Kazuchika Okada Reveals How His Surprise NJPW Appearance In Anjo Materialized

By: Lewis Carlan

Back on Nov. 8th at Tosho Arena in Anjo, former NJPW megastar and current AEW superstar “Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada made a surprise appearance to confront Hiroshi Tanahashi. Okada, who was accompanied by Gedo, was there to challenge Tanahashi for one final bout at Wrestle Kingdom 20.

Photo Credit: NJPW

The crowd in Anjo erupted at the appearance of Okada and chanted his name as he headed to the ring.

This was the first time Okada had set foot inside a NJPW ring in Japan since Feb. 2024 as he left the promotion after signing with AEW.

In a new interview on the NJPW official website, Okada explained how his shocking surprise appearance materialized.

From Kazuchika Okada:

“Well, when I heard from Gedo about Tanahashi’s retirement, I thought back to all the times we had wrestled, and how Gedo was in my corner for so many of those matches, so  thought Gedo should be with me. It just so happened that NJPW had a card in Anjo, in my hometown, on my birthday, I didn’t have any AEW commitment that day, so when Gedo suggested making that the day everything happened, I was more than happy to.”

Okada was asked how he felt being the final opponent for Hiroshi Tanahashi. He said it makes sense to be his final opponent because he said everything about the Rainmaker started with Tanahashi.

From Kazuchika Okada:

“Hmm, I’m not really sure I have an answer to that. It doesn’t quite feel like he’s retiring. I think I won’t know for sure until the day itself. If I was in NJPW all this time, perhaps I might get a sense that retirement was looming, but I’ve been over in America; I never really gave it thought. I think it’ll be at the end of the year, when I’m finished with the AEW schedule, and next is the Tokyo Dome, that’s when I’ll be able to give it more thought. But everything about the Rainmaker started with Tanahashi, so it makes sense to end Tanahashi’s career. Talking about it that way sounds a little self centered (laughs) but in the end, I feel this is a repayment in a way.”

Okada will face Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 20 on Jan. 4th at the Tokyo Dome. This will be Tanahashi’s retirement bout. The event is sold out with over 50,000 tickets purchased.