been on fire in 2017- this run of title matches, and the ongoing storyline of how long he can hold on to the title, will be looked upon as the stuff of legend in the years to come, and it is a pleasure to be currently in the middle of it. In an time where we have an absentee champion and a champion who is seen by many as an absolute joke in WWE, Okada's current run has, in my opinion, made the IWGP Heavyweight Championship the most prestigious title in wrestling.

For those who continue to find reasons to not enjoy Kazuchika Okada- well, I'll never be one to tell anybody who or what they should or shouldn't like. It's all cool. I'll just be over here, continuing to enjoy watching one of the all time greats climb towards his peak.

[honsou]

I think mid to late 2000s Cena really trained a lot of people to really hate the top star of a company, especially if he wins a lot. The big thing with Okada is that not only will he basically always deliver, this is especially true of this title reign with really just the match against Suzuki being something that split the community but every other match being considered great at worst to all time classics at best. The other thing Okada does really well is play to the crowd and adapt to who ever he is facing. Whether it being the pure babyface against Bad Luck Fale to really heeling it up against Shibata, he does a really good job of understanding what he is supposed to do to really get a match over

[Starshine]

I not really sure there's all that much reason to look too deep into it. Personally, I just find him a little dull, and don't buy the Rainmaker as the deadly move they sell it as.

He makes money for NJPW, so I'll never criticise them for keeping him at the top. But he just generally doesn't interest me all that much.

[Ultimo Gallos]

I like Okada but he is far from my favorite in NJPW. But then I seem to be one of the few that didn't care much for the Okada/Omega match. Never been a fan of Omega.

[Potayto Potato]

From the little I watch NJPW, he's the one standing out the most as a pure "build-your-promotion-around" type of megastar

the ones disliking him should actually question their wrestling fandom entirely

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

May 31, 2017 6:16:30 GMT -5 Potayto Potato said:

From the little I watch NJPW, he's the one standing out the most as a pure "build-your-promotion-around" type of megastar

the ones disliking him should actually question their wrestling fandom entirely

People can like and dislike whoever they choose. It doesn't make them any less or more of a fan.

[ronin705]

Okada and Naito are franchise players, hence them having the straps. Okada, personally, i love cuz that kind of cocky babyface isn't around anymore. It's either captain america boy scout, or chickenshit heel nowadays. I love the little things he does like at the 5/29 show, O'spreay reaches his hand out to Okada , and he just looks at him like, "You better just take that hand back homey" lol.. Can't wait for Naito to dethrone him (since I think NJPW will pull a WWE and keep sleeping on Kenny)

[HMARK Center]

May 30, 2017 14:47:15 GMT -5 carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army) said:

Regarding this title run, I think you've answered your own question.

He's holding up his end and having a story going on, yeah. But... his opponents are all more interesting than him. People are always more into the murderer's row than they are into the guy who survives it.

That's a fair point, particularly as Okada adapts to the style of each guy he faces; since they're the ones dictating the style of the match, their in-ring personalities come across a bit more strongly, I suppose, and again guys like Suzuki are better submission wrestlers, Shibata's a better striker, Marufuji's quicker, Tiger Mask W is a better high flyer, Fale with more power moves, Kenny as the explosive newcomer, etc. Okada doesn't match any of them in those singular departments, which makes them stand out more as the "dominant personalities" of their matches to some folks, which is fair.

The catch is, I guess, that Okada stands out as the guy who's capable of having top-flight matches with basically every one of them, which is really astounding accomplishment when you think about it, and one of the reasons he's on top of the mountain right now. As great as much of the top NJPW talent is, there aren't many guys on the roster who can match Okada in that regard.

It's also fair for people to point out the Rainmaker gimmick being more heel-ish; after all, I believe CHAOS was still a heel faction when Okada returned from America and joined it, and he was meant to stand as the brash, cocky upstart looking to unseat the great Tanahashi, the ultimate babyface performer. Since Japanese face/heel behavior isn't quite the same as what we get in the US, maybe those heel-ish mannerisms still stick out to some.

Anyway, digging this discussion, it's fun to dissect the nuances of wrestling. I do want to emphasize that I'm not saying that Okada is a direct parallel to Reigns or somebody like that, as the Japanese crowd is still pretty firmly behind him and plenty of foreign fans love the guy's work, I'm just addressing some of the complaints I've seen about him and how it's interesting to see them against the backdrop of him basically being the top performer in the wrestling world for 2017 thus far, which makes it feel like a unique situation when you do see those criticisms.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

May 31, 2017 7:11:12 GMT -5 ronin705 said:

Okada and Naito are franchise players, hence them having the straps. Okada, personally, i love cuz that kind of cocky babyface isn't around anymore. It's either captain america boy scout, or chickenshit heel nowadays. I love the little things he does like at the 5/29 show, O'spreay reaches his hand out to Okada , and he just looks at him like, "You better just take that hand back homey" lol.. Can't wait for Naito to dethrone him (since I think NJPW will pull a WWE and keep sleeping on Kenny)

Outside of Tanahashi and maybe Cena on certain nights, huh? The boyscout babyface is (sadly) hella rare today.