WWE And AEW Reportedly Battling For Kazuchika Okada After NJPW Exit

Kazuchika Okada is leaving NJPW after 16 years with the company. (Credit: Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

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WWE and AEW once again find themselves in hot pursuit of a high-profile free agent, and this time, it’s NJPW’s Kazuchika Okada.

NJPW has confirmed that Okada will be leaving the company at the end of the month when his contract expires, marking the conclusion of a 16-year run in which Okada established himself as arguably the world’s best in-ring performer. And NJPW’s loss figures to be AEW’s—or perhaps shockingly, WWE’s—gain.

According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingNews.co), both WWE and AEW are expected to “fight” to sign Okada, one the biggest names to enter the free agent market in recent years. For the time being, however, AEW seemingly has a leg up on WWE in what promises to be a major free agent bidding war.

The Observer adds that AEW has made a “stronger first offer” than WWE, which comes as no surprise given that AEW has a good relationship with Okada, who has appeared for the company on numerous occasions. Pro wrestling fans shouldn’t completely dismiss the possibility of Okada landing in WWE, though.

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Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com (h/t WrestlingNews.co) recently shed some light on Okada’s exit, noting that the NJPW star has been “grossly underpaid” there: “I don’t know exactly what he was making but people today were like ‘this is the most underpaid, greatest wrestler of all time ever.’ So whatever he was making, if you compare it to what the top stars are making in America today, he’s grossly underpaid in New Japan.”

Both AEW and WWE can afford to spend big on top-tier free agents, and the latter, in particular, has been surprisingly willing to hand out lucrative contracts to potential free agents within the company. Whether or not that extends to free agents outside the company remains to be seen, but Okada is one star worth taking a risk on.

Part of the reason why WWE recently gave fellow former NJPW star Shinsuke Nakamura a main event push was to show Okada that it could establish a Japanese superstar as a main eventer. WWE, of course, has a shaky history when it comes to doing that, but much like Nakamura—a Royal Rumble winner, NXT and United States Champion—Okada is the exception, not the rule.

Still just 36 years old, Okada remains in the prime of his career, and with the right presentation, he could be a massive star for WWE. For Okada, however, there are certainly questions about whether WWE, even under Triple H’s booking, will book him as a top star. That makes AEW the early and most logical frontrunner.

AEW can potentially offer Okada a more lucrative deal—as it’s done already—with a smaller workload, more creative freedom and the possibility of being able to live in Japan. WWE, throughout its history, hasn’t consistently shown a willingness to change its unwritten rules, save for a handful of marquee stars.

Of course, Okada is a massive star in Japan and among diehard wrestling fans, but how his success would translate to WWE isn’t clear. On one hand, Okada’s world class in-ring skills would make him the ideal fit for WWE, which has a loaded roster featuring the likes of Gunther, AJ Styles, Seth Rollins and other performers who’d make great opponents for Okada.

Yet, Okada jumping to WWE would undoubtedly be a risk for him. There is no guarantee whatsoever that he’d ever advance past the midcard, and he’d likely have to relocate to the United States full-time.

In AEW, Okada’s future is seemingly more certain. He would initially be presented as a top guy, wrestle occasionally and make big money to do so. It’s worth noting, though, that Okada in AEW isn’t a guaranteed success story. Numerous marquee stars, whether they came from WWE or not, have struggled to gain consistent footing in AEW due to the company’s up-and-down booking.

In essence, that makes AEW the safer pick in terms of a feeling of security and a favorable schedule. But in WWE, which is in the middle of its biggest boom since the late 1990s, the ceiling for Okada is much higher, especially with Triple H running the show.

As WWE and AEW continue to be in hot pursuit of the hottest free agents on the market, Okada’s decision—like Will Ospreay’s before him—will be a major one that has long-term ramifications for both companies.

No matter where Okada lands, however, that company’s gain is undoubtedly NJPW’s loss.