8 Reasons Why Kazuchika Okada Is #1 In This Year's PWI 500
2. Genuine Drawing Power
Wrestling ability and match quality are subjective. If Okada doesn't do it for you in the ring, that's absolutely fine, and there's no problem with arguing that AJ Styles or Kenny Omega is a superior wrestler. Neither view is right or wrong: it's all a matter of opinion.
Drawing power, however, is not.
It was widely assumed that NJPW's business would nosedive when Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura left in January 2016, but it hasn't. In fact, the company's live attendances have actually increased throughout 'The Rainmaker's' latest IWGP Heavyweight Title reign, and while wrestlers like Omega and Tetsuya Naito are partly responsible for this, Okada, as NJPW's top star, must take the bulk of the credit.
The numbers speak for themselves. Wrestle Kingdom 11 drew 26,192 in January - an increase of almost 1,000 on WK10. Total attendances from January-April went up 21.42% on the previous year. King Of Pro Wrestling, Wrestling Dontaku, Sakura Genesis, New Beginning In Sapporo: Okada headlined each of these major events, and they all attracted higher crowds than the previous year's equivalents.
This, more than anything else, highlights Okada's importance to NJPW. He is a proven needle-mover, and there aren't many other wrestlers who can say that these days.