10 Things You Need To Know About Kazuchika Okada
There can only be one best in the world...
Even if you only follow WWE, odds are you know a few things about Kazuchika Okada. The four-time and current IWGP Heavyweight Champion has spent the past several years carving out a reputation as a wrestling prodigy, but over the past six months to a year, it's gone beyond that.
His match with Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 11 set the wrestling world on fire, with many fans calling it the greatest bout in the history of the sport. That made it impossible for wrestling fans to ignore New Japan, though it felt like Omega got the lion's share of the attention. Last week it happened again, as Okada and Omega met in a rematch that some felt was even better than their first meeting. Though there was no winner (the men went to a 60-minute time limit draw), the match could hardly have been more satisfying.
After this latest bout, though, the reaction has been a bit different. Omega is understandably and deservingly getting feted online, but so is Okada. More and more fans seem to be coming around the possibility that "The Rainmaker" truly is the best in the world. How did Okada make the difficult journey to that lofty position, though?
Here are 10 things you need to know about Kazuchika Okada...
10. He Was Trained By Ultimo Dragon
Being trained by a legend doesn't guarantee success in pro wrestling, but it's certainly a good start to one's career. Kazuchika Okada came into the business with an advantage, as he was taught by none other than Ultimo Dragon.
Okada trained with Dragon's Toryumon school in Mexico, making his debut in August of 2004 - he hadn't even turned 17 yet. Breaking into the business in Mexico allowed him to incorporate the lucha libre style of wrestling into his ring package, and that's still visible in his work today - Okada is more agile, lithe, and acrobatic than most of the puro aces who have preceded him.
Okada took to wrestling quickly. Just a year after his debut, he won the Young Dragons Cup - the Toryumon equivalent of New Japan's Young Lion Cup, a tournament for up-and-coming talent. Okada would defeat future journeyman Hajime Ohara in the finals, proving that he had a bright future ahead of him.