Every 'Next Big Thing' In Wrestling History: Where Are They Now?

14. Kazuchika Okada

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AEW

At NJPW The New Beginning 2012, Kazuchika Okada won the IWGP Heavyweight title at the expense of Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi in only his second match back from excursion. 

It was seismic, surreal. The excursion had gone terribly, Okada looked like a gawky teenager, his Wrestle Kingdom VI return was a disaster, and this move completely disrupted Gedo’s usual booking patterns. 

The match was great, but it was a Hiroshi Tanahashi main event. They all were. Okada never looked back en route to becoming the best wrestler alive for several years, perfecting the counter-driven NJPW main event and dictating the pace of his matches to such incredible effect that every wrestler who made a comeback against him felt like they were solving the most complex of puzzles.

Currently, Okada is positively embarrassing WWE’s portrayal of Japanese talent on the main roster. Okada gets promo time, is hilarious, races into arenas nationwide with a stupidly expensive sports car, and is generally presented as international living legend - and he knows better than most, without a three-year stint in the Performance Center, how to locate every camera in the set-up to convey the full range of his character in small, crucial moments. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!