Kazuchika Okada will leave NJPW for either WWE or AEW when his contract expires later this month, representing a significant loss for the Japan promotion and a significant gain for the company he joins.
Okada has been on the radar of some WWE executives as he is older and more familiar with Shinsuke Nakamura, who transitioned from NJPW to WWE.
As PWMania.com previously stated, Okada was thought to be significantly underpaid while competing and being a top star for New Japan Pro Wrestling compared to what he could be earning in America.
Shinsuke Nakamura has received a renewed push in recent months, with matches against World Champion Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes demonstrating to Okada that they are willing to push a Japanese star to a high level. WWE believed they had a good chance of signing Okada.
In the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that both WWE and AEW made pitches for him, and one person close to him stated, “Nothing has started yet but seems both are gonna fight for him hard.”
Meltzer went on to say, “It was believed that AEW has made the stronger first offer but no contract has been signed at press time.”
