Kazuchika Okada Watched WWE SmackDown In Full From Gorilla

Another night, another WWE sighting for the IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

by Andy H Murray
Mega Ram Kazuchika Okada
Instagram, @randombeats

As reported earlier this week, NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada was backstage at this week's WWE Raw. A number of fans spotted 'The Rainmaker' as he left the tapings in Phoenix, Arizona on Monday, and the footage soon made its way to social media, sparking speculation amongst the fanbase.

It now looks like Raw wasn't the only WWE show Okada took in during his recent spell in the United States. Rapper Mega Ran took a selfie with the NJPW ace backstage at Tuesday night's SmackDown taping, revealing in his Instagram post that Okada had watched the whole show from the Gorilla position:-

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Ran, a noted wrestling fan, featured as part of The New Day's entourage during their SmackDown rap battle with The Usos.

As with Okada's Raw sighting, it's best not to look too much into his. His long-term NJPW contract prevents him from negotiating with WWE, and has said in the past that he'd never consider joining the company. In all likelihood, he was only there to visit his former New Japan cohorts Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles, and WWE were happy to accommodate him.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.