WWE has renewed interest in Kazuchika Okada
There has been increased talk in WWE of late regarding Kazuchika Okada.
In today’s edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, our own Dave Meltzer reports that while WWE has had interest in Okada for years, there’s been a renewed push of late to bring him in.
“Obviously they’ve had interest in him for years. But he’s always been loyal to New Japan,” Meltzer wrote. “The pitch is that he’s now 36 and he’s close with Nakamura and Nakamura has worked years in WWE and it’s far easier on his body.”
“The idea is that WWE is the one thing Okada has never done and he’s done everything he can do in New Japan,” Meltzer continued.
One source noted that part of the reason Shinsuke Nakamura is playing a more prominent role on WWE programming lately is to show Okada that the current regime treats Japanese wrestlers better than it did under Vince McMahon.
However, Okada has been on WWE’s radar for years and there’s nothing to indicate he’s interested in leaving NJPW.
“Okada is a name always brought up but there’s no indication there’s anything new to this other than there’s been more talk of late,” Meltzer added.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has appeared in award-winning publications such as NOW Magazine and The Huffington Post. He joined the F4WOnline team in 2019 and was named managing editor in the summer of 2026. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Ian has covered professional wrestling for more than 15 years.