Kazuchika Okada Reveals Which NJPW Star He Has Expectations For

By: Lewis Carlan

Former New Japan Pro-Wrestling and current AEW superstar Kazuchika Okada made his first return to NJPW in Japan after nearly two years on Jan. 4th at Wrestle Kingdom 20. Okada faced and defeated his greatest rival Hiroshi Tanahashi in Tanahashi’s retirement match at the sold out Tokyo Dome event.

Photo Credit: NJPW

Okada spoke recently with Tokyo Sports, and was asked about his first return to NJPW since Feb. 2024. Okada stated that the “wonderful quality on the ring hasn’t changed from before.”

From Kazuchika Okada:

“Various people have left, and Tanahashi-san has retired, but the wonderful quality on the ring hasn’t changed from before. I think it’s precisely because the current young wrestlers are working hard, because they’ve been watching the backs of those who left and what Tanahashi-san has done, that things have connected to the present.”

Since Okada has been away from NJPW, there have been numerous young stars with great potential that have been making their mark in NJPW including Yuya Uemura, Shota Umino, Ryohei Oiwa, OSKAR, Yuto-Ice & Kosei Fujita.

There is one individual who Okada feels has the best potential out of all of them and stated he has high expectations for.

From Kazuchika Okada:

“It’s got to be (Yota) Tsuji, after all. Since they (the match order) were before us, I was able to watch the match, and he defeated (Konosuke) Takeshita to become IWGP (Heavyweight Champion), and I feel like he’s doing things that are creating buzz not just in New Japan but outside too. I think he might be aware of that too. There are many great wrestlers, but I think such things are important too, and I think Tsuji is the one doing that.”

Photo Credit: NJPW

With Okada having great praise for Tsuji, one thing that comes to mind is a potential Yota Tsuji vs. Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Title down the road. The two met once in a singles bout back in June 2021 with Okada defeating then Young Lion Tsuji in under 10 minutes.

Could we see a new ace vs. old ace championship bout in the future inside a NJPW ring? In the world of professional wrestling, anything is possible.

(H/T goes to meraWRESTLING for the English quote translations)