If WWE Were Being Honest About ALL IN

Omega Okada
njpw1972.com

Seven years after Kazuchika Okada's opening match loss at 2010's Wrestle Kingdom IV, he was in the main event at the Tokyo Dome supershow against Kenny Omega.

Their IWGP Heavyweight Title clash was a flag-planting moment for wrestling outside of WWE. A year prior, Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles had earned unexpected plaudits across the pond for their own effort, but it was widely speculated that both were about to sign on with Vince McMahon immediately afterwards. WWE was - in spite of a product long-homogonised in line with the advent of the WWE Networks and television rights fees replacing pay-per-view revenues - still the place to become known as a wrestling megastar and the 'dream' destination of many.

Okada's victory over Kenny Omega was a line in the sand, though. WWE had taken advantage of habitual viewers' loyalty (and always will, to an extent), but the dynamic Wrestle Kingdom 11 topliner demanded attention and further emotional and financial investment. Something was happening, and whilst The Young Bucks were ringside for their Bullet Club leader that night, it was a relatively recent WWE evacuee that would be the vital component in their plan to "Change The World".

CONT'D...

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett