Kazuchika Okada (born November 8, 1987) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to the WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand and is the current WWE Champion in his first reign. Okada is also a former WWE United States Champion. Okada is best known for his time in NJPW where he was a three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
Initially trained by Último Dragón and making his debut in August 2004, Okada spent his first years in professional wrestling working in Mexico, before returning to Japan and making NJPW his home promotion in mid-2007. Originally working as a junior heavyweight, Okada graduated to the heavyweight division in April 2008, with limited success. In February 2010, NJPW sent Okada on a learning excursion to American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he ended up spending the next twenty months, mainly performing on the promotion's secondary television program, Xplosion. From January to March 2011, Okada, now performing under the ring name Okato, was featured on TNA's primary television program, Impact!, as Samoa Joe's sidekick in his rivalry with D'Angelo Dinero.
Okada's run with TNA ended in October 2011 and he returned to NJPW in January 2012, repackaged as "Rainmaker", complete with a new look and a villainous persona. Just a month later, Okada defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win NJPW's top title, the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which he would hold for four months, before losing it back to Tanahashi. The following August, Okada won NJPW's premier tournament, the G1 Climax. At the end of year, the Tokyo Sports magazine named Okada the 2012 MVP in all of Japanese professional wrestling. The following year, Okada first won the New Japan Cup in March, before regaining the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Tanahashi in April. After a thirteen-month reign, Okada lost the title in May 2014. Three months later, he won his second G1 Climax. Okada has since won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship two more times, and headlined NJPW's biggest annual event – the January 4 Tokyo Dome Show – three times (2013, 2015, and 2016).
Professional wrestling career
Training and early career (2004–2007)
New Japan Pro Wrestling (2007–2010)
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2010–2011)
Return to NJPW (2010–2016)
WWE (2016–present)
United States Champion (2016–2017)
Feud with Kenny Omega (2017–present)
The feud between Okada and Kenny Omega began at the 2017 Royal Rumble with Okada putting his United States Championship on the line. Okada was successful in defended his title and at 46 minutes and 45 seconds it was the longest match at the Royal Rumble that wasn't the Rumble match itself. Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, in his Wrestling Observer Newsletter, gave the match a six-star rating. He added that Okada and Omega "may have put on the greatest match in pro wrestling history" and that it was the best match he had ever seen.
Following this Okada unsuccessfully challenged for The Undertaker's WWE Championship at the Elimination Chamber, Okada did eliminated Baron Corbin but was ultimately eliminated by The Undertaker as the final elimination. At WrestleMania 33 he faced off against long time rival Hiroshi Tanahashi for the first time in the WWE with Tanahashi defeating Okada and winning his first WWE United States Championship. Two days later on SmackDown Okada announced his intentions to compete in the tournament for the vacant WWE Championship that had just been vacated by the retiring Undertaker.
In the subsequent tournament that would run for six weeks until the Judgment Day pay-per-view in May, Okada was drawn against Baron Corbin in the first round and was victorious. He would then defeat Abyss in the quarter-final and Hiroshi Tanahashi in the semi-finals to set up a meeting with Kenny Omega for the WWE Championship. At the pay-per-view Okada and Omega battled hard in a 41-minute classic but Omega was victorious winning WWE Championship for the first time in his career. Okada and Omega then clashed again at Money in the Bank in a record 74 minute match in which Omega once again won to retain his title.
Okada had another shot at the championship at Unforgiven against Omega but once again he came up short and failed to capture the belt. After this Okada started a programme with Shinsuke Nakamura but at SummerSlam Okada once again failed to win the championship he was competing for, the United States Championship and this happened again at Backlash. On SmackDown following Backlash Okada was given one final shot at the WWE Championship in a Hell in a Cell match at No Mercy but Okada was informed should he lose again he would be banned from competing for the belt whilst Omega is champion. At the end Okada defeated Omega thus winning the WWE Championship for the first time.
In Wrestling
- Finishing moves
- German suplex – 2004–2011; used as a signature move thereafter
- Rainmaker (Wrist-lock transitioned into a short-arm lariat) – 2012–present
- Red Ink (Kneeling cross-legged STF) – 2013–present
- Signature moves
- Backdrop suplex
- DDT, sometimes elevated
- DID – Deep In Debt (Arm trap inverted three-quarter facelock)
- Diving elbow drop
- Dropkick, sometimes from the top rope or sliding
- Flapjack
- Heavy Rain (Fireman's carry neckbreaker slam)
- Modified osotogari – 2009–2011
- Reverse Neckbreaker (Over-the-shoulder back-to-belly piledriver onto the knee)
- Senton Atomico (Slingshot somersault senton)
- Tombstone Piledriver, sometimes whilst jumping and/or spinning
- Managers
- Gedo
- Wrestlers managed
- Nicknames
- "Rainmaker"
- "Shin Jidai no Ace" (Japanese for "Ace of the New Era")
- Entrance themes
- "Cefiro & Radio Comeback (Seishun Saikai)" by Maximum the Hormone (2007)
- "Kick It, That Makes Me Funk" by Yonosuke Kitamura (2007–2011)
- "Rain Maker" by Yonosuke Kitamura (2012–2014)
- "Rain Maker: 20130104" by Yonosuke Kitamura (2013)
- "Rain Maker (2014 Edit)" by May's (NJPW / WWE; 2014–present)
Championships and Accomplishments
- New Japan Pro Wrestling
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- G1 Climax (2012, 2014)
- New Japan Cup (2013)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 2 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2017
- Tokyo Sports
- Best Bout Award (2012) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi on June 16
- Best Bout Award (2014) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura on August 10
- Best Bout Award (2015) vs. Genichiro Tenryu on November 15
- MVP Award (2012, 2013, 2015)
- Toryumon Mexico
- Young Dragons Cup (2005)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- 6¼ Star Match (2017) vs. Kenny Omega on June 18
- 6 Star Match (2017) vs. Kenny Omega on January 29
- 5¾ Star Match (2017) vs. Kenny Omega on July 23
- 5 Star Match (2013) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi on April 7
- 5 Star Match (2013) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi on October 14
- 5 Star Match (2016) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi on January 4
- 5 Star Match (2016) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura on October 9
- 5 Star Match (2017) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi on April 2
- 5 Star Match (2017) vs. Kenny Omega May 21
- 5 Star Match (2017) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura on August 20
- Best Wrestling Maneuver (2012, 2013) Rainmaker
- Feud of the Year (2012, 2013) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
- Match of the Year (2013) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi on April 7
- Most Improved (2012)
- WWE
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