10 Things You Need To Know About Kazuchika Okada

1. He May Turn Out To Be The Best Wrestler Of All Time

Okada NJPW
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At this point, it's hard not to consider Kazuchika Okada the greatest wrestler in the world. AJ Styles may be on a grander stage, Kenny Omega may be more flashy, and Hiroshi Tanahashi is still a genius between the ropes, but nobody can match Okada overall. His bouts in 2017 alone prove it, as he's had classics with Omega, Katsuyori Shibata, and Minoru Suzuki.

What's truly scary to think about is that Okada is only 29 years old. Most wrestlers don't hit their prime, performance-wise, until their early 30s. Tanahashi, most would argue, was at his best from age 35 to 37, and dozens of stars have had classic matches in their 40s.

All of that goes to say that, if Okada stays healthy and committed to wrestling, he's probably got another decade of peak performance ahead of him. He may get even better than he is now, and he's sure to break just about every record in the book. When he finally does retire, "best in the world" won't be enough - he'll most likely be the greatest of all time.

Contributor
Contributor

Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried. *Best Crowd of the Year, 2013