8 Reasons Why Kazuchika Okada Is #1 In This Year's PWI 500
3. Six-Star Wrestling Ability
Okada's performances within the PWI 500's date range place him among some of the best wrestlers to ever grace the ring. Star ratings are entirely subjective, and shouldn't be taken as gospel, but only two matches had been awarded a ****** score prior to Okada vs. Omega. The participants? Ricky Steamboat, Ric Flair, Toshiaki Kawada, and Mitsuharu Misawa. That's not bad company to keep.
The IWGP Heavyweight Champion has proven himself as one of the most complete performers in wrestling history. His athleticism, moveset, and storytelling ability are all top notch, as is his selling. He's a perfect main event style wrestler who creates and escalates drama like nobody else in the business, and his versatility is staggering.
The Omega matches shared some similarities, but they were totally different to his bouts with Cody Rhodes, Minoru Suzuki, Bad Luck Fale, or anybody else for that matter. He tells a different story almost every time he steps through the ropes, and NJPW's lack of in-ring restrictions allows him to showcase the full range of his abilities on a regular basis, unlike WWE's top performers, who are greatly hindered by the company's prohibitive style.